Xeriscape Plants

Xeriscape plants are species selected and grouped specifically for their ability to grow with little or no supplemental water once their roots are established in the ground. On this page that means agave and aloe alongside dry-summer shrubs like ceanothus and manzanita, most of them carrying a low water rating. Grouping only low water plants in one bed, instead of mixing them with anything that needs regular watering, is what makes the planting actually work.

Agave, aloe, manzanita and ceanothus are some of the best drought tolerant plants for California yards, since all of them come from climates with a long dry season and need very little water once they take root. Kangaroo paw and several other perennials on this page add color and movement without raising the water budget much. Match the plant's sun and zone rating to your yard before choosing, since a plant suited to coastal fog can struggle in Central Valley heat.

New xeriscape plants need regular water for their first one to two growing seasons even though the mature plant will need very little, because roots have to spread out into the surrounding soil before they can find water on their own. Cutting off irrigation the week after planting is a common reason a supposedly drought tolerant plant dies in its first summer. After that establishment period, most of the plants on this page can run on occasional deep watering alone.

Mixing xeriscape plants directly into a lawn generally does not work well, because turf needs frequent shallow watering that keeps the soil surface constantly damp, which rots the crown of most low water succulents and shrubs. The better approach is a separate bed with its own drip or bubbler irrigation set to a longer, less frequent schedule, so the xeriscape plants are not caught in the lawn's watering cycle.

No, xeriscaped yards still need water, just far less of it and on a different schedule than turf. Nearly everything on this page needs regular watering through its first one to two seasons to get established, and even mature plants usually get an occasional deep watering during the hottest, driest stretch of summer rather than none at all. Xeriscaping cuts water use sharply; it does not eliminate it.

Xeriscaping is a watering strategy, choosing and grouping plants by how little irrigation they need, while desert landscaping usually refers to a specific look built around cactus, gravel and desert-native species. The two overlap heavily, since most desert plants are also low water, but a xeriscape bed in a coastal or Central Valley yard can include ceanothus, manzanita or kangaroo paw that would look out of place in a strict desert design.