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Index : Landscaping Design
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- 5. Drought Encourages Use of Desert Plants - Top
- Garden centers and nurseries here in Tucson and throughout Southern Arizona stock a wide array of plants. Not all of them are well-suited to the desert. In fact, a large number of the varieties of plants for sale are not true desert plants and may require significant amounts of water to survive our harsh, often drought-stressed environment.
Before purchasing plants this spring, do your homework. Find out whether the plant(s) your thinking about purchasing are desert native, desert adapted or water-dependant exotic species.
Desert native plants will require the least amount of care. Once established these plants can survive on what Mother Nature provides in terms of water and nutrients. Even during periods of drought native plants will survive; either by going drought dormant or by self-pruning to reduce moisture loss. Prickly pear cactus shed their outermost pads. Palo verde drop leaves, stems, sometimes even branches to reduce their water needs.
There are a wide variety of Southwest desert natives to choose from. Selections of trees include; Blue, Foothills, and Desert Museum Palo Verdes, Arizona Rosewood, Catclaw Acacia, Texas Honey Mesquite and Ironwood. Some good choices of desert shrubs are; Creosote Bush, Chuparosa, Autumn Sage, Fairy Duster, Texas Rangers, and Brittlebush.
Desert-adapted plants are those able to tolerate our desert environment in terms of heat and drought tolerance. But during hot, dry periods they will require periodic irrigation. Selections of these desert-adapted trees include; South American Mesquites, Texas Honey Mesquite, Sweet Acacia, Western Soapberry, Gregg Ash, and Kidneywood. Some desirable desert-adapted shrubs include; Yellow Oleander, Red and Yellow Birds-of-Paradise, Emu Bush, Feathery Senna, Poverty Bush, Bush Lantana and Mexican Honeysuckle.
In addition to trees and shrubs for low water use desert landscapes, cacti and succulents are also great choices. Native Saguaro, Barrel, Hedgehog and Prickly Pear Cacti need little attention after establishment. Agaves are also great drought-tolerant plants for desert landscapes. Some of the best for home gardens include; Octopus Agave, Hauachuca agave, Twin-flowered agave and Holly agave.
For landscape color, there are many desert perennials to choose from. Those that can manage on just one watering per month during hot weather include; Penstemon, Angelita Daisy, Desert Marigold, Desert Zinnia, and Paper Flower. Perennials that need a little more frequent watering (every week or two) include; Peruvian Verbena, Calylophus, Chocolate Flower, Golden Dyssodia and Guara.
In general, plants that use the most water are annual flowers like petunias, geraniums, zinnias and marigolds. It’s best to limit the use of these flowers to a few pots for seasonal color on the patio. Summer vegetables like tomatoes are also high water users, so if your planting a garden, limit it’s size or grow your vegetables in containers.
When shopping at local garden centers and nurseries it’s best to avoid unfamiliar varieties of plants that don’t have the ‘desert look’. Plants with lots of large, soft leaves are probably not adapted to desert conditions. Many of these plants come from wholesale nurseries in California and are best suited to their milder growing conditions.
Consult reference books and internet sources for listings of additional recommended desert plants and their watering requirements. Among the best books to consult are: Landscape Plants for Dry Regions, by Jones and Sacamano; and Plants for Dry Climates by Duffield and Jones. An on-line data base of recommended desert landscape plants for Southern Arizona is available at: www.ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening.
“Organic Gardening” will be the topic for this week’s garden demonstrations. They will be presented on Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the University of Arizona - Pima County Extension Center, 4210 N. Campbell Ave (central); and at 1 p.m. at the Wilmot Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road (east), and on Friday at 1 p.m. at the Oro Valley Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive (northwest).
Garden centers and nurseries here in Tucson and throughout Southern Arizona stock a wide array of plants. Not all of them are well-suited to the desert. In fact, a large number of the varieties of plants for sale are not true desert plants and may require significant amounts of water to survive our harsh, often drought-stressed environment.
Before purchasing plants this spring, do your homework. Find out whether the plant(s) your thinking about purchasing are desert native, desert adapted or water-dependant exotic species.
Desert native plants will require the least amount of care. Once established these plants can survive on what Mother Nature provides in terms of water and nutrients. Even during periods of drought native plants will survive; either by going drought dormant or by self-pruning to reduce moisture loss. Prickly pear cactus shed their outermost pads. Palo verde drop leaves, stems, sometimes even branches to reduce their water needs.
There are a wide variety of Southwest desert natives to choose from. Selections of trees include; Blue, Foothills, and Desert Museum Palo Verdes, Arizona Rosewood, Catclaw Acacia, Texas Honey Mesquite and Ironwood. Some good choices of desert shrubs are; Creosote Bush, Chuparosa, Autumn Sage, Fairy Duster, Texas Rangers, and Brittlebush.
Desert-adapted plants are those able to tolerate our desert environment in terms of heat and drought tolerance. But during hot, dry periods they will require periodic irrigation. Selections of these desert-adapted trees include; South American Mesquites, Texas Honey Mesquite, Sweet Acacia, Western Soapberry, Gregg Ash, and Kidneywood. Some desirable desert-adapted shrubs include; Yellow Oleander, Red and Yellow Birds-of-Paradise, Emu Bush, Feathery Senna, Poverty Bush, Bush Lantana and Mexican Honeysuckle.
In addition to trees and shrubs for low water use desert landscapes, cacti and succulents are also great choices. Native Saguaro, Barrel, Hedgehog and Prickly Pear Cacti need little attention after establishment. Agaves are also great drought-tolerant plants for desert landscapes. Some of the best for home gardens include; Octopus Agave, Hauachuca agave, Twin-flowered agave and Holly agave.
For landscape color, there are many desert perennials to choose from. Those that can manage on just one watering per month during hot weather include; Penstemon, Angelita Daisy, Desert Marigold, Desert Zinnia, and Paper Flower. Perennials that need a little more frequent watering (every week or two) include; Peruvian Verbena, Calylophus, Chocolate Flower, Golden Dyssodia and Guara.
In general, plants that use the most water are annual flowers like petunias, geraniums, zinnias and marigolds. It’s best to limit the use of these flowers to a few pots for seasonal color on the patio. Summer vegetables like tomatoes are also high water users, so if your planting a garden, limit it’s size or grow your vegetables in containers.
When shopping at local garden centers and nurseries it’s best to avoid unfamiliar varieties of plants that don’t have the ‘desert look’. Plants with lots of large, soft leaves are probably not adapted to desert conditions. Many of these plants come from wholesale nurseries in California and are best suited to their milder growing conditions.
Consult reference books and internet sources for listings of additional recommended desert plants and their watering requirements. Among the best books to consult are: Landscape Plants for Dry Regions, by Jones and Sacamano; and Plants for Dry Climates by Duffield and Jones. An on-line data base of recommended desert landscape plants for Southern Arizona is available at: www.ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona,
520-626-5161. - Updated: March 19, 2006
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