What Plant Do You Water Every Two Weeks?

Trees

• Many desert trees don't require irrigation at all, but a few grow better with every-other-week watering. The bottletree (Brachychiton populneus) grows quickly to 45 feet tall with a 30-foot spread. It has lanceolate or lobed, lustrous evergreen foliage and produces fuzzy brown seed pods. This Australian native thrives in full to partial sun and with biweekly watering. The netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulate) also requires twice-monthly irrigation. This deciduous tree grows to 30 feet tall with a similar spread and has small, rough leaves with dark-green tops and light-green bottoms. It has twisted branches and rough, gray bark. Netleaf hackberries prefer full sun exposures.

Shrubs

• Many shrubs native to the desert don't need supplemental irrigation, while some only require it during the summer. The Weber's agave (Agave weberii) grows to 6 feet tall with an equal spread. During hot months, this succulent requires irrigation every two weeks or twice a month. Weber's agave has pointed, evergreen foliage and produces a 15-foot-tall stalk topped with clusters of yellow flowers. It grows best in full sun to light shade. The Mediterranean fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) grows very slowly and reaches heights from 5 to 15 feet with a slightly wider spread at its crown. This drought-tolerant evergreen has gray-, dark- or yellow-green, fan-shaped foliage and a fuzzy trunk. It grows best with a deep, twice-monthly watering and full sun to partial shade exposures.

Ground Covers

• When planted in full sun, ground covers may require more water. The asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus "Sprengeri") grows well when planted in partial shade to partial sun and watered every two weeks. This evergreen perennial has bright, needlelike foliage and small thorns. It grows from 1 to 2 feet tall and spreads up to 3 feet wide. The trailing indigo bush (Dalea greggii) spreads to 9 feet wide and grows to 2 feet tall. This evergreen has tiny, silver foliage and blooms with tiny purple flowers from early spring through summer. This Chihuahuan desert native requires full sun and irrigation every two weeks.

Accent Plants

• Choose plants that produce colorful flowers to add color to your arid garden. The bulbine (Bulbine frutescens), a clumping succulent, grows to 1 1/2 feet tall with a 2-foot spread. From spring through autumn, this flowering plant produces spikes of yellow blossoms that rise 3 feet above the plant's top. Bulbines thrive in full sun to light shade and irrigation every two weeks. The butterfly mist (Ageratum corymbosum) thrives when irrigated every two weeks. This drought-tolerant perennial grows to 1 foot tall but spreads up to 3 feet wide. It has round or heart-shaped foliage and blooms with clusters of small, spiky, pale-blue flowers from spring through fall. It grows best in full sun to partial shade.