Desert Landscaping Plants

Whether living in Arizona, California, or Nevada, many people are discovering the joy of using desert landscaping plants. Typically, these types of plants are easy to grow and maintain, and many have gorgeous, colorful blooms during different times of the year. Although most desert landscaping plants do best in dry, hot climates, they can be used in other parts of the country with a wetting, cooler climate.

In addition to using plants for landscaping, which might include yucca, various types of cacti, and so on, you will also find that desert gardens can use vegetable garden plans. For instance, fruits and vegetables usually grow exceptionally well in dry climates although you would need to make sure they get adequate watering.

Vegetable Garden Plants

Examples of what might be included for vegetable garden plants for hotter regions of the country would include green beans, potatoes, radishes, melons, snap peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce. This coupled with various types of fruits that also do well in hotter climates such as banana trees, grapes, plums, citrus, cherry trees, and apples, and you will find that you have a gorgeous garden that also produces both color and edible foods.

While creating a look using desert landscaping plants, you might find that you have some areas of the property or perhaps a side of the home with lots of shade. Obviously, this would require you to use landscape shade plants, those that will handle the hot and dry climate but also do well growing in shade. Again, the possibilities are tremendous, giving you great coverage and beautiful blooms during the year.

Regarding some of the desert landscaping plants and landscape shade plants, we wanted to provide you with some excellent options that you might consider. Those listed below are just a few samples of the hundreds of possibilities.

Types of Desert Landscaping Plants 

• Agave Americana – The interesting form and the plant’s high tolerance to heat, drought, cold, sun, and even poor soils makes this an ideal all-around plant. The Agave Americana will grow anywhere from one to six feet tall, developing into unique styles of leafs and beautiful colors.
 
• Desert Spoon – This particular plant does best in arid climates and was at one time, used for fiber and food by Native Americans. The plant will grow between five and eight feet high and depending on the exact species, some will produce a bloom topped with red, long plumes that complement the gray green foliage.

• Golden Barrel – This desert plant has beautiful gold flowers with gold colored foliage. At maturity, the plant will reach about four feet high and three feet in diameter.

Landscape Shade Plants

• Astilbes – These landscape shade plants have wonderful, plume like flowers of red, pink, and white that will bloom for a long time. As a perennial, the flower will grow back year after year while growing perfectly in a shaded area.

• Hosta – This is a perfect choice for landscape shade plants, growing about 12 to 18 inches high with a nice spread. The leaves are dense and if grown close together, they create a wonderful border.

• Liriope Spicata – Another excellent shade plant, this one appears like grass, which is why it is more often referred to as border grass. The flowers have spiked in shape and while in bloom the color changes from white to purple then in the fall, a dark berry grows.

• Foxglove – Known more commonly as day lilies, these landscape shade plants grow extremely well in shade and sun, producing long stems that grow exotic looking flowers of varying colors depending on the species but keep in mind, Foxglove is poisonous so you want to keep it out of reach of pets and smaller children.