Plant in Zones Based on Water Needs

Placing plants together based on water needs ensures happier plants, and a happier gardener.

Fallugia paradoxa
Item # 51450 		Fallugia paradoxa
Apache Plume

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Rhus trilobata
Item # 82560 		Rhus trilobata
Three-Leaf Sumac

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Sunbelt Gardening: Success in Hot-Weather Climates
Item # 99613 		Sunbelt Gardening: Success in Hot-Weather Climates

each $29.95
  • Topic: Garden Design
  • Keywords: water, plant culture, oasis, dry, Site Solutions
  • Date: January 2002

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When creating a xeriscape garden, the best plan of action is to place plants together based on plant water needs. Visualize an archery target with the house at the center and the watering zones spread outward like the rings that surround a bullseye. The area closest to the house is the mini-oasis. The next area out from the house is the transitional zone. The arid zone—typically featuring the most drought-tolerant vegetation—is located furthest away from the house. In this zone, choose native plants and other varieties that, once established, will rarely require supplemental watering.

Some of the best choices for arid zone planting in regions like Santa Fe that receive 8-12” of precipitation are native shrubs. Falugia paradoxa (Apache Plume), Rhus trilobata (three-leaf sumac), and Artemisia tridentata (Big Sage) are all well suited to the arid zone. Native shrubs may not be as flashy as those found in less water conscious parts of the country, but for ease of cultivation, attractiveness to wildlife, and maintenance, nothing measures up to these natural