Desert Plant Library

Southwest Gardener’s Desert Plant Library contains comprehensive articles covering a wide range of popular desert landscape plants.

The information presented in these plant overviews will help you learn how to take better care of the plants you have. You’ll learn exactly what they need to thrive — sun, temperature, and water requirements, best pruning and fertilizing practices, common pest problems, and more.

And by using this information before you add a new plant to your landscape, you can determine whether it’s the right plant for the place you have in mind before you buy.

The information you find here will ultimately save you time, money, and frustration.

You can browse by plant category or use the Plant Index, which has alphabetical lists of plants by common name.

Desert Flowers

Annuals, perennials, wildflowers, & ground covers
close up of parry's penstemon flowers

Desert Grasses

Native & ornamental grasses
bull grass

Desert Ground Covers

Ground covers of all kinds
close up of new gold lantana flowers

Desert Shrubs

Evergreen, deciduous, & flowering shrubs
texas ranger in bloom

Desert Succulents

Cactus, aloes, agaves, & other succulents
chose up of artichoke agave

Desert Trees

Evergreen, deciduous, & flowering trees
cascalote tree

Desert Vines

Annual & perennial vines
carolina jessamine flowers

Native Desert Plants

Plants of all types native to the Sonoran, Mojave, or Chihuahuan deserts
desert marigolds and fairy duster