Landscaping

  1. Home
  2. Home & Garden
  3. Landscaping

Drought-Tolerant Plants, Sunny, Dry Areas and Desert Landscaping

A low-maintenance, water-wise, yet still attractive landscape plan for sunny, dry areas or desert landscaping calls for the use of drought-tolerant plants -- plants for full sun, requiring little water. Learn your options for sun plants and how to use them in desert landscaping or sunny, dry areas.
Aloe Vera Plants
Aloe vera is a tropical plant with a history of medicinal usage. Typically found in hot, dry climates, aloe vera plants are a natural for desert landscaping.
10 Full-Sun Plants
Full-sun plants with drought-tolerance that are perennials are often perfect for rock gardens, for instance. Learn what qualifies as full-sun plants before you buy your perennials at the nursery.
Plan for Sunny Perennial Beds With Drought-Tolerant Plants
A low-maintenance, water-wise, yet still attractive landscape plan for a sunny area calls for the use of drought-tolerant plants, even if you don't live in Arizona (where true desert landscaping is necessary). Discover perennials suitable for such a desert landscaping plan. A link to a drawing of the landscape plan itself shows how to arrange them. Perennial plant photos are included.
Xeriscaping -- More Than Just Desert Landscaping
North America is beginning to realize that drought may be with us to stay. While this is bad news for lawns, it is a clarion call to experiment with other landscaping themes. In a word -- it is time to xeriscape. Find out about plants suitable to grow in dry, sunny areas.
Yellow Alyssum Flowers: Aurinia Saxatilis
Yellow alyssum flowers (Aurinia saxatilis) are perennial plants suitable for rock gardens. Yellow alyssum flowers like sun and are drought-tolerant.
Moonbeam Coreopsis Plants
Moonbeam coreopsis plants (tickseed) are one of the threadleaf flower varieties. Reaching 2’ x 2’ and bearing clusters of light yellow, daisy-like flowers, Moonbeam coreopsis plants are drought-tolerant, making them effective in dry, sunny areas.
Yarrow Plants
Yarrow plants (Achillea millefolium) have a feathery foliage and flattened flower heads. Grow yarrow plants in border plantings with flowers or in rock gardens.
Desert Landscaping With Stonecrop Plants -- "Autumn Joy" Sedum
Autumn Joy sedum is one of the stonecrop plants. Like other stonecrop plants, Autumn Joy sedums are drought-tolerant perennials suitable for desert landscaping. Autumn Joy sedum may well be the solution to one of your landscaping problem areas.
Perennial Flowers for Dry, Sunny Areas -- Snow-In-Summer Plants
The words "snow" and "desert landscaping" may seem incongruous, at first. But snow-in-summer plants are perennial flowers that can thrive in dry, sunny areas. Snow-in-summer plants are often used in rock gardens for this reason. Rock gardening affords an opportunity for everyone to dabble in a bit of "desert landscaping."
"Blue Rug" Juniper Plants -- Low-Growing Shrubs
As the common name suggest, these sun-loving plants have an attractive blue hue and spread out to form a dense mat. While they'll need to watered well in the beginning, they can take a lot of sun, once established.
Lamb's Ear Plants
Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) are good plants for dry, sunny areas and also deer-resistant. These features make lamb's ear plants excellent choices for low-maintenance rock garden plants.
Hens and Chicks
Hens and chicks plants (Latin name, Sempervivum tectorum) are surprisingly hardy perennials, for succulents. Plant hens and chicks in rock gardens to take advantage of their drought-tolerance.
Drought-Tolerant Plants and Desert Landscaping
If one lives in an area such as Phoenix, Arizona (USA), one has a special need for plants suited to desert landscaping. About's Guide to Phoenix, Judy Hedding, has assembled a handy list of books on drought-tolerant plants for desert landscaping. Browse Judy's selections to see why, with drought-tolerant plants, desert landscaping is about more than just "sand and tumbleweeds."
Becky Shasta Daisy
Shasta daisy plants are an excellent choice for dry, sunny areas, as they are relatively drought-tolerant. 'Becky' shasta daisies produce flowers over a longer stretch of the summer than other varieties.
Plants for Sunny, Dry Areas
About's Gardening Guide, Marie Iannotti, offers this resource on plants for sunny, dry areas. The technical term for the strategy discussed, as I mention above, is "xeriscaping." Xeriscaping and "desert landscaping" are by no means synonymous, although the former is said to have originated in arid Colorado.
Havasu Magazine: Desert Landscaping Ideas
Havasu Magazine discusses desert landscaping that is not just about colored rocks and cactus. "If you are planning to brighten up your Havasu yard, here are some of the colorful blossoms that thrive" in desert landscaping.

Explore Landscaping

About.com Special Features

Landscaping

  1. Home
  2. Home & Garden
  3. Landscaping
  4. Landscaping Problems
  5. Plants for Sunny, Dry Areas

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.