Desert Plants for Landscaping Garden Design- with Ideas, Pics, and more…

Planter bed with succulents and small yellow flower clusters over gray river-rock mulch beside a sidewalk.

Selecting the Right Plants for Your Garden

Choosing the right plant (see our plant collection at Planet Desert) is the first and most crucial step in designing a desert landscape or garden. First, access the soil type, space, and sun exposure for a healthy and prosperous desert garden. Please see the above list of our top 39 types of desert plants for landscaping to add interest and visual appeal.

Succulent garden with agave and aloe plants, assorted small succulents and a border of colorful painted rocks.

Incorporating Color and Texture in Your Design

Once you have selected the right plants for your desert landscape, the next step is to arrange them and place hardscaping elements (rocks, boulders, and concrete sculptures). To create a natural design with desert plants, group them in masses (also maintain a formal spacing between plant groups to like a natural desert). Make sure they all have the exact care requirements. Furthermore, use desert plants with varying colors, growth forms, habits, and textures to add interest and drama to your landscape design. Moreover, use hardscape elements to enhance the overall aesthetics of your landscape. Natural elements like gravel, boulders, and rocks are best to create a desert-like atmosphere that elevates the theme of your garden or landscape.

Succulent garden with a large blue agave, low green succulents, an orange-flowering planter and palm trees in background

Plant Desert Plants of Varying Height to Enhance your Desert Landscape Design

Aesthetically, this is the most visually appealing design idea for desert landscaping. In this design, the taller desert plants are layered against the wall as an accent, while the smaller plants (golden barrel) are planted progressively in front. So, planting bold yucca and other succulents will perfectly complement the flowering shrubs and taller trees (such as Santa Rita Prickly Pear, Aloe tree, and Mexican fence post).

Sunlit golden barrel and tall column cacti with small pink flowers in a garden

Companion Planting

Pair your low-maintenance cacti, succulents, and hardy shrubs with other drought-resistant varieties that need more water but add to the aesthetic appeal of your garden. For example, pairing small agaves with Mediterranean blooming bougainvillea, lavender and orange African daisies, curly top sedges, and golden jade trees brings beauty. It enhances the natural look of the landscape. Similarly, succulents pair well with Kangaroo paw, red valerian, fortnight lily, and Mexican tail to complement the green foliage color with vibrant flower colors.

Succulent bed with agave and rosette succulents along a low stacked-stone curb

Use Drought Resistant and Drought Tolerant Plants

When designing your desert landscape, use cacti and succulents because they are the only true drought-resistant plants. In addition to these plants, consider adding drought-tolerant flowering desert plants to intensify the desert color palette. These plants include desert rose, dune evening primrose, desert marigold, lavender, Russian sage, Agastache, Yellow Jerusalem’s sage, red hot poker, lamb’s ear, and fountain grass.

Cholla cactus with pink and yellow blossoms and a bird's nest caught in its spines, desert mountains blurred behind.

Plant Flowering Desert Plants

Add some flowering desert plants to your garden or space to bring a touch of vibrant beauty to your surroundings. Like desert rose, cholla cactus, lithops and other plants that we have carefully chosen above are ideal for dry, arid settings and can survive with little water, which makes them low-maintenance yet eye-catching additions to your desert-themed landscape. Each species offers unique shapes, colors, and flowering patterns that can enhance the aesthetic appeal of your garden or indoor oasis while requiring little upkeep.

Woodland garden pergola with stone pillars, mossy steps and low yellow groundcover between rocks

Decorate with a Pergola

Adding a pergola (constructed of metal, bamboo, and driftwood) is a great way to add structure to the desert landscape. Choose drought-tolerant vines such as crossvine, Carolina jessamine, pink trumpet vine, or Lady Banks’ ross.

Yucca plants with spiky rosettes and tall white flowering stalks under a clear blue sky.

Select a Contrasting Types of Yuccas to Create a Stunning Look to Your Garden

Plant yucca to add a bluish-green color to your landscape. Its spiky foliage will add striking color and texture and enhance the aesthetics of the front yard desert landscape.

Terracotta pots and planters with succulents and small bonsai shrubs along a house entry beside a black metal gate.

Create a Container Garden

If your garden has dense soil that holds a lot of water, then consider adding container gardening to the landscape instead of traditional gardening (make sure to use a well-draining potting soil mix ideal for desert plants). For this purpose, landscapers can use decorative containers with delicate designs and varying sizes to add charm and incredible scenery to the overall space. The warm tones of terra cotta pots complement the green, blues, and greys of succulents and bring natural aesthetics. Also, choosing glazed pots over unglazed pots is a wise option. Glazed pots are ideal for their wider range of colors and designs and help conserve water more efficiently.