Gardening in a dry, hot desert-like climate is always an adventure. Too much sun. Too little water. And soil that has almost nothing going for it. Your drought-tolerant garden, however, can be much more than sizzling hot rock mulch* scattered with pines and scrawny bushes. As a Certified Master Gardener, I will show you how to create a beautiful hot, dry desert garden landscape.
Create a Mediterranean garden
You will find that it is definitely possible to create a Mediterranean-style retreat around your home with fast growing, leafy green trees and palms in garden rooms. You can turn your back yard into an orchard with these fruit trees.
Then find more information about how to make shady havens surrounded by fabulous drought-tolerant flower borders.
And if replacing your entire lawn is in your plans–and I certainly hope that’s the case–you will find many suggestions for how to do it starting with low water usage perennials and ground covers.
Plant a desert-style landscape
Further away from your house, you can plant a drier, more desert-like xeriscape landscape with succulents, cactus, ornamental grasses, acacias, mesquites and other desert plants. Better yet, you can create a useful and attractive hot dry garden while using water wisely.
You can see examples of beautiful gardens in hot dry climates in our Public Gardens in the West section of this site.
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* How hot is rock mulch? When the outside air temperature is 100 degrees, the surface temperature of the rock mulch in the sun around your home, particularly on the south and west sides, may easily be over 150 degrees Fahrenheit. (65 degrees Celsius). The new artificial turf, being promoted as water-wise, may also be hotter than 150 degrees. It is as if your home is sitting in an oven!
But a green grass lawn will remain relatively cool in the low 90s. If, however, you don’t want a lawn, consider replacing your lawn with a water-wise ground cover, such as a low, spreading shrub, Acacia redolens or Lantana, to help reduce the temperature of that super-heated rock mulch. And that, in turn, can help reduce your air conditioning bills!
How severe is the drought in your area?
Visit the U.S. Drought Monitor to see conditions at your home.
