Landscape Design for a Drought-Tolerant Garden

Cactus and Succulent Garden

• A cactus garden is the most water-efficient specialty garden you can grow. Most cacti do not need any supplemental water in the desert, but succulents do look better with an occasional watering during the hot months. For the most visual interest, pick species that are tall, short, grass-like and ground-spreading. For strong verticals, ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) and sahuaro (Carnegiea gigantean) are good choices. Barrel cactus species, such as fishhook barrel (Ferocactus wislizenii), are short and stout. Desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri) is a good grass-like succulent, and purple prickly pear (Opuntia violacea "Santa Rita") sprawls along the ground as well as adding color to your design. All of these are hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13.

Yellow Flower Garden

• For whatever reason, Mother Nature has provided hundreds of drought-tolerant plants that have yellow flowers. The possibilities for your yellow-themed drought-tolerant garden are abundant. For yellow flowering trees, the blue palo verde (Parkinsonia floridum), hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13, provides a dramatic spring show. The foothills palo verde also has yellow flowers, which appear a few weeks after the blue palo verde. It is hardy in Sunset Zones 12 and 13. Yellow-flowering shrubs to include are the desert bird of paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) and Mt. Lemmon marigold (Tagetes lemmonii). These are hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13.

Fragrance Garden

• A garden of fragrance is another alternative design. Plant the tree sweet acacia (Acacia smallii) with yellow puffball sweet flowers in the early spring, and the shrub butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), with lavender flowers, also in the spring. Both are hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13, although Buddleia goes winter-dormant in Zone 10. Rosemary (Rosmarinus species) is a shrub or ground cover with fragrant leaves and is hardy in all three zones.

White Flower Garden

• For a nonthirsty garden with a white flower theme, choose Texas ebony (Pithecellobuim flexicaule) as your tree selection. A good shrub choice is little leaf cordia (Cordia parvifolia), which has white flowers that appear in the winter. Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) is a perennial with white or pink flowers. It blooms almost all summer. All these plants are hardy in Sunset Zones 10, 12 and 13.