Choose native plants for your desert landscape

One way to figure out what plants will be suitable and attractive in your desert landscaping is to go to a nearby natural area and see what is growing wild.

Make sure you select a location that is similar to yours in exposure, dryness and altitude.

Take photos or make a list of plants you find attractive. Never dig up native plants! They are fragile and rare, and in most places it is illegal to do so.  Almost everything you will see is available in plant stores. Photos will also help you arrange your landscaping, showing which plants grow together, and how much space they need.

Then go to the web or in plant books to learn about the plants you have found, or take your photos to a local nursery that specializes in native plants, and decide which are for you.

The variety of desert plants is surprising: cacti, shrubs, vines, spring-flowering annuals, many kinds of perennials. A big virtue of native plants is that they  require little in the way of extra water and plant food, and are easy to maintain.

One thing to keep in mind about native plants–some of them grow very slowly, so it may take a while for your landscape to mature. But there is nothing to match their beauty, and their ability to attract native fauna.

Advertisement

Plant your own desert landscape

There are obvious as well as more subtle things to consider when planting a landscape around your desert home.

Not surprisingly, the number one limiting factor in the desert is water.

Domesticated cactus

The number two limiting factor is shade. Some desert plants can’t tolerate any, some need it.

Other factors such as temperature, predators, and wind vary by specific location.

Interestingly enough, as well as enduring brutal heat, many parts of the North American desert reach temperatures below freezing at least a few days a year. The thorns and armor on many desert plants attest to their predators, ranging from insects to grazing mammals.

See what the experts have to say about useful and well-adapted plants that conserve resources:  www.amwua.org:plants_index.html

With a little knowledge, you can enhance your landscape naturally.