For people whose yards are not just sandy, but sand, a question

I've been responsible for the design of a lot of yards in my time, ordinary to fancypants, but that was all back in California. Now I've lived in a new place for a while, Albuquerque, and I might as well have a shack on the beach, without the ocean. When I moved here, and still, just about any yard I saw here, at least in my area, was covered with black plastic with rocks covering the plastic, to thwart weeds, some planting allowed rather sparely through the plastic.

Being me, I revolted, I want water, from whatever rain shows up, and it's not much here, to seep down to whatever aquifer, or add a bit of help if any.. We're not far from Rio Grande. Maybe I've been doing good, or doing stupid. Maybe the land sloping toward the river gains from my rain or, probably, it's irrelevant, given everybody else uses black plastic and stones, or, maybe the housing area didn't matter anyway.

I'm less able now, which is why I am even considering.
Maybe they are all right, I should plasticize.