Desert Landscape Methods

Planting desert plants provides a habitat for native animals and birds.

Planting desert plants provides a habitat for native animals and birds.

Water-wise desert landscaping is called xeriscaping. The purpose of xeriscaping is to use scarce water efficiently. Plants with large leaves and lush foliage lose a lot of moisture through those leaves on hot, dry sunny days. By contrast, desert natives lose less water through their leaves, and some store water for dry spells. In dry weather, desert plants are healthier than plants from wetter climates because they are better adapted to their environment.


Getting rid of your lawn can cut your outdoor water use in half, notes the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. In the desert, grass tends to brown during the hottest, driest part of the year even if watered frequently. Removing a water-thirsty lawn and replacing it with crushed granite mulch will save you water and could be more attractive.

Drought-Tolerant Plants

Desert landscapes should be built around native plants, not exotics. Native plants know how to survive hot, dry desert summers. Cacti and other succulents store water for dry spells. Ornamental grasses and other plants native to arid grasslands can survive on much less rain than grasses native to temperate regions. Desert trees usually have small, compound leaves which lose little water. Some native trees fold up their leaves at night to prevent evaporation even further. These thrifty natives should be the backbone of any xeriscaping plan.


If you want a few nondesert plants, plant them in an oasis zone close to the house. Keeping high-water-use plants together uses water more efficiently than scattering them throughout your xeriscape. Make each high-water-use plant in the oasis justify its existence. For example, if you want a small yard, you can keep a small patch near the patio for the kids to play on. Keeping it near the patio will help keep the patio cooler as well. If you want a large, lush tree, plant it on the west side of the house to shade a door or window in the summer. If you like flowers with large blossoms, plant them in containers on your patio. You will be able to appreciate them from your seat on the patio, and the spill-over from watering them can help cool the patio.

Vertical Lines

Many desert plants are small and compact. On the whole, smaller plants are more efficient and sun-tolerant than large ones. But that doesn't mean your landscape needs to hug the ground. Tall cacti and euphorbias will introduce some vertical lines to your landscape. Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), which grow as several tall, vertical stems, will give you bright crimson flowers after each rain. Berms and well-placed large rocks can also break up a flat, uninteresting yard.

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