Native Plant Garden Design in Arizona - Desert and Dryland Landscapes

Design basins and swales to capture rainfall for plant roots. Group plants by water needs with most drought-tolerant on high ground. Use rainwater harvesting, gravel mulches, and deep watering to maximize every drop in this precious resource climate.

Create natural plant groupings mimicking desert ecosystems—saguaro with palo verde nurse trees, ocotillo with barrel cacti, desert wildflowers under shrub canopies. Allow adequate spacing for mature plant sizes and air circulation.

Emphasize the dramatic architecture of desert natives—vertical saguaros, spreading palo verdes, spherical barrel cacti, delicate desert grasses. Compose plants as living sculptures, celebrating form as much as flowers.

Select natives providing nectar for hummingbirds, flowers for native bees, seeds for desert birds, and habitat for desert tortoises and lizards. Saguaro, ocotillo, and penstemon are critical wildlife plants.

Desert natives thrive in native soils without amendment. Avoid adding organic matter which retains excess moisture. Break through caliche layers for large plants. Use gravel mulches that don't absorb heat like organic mulches.

Many Arizona natives are drought-deciduous, dropping leaves in dry seasons. This is healthy adaptation, not plant stress. Design for multi-season interest with evergreen cacti, textured bark, and plants with different active periods.