Plant a low-water desert garden

Step by step

1. 1

   Plant in fall or early spring

   October through November is the best window in the low desert, with February through March close behind. Roots grow all winter and the plant is established before summer. Avoid planting from May through September, when even tough plants struggle to root in 110°F heat.

2. 2

   Choose desert-adapted plants

   Pick natives and proven desert plants like desert marigold, Texas ranger, brittlebush, globe mallow, penstemon, and agave. Read the tag for mature size and space plants for it, not for how they look in the pot. West- and south-facing walls reflect extra heat, so put the toughest plants there.

3. 3

   Test the drainage

   Dig a hole and fill it with water. It should drain within a few hours. If water is still standing the next day, you've likely hit caliche; break through it with a digging bar or move the plant. Roots sitting in water rot, even in the desert.

4. 4

   Dig wide, not deep

   Make each hole two to three times as wide as the root ball but only as deep as the root ball. The plant should sit at the same depth it grew in the pot. Rough up the sides of the hole so roots can push out.

5. 5

   Backfill with native soil

   For desert-adapted plants, backfill with the soil you dug out. Rich amendments keep roots circling in the soft hole instead of reaching into the surrounding ground. Save compost and garden soil for flower and vegetable beds, and use cactus mix in containers.

6. 6

   Set the plant and build a basin

   Slide the plant out of the pot, loosen any circling roots with your fingers, and set it in place. Backfill, firming the soil gently. Build a low ring of soil just outside the root ball to hold water where the roots are.

7. 7

   Water deeply, then taper off

   Soak the root zone right after planting. Water every 2 to 3 days for the first couple of weeks, then gradually stretch the time between waterings over the first year. Cacti and agave are the exception: wait about a week before watering so damaged roots can heal.

8. 8

   Mulch the surface

   Spread 2 to 3 inches of rock or organic mulch to keep roots cool and slow evaporation. Keep it a few inches back from stems and trunks.

9. 9

   Get them through the first summer

   Shade new plants with shade cloth during their first summer, and check soil moisture often. Skip fertilizer in summer heat; most desert plants need little or none at all. After the first year, water deeply and infrequently, ideally on a drip timer.