Regions and the Right Plants

Because many readers live outside our Western region, we get asked a lot about choosing plants for other areas...

Marrubium rotundifolia
Item # 70450 		Marrubium rotundifolium
Silver Edged Horehound

each $5.49
3 to 6 $5.29
7 or more $4.99
Thymus lanuginosus
Item # 95540 		Thymus lanuginosus
Woolly Thyme

each $5.29
3 to 6 $4.99
7 or more $4.79
  • Topic: Plant Selection
  • Keywords: zone, plants, regions, Garden Design, gardens, climate, soil, growing conditions
  • Date: June 2005

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Because many readers live outside our Western region, we get asked a lot about choosing plants for other areas. We don’t pretend to know all the specifics about the climate, soils and growing conditions across the U.S, but our advice is based on our own experiences and those of veteran gardeners from across the country.

Our high desert climate here in Santa Fe is harsh with searing high altitude sunlight (7,000 ft. elevation), cold winters (USDA Zones 5-6), lack of moisture and humidity (13” of annual precipitation in a good year), drying spring winds and hot summers (highs exceed 90°F). For states outside the Rocky Mountain area with other climactic differences, I offer these comments below.

Coastal California

Native plants from New Mexico, Texas and Mexico like summer moisture so they bloom well when many of the plants native to California experience summer dormancy. The lack of winter cold needed for winter dormancy doesn’t seem to be a problem for most plants.

The Desert Southwest

(Areas in USDA Zones 7, 8 and 9 with mild winters and very hot, low humidity summers such as inland southern CA, southern NV, southern UT and most of AZ, southern NM, and south and west TX.)

Even sun-loving plants benefit greatly from some afternoon shade. Plant them in the shadow of a building, shrub or tree. Regular watering during the heat is essential, even for xeric species. Planting must be done in the fall, winter or early spring months (mid-Oct. to early March).

Regions with Very Hot, Humid Climates

(USDA Zones 6-9) The same suggestions apply as with the Desert Southwest. Note that xeric plants with very woolly foliage like Tanacetum (Partridge Feather), Thymus lanuginosus (Wooly Thyme) and Marrubium rotundifolium (Silver Edged Horehound) may rot from excessive rain and humidity.

Non-Western States (east of the Mississippi)

Realize that as precipitation levels move above 20 inches a year, most very xeric plants will not survive all the extra water. These plants are best kept in arid western habitats. However, some xeric plants adapt well. Excellent soil drainage is the key. Planted in a sunny site with fast-draining sandy or loam-type soils of low fertility, these plants will be happy.

Raised beds and south or west-facing slopes provide even faster drainage and are ideal planting sites. Leave those low care plants either unmulched (bare soil) or mulched with gravel so moisture isn’t retained.

Be on the cutting edge of horticulture, and experiment with unfamiliar plants. Let us know about your successes and your failures. It helps us all to expand the confines of the familiar and broadens our appreciation for the world’s incredible diversity of plants.