What Plant to Use to Give a Landscape a Desert Look?

Cacti

• Garden centers and plant nurseries all across the U.S. sell certain desert-looking plant types that survive winters and soils in their respective regions. While many tall-growing cacti do not survive overly cold winters, various species of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.) do. Prickly pear cacti look like low, sprawling shrubs with flat, fleshy leaves that resemble paddles or Mickey Mouse's ears. In summertime, leaf tips bear colored yellow or orange flowers.

Century Plants

• In similar manner to cacti, various species of century plants (Agave spp.) grow well across most parts of the U.S., based on tolerance to winter cold. Century plants feature rounded rosettes with sharply pointed leaves that have teeth on their edges. After several years, the plants produce young plants at their bases, so a cluster eventually grows. Mature century plants produce an upright, tier-branched flower stalk and then die afterward. Young plants at the dying plant's base replace it in perpetuity.

Yucca

• Looking very much like century plants, yuccas, or Adam's needles (Yucca spp.), do not die after flowering. Yucca leaves look like stiff swords and carry a sharp point only at their tips. In summer, yuccas display a flower stalk that dons bell-like flowers, usually a shade of white. Various species of yucca grow across the U.S. desert regions. Again, choose species based on hardiness to winter cold.

Other Plants

• Small rosettes of tiny fleshy leaves occur on plants called hens-and-chicks (Sempervivum spp.). They multiply to produce low carpets on the ground or in between rocks. Creeping stonecrops (Sedum spp) also work as a desert-looking groundcover and create a fine-textured backdrop to larger plants like a century plant or prickly pear. In frost-free regions, aloes (Aloe spp.) and tropical hens-and-chicks (Echeveria spp.) may also be added to a garden to create a desert feel. Short, sparse-looking ornamental grasses help to make an illusion that the garden is hot and dry. Allow dead, dry leaves killed by frost to remain to create that desert look.

Design Tip

• Besides adding plant materials to an arid landscape design, add little touches. Top-dress the soil surrounding succulent plants with 1/2 inch of sand or coarse grit and pebbles. Or, add an interesting piece of driftwood or the dried, cured skull or bones of an animal. A large boulder or cluster of three or five large rocks also adds visual interest. These features present the harsh reality of natural life in a desert region.