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Meeting the Challenge: Desert Gardens

Desert terrain presents the ultimate challenge for the enthusiastic gardener. But with a few basics under your belt, you could have a desert garden that is the envy of your neighbors.

Desert landscaping requires that you learn techniques for growing cactus and succulent plants in less than ideal conditions. You may have to create microclimates to control or adapt the growing conditions in your back yard.

Choosing Plants for Desert Gardens

Cacti and succulent plants are ideally suited to a desert landscape environment. Popular plants for desert garden cultivation include: aloe, gaura, hyssop, jade, licorice mint hyssop, mat daisy, Mexican evening primrose, moonshine yarrow, perky sue, purple coneflower, sedum, soap tree, southernwood, sundrops, thrift and yucca.

What Are Xeric Plants?
Xeric plants are types of plants that have adapted to dry, arid desert conditions. Xeric plants such as cacti and succulents possess a drought-resistant fleshy tissue that enables them to store and use water in a hot, dry desert environment.

Desert Landscaping and Desert Garden Design

As with every other type of garden design, planning desert gardens means making the most of your available natural resources. First, consider the growing media, year-round climate and temperatures, prevailing winds, exposure to direct sunlight, shade, water sources and drainage.

location: Choose a location for your desert garden that's not over-exposed to extreme climatic desert conditions: too dry, hot, windy or sunny.
shade: Minimize the effects of excessive temperatures and direct sunlight. Incorporate shady structures into your desert garden design.
water supply: Set up a drip irrigation system that's especially suited to desert terrain. If possible, build water basins into your desert garden design. A rock-based dry stream would make an ideal natural water supply. Dig out raised berms (narrow ledges) or build raised beds to ensure adequate drainage.
layout: Position flower bedsto take into account the hours of direct sunlight the desert garden receives each day. Know your plants and the amount of sunlight, shade and moisture that suits them best.

Create a desert oasis with a small fountain or water spout. Even a hint of natural flowing water acts like a magnet for wildlife, in an otherwise arid landscape.

Cactus Gardens

A desert garden dedicated solely to cactus plants can add a touch of drama to any yard. Growing cactus is relatively simple. The basic requirements for successful cactus growing are sandy, alkaline soil and good drainage. Once established, cactus gardens are easy to maintain.

A soil test can help you decide whether a site is suitable for desert landscaping or how much effort would be involved in adapting your backyard for desert gardening. Reduce trial and error by establishing the composition of the soil and its nutrient content. Find out, for instance, whether the soil is nitrogen deficient, or if you need to adapt the contours of your desert garden for improved drainage.

Desert Dish Garden/Desert Box

Growing cactus or succulent plants in a desert box or desert dish garden is the ideal introduction to the pleasures of desert gardening. Small-scale desert landscaping is easy, as most succulent plants and cacti make perfect candidates for container cultivation.

Try your hand at creating a miniature desert garden reminiscent of the plains of New Mexico, using the spiky, bold shapes of cacti and other eye-catching succulents. For example, contrast the classic cactus forms of opuntia (prickly pear) and pachycereus with the rounded shapes of rebutia marsoneri and parodia, with the angular shaped leaves of succulent aloe plants.

To ensure adequate drainage, plant your desert dish garden in a mixture of three parts coir or compost to one part coarse sand or gravel. For visual impact and to reduce moisture loss, complete your mini desert landscape with a top layer of authentic looking desert gravel.

Short Cut to Successful Desert Landscaping

Growing cactus and nurturing exotic succulent plants takes time and effort but, if you want fast results, choose hardy native plants that are already acclimated to the local habitat. Plant an 'instant' desert garden using indigenous wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees.

Maintaining Desert Gardens

Once established, succulent plants and cacti are remarkably east to maintain. But even xeric plants that can survive drought-ridden conditions have to be watered regularly. Frequent watering to establish the plants' root systems is particularly important during the early stages of setting up a desert garden.

Mulching and the supplementation of soil nutrients is also an important part of desert garden maintenance.

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