Learn to choose the right plants for a drought-tolerant landscape front yard design in hot, low-water conditions.
Does the thought of creating a front yard garden in a dry climate intimidate you? That feeling isn’t surprising in regions where scarce rain and low humidity are the norms, and throwing in sizzling summer temperatures adds yet another element of stress for plants and gardeners. You don’t have to look far for news of changing weather patterns that translate to increasing drought conditions and record-breaking temperatures. Perhaps you’ve even seen the effects of climate change in your yard, with established plants showing new signs of stress.
How do you deal with these stresses without settling for a dull garden with few plants? The answer is surprisingly simple: Create resilient front yards that can handle increasing temperatures and drought.
We tend to make gardening in extreme climates difficult by repeating common mistakes. These include choosing plants ill-suited for the conditions endemic to hot, dry regions. People water their plants incorrectly, irrigating too often and not deeply enough, over-maintain plants by excessive pruning, and apply fertilizer when they don’t need it.
Don’t become frustrated when gardening rules for regions with mild summers don’t work well for you. The key to a beautiful outdoor space in a dry environment is to avoid common mistakes and embark on a journey of learning how to create, grow, and maintain a yard that thrives in a hot, arid climate.
Understanding Reflected Heat
Weather patterns show that our outdoor spaces are only getting hotter. Thankfully, plants can help decrease outdoor temperatures when used strategically. Trees can be placed to provide shade to south-facing exposures and other spots around your home that get blasted by afternoon sun. Walls increase heat, because they absorb the sun’s rays and radiate the heat back out. You can grow tall shrubs and vines against these structures to keep the sun from heating them. Landscape rock can also radiate heat; prevent this with groundcovers, which are particularly useful in spots near driveways, sidewalks, and streets that absorb heat.
“Reflected heat” describes areas where walls, pavement, sidewalks, and streets absorb the sun’s rays and then radiate heat back out into the atmosphere and onto things nearby – namely, plants. Imagine a plant already dealing with the stress of growing in full sun and then amplify that by even more heat reflecting from a sidewalk or wall. Many plants aren’t equipped to handle this extra stress.
Areas with reflected heat are almost always associated with full sun. Think about locations in your landscape where plants typically struggle in summer, such as the corners of your driveway, areas 2 to 4 feet from the sidewalk or street, and along south- or west-facing walls.
Gardeners should identify where reflected heat occurs, and then use plants adapted to tolerate intense heat and sun. (See the chart below.)
To create a front yard that’s resilient despite increasing temperatures and periods of drought, we must include plants tolerant of stressful conditions.
10 Plants for Full Sun and Reflected Heat
Fire-Wise Landscaping
If you live in a wildfire-prone area, you can reduce the threat of fire to your home and outbuildings by integrating the following strategies into your landscaping.
- Create a defensible plant-free zone. Don’t place plants against your house.
- Keep tree branches at least 10 feet from any structure.
- Use smaller plants – no more than 2 feet tall – near your home, and space them wider apart than recommended. Place larger plants farther away.
- Avoid planting large masses of plants.
- Prune plants to get rid of old or dead growth. Clean up all plant debris.
- Keep plants well-watered near your home. Don’t let them dry out.
- Use succulents or native and arid-adapted plants that have smaller leaves. Deciduous plants are also a good choice.
- Avoid plants with a higher resin level, such as juniper, fir, and pine trees and palms, which are more flammable than many other plants.
Your local forestry and fire departments can provide recommended plants for your area.
Noelle Johnson is a horticulturist and landscape consultant who gardens in southern Arizona. This lightly edited excerpt is from her book Dry Climate Gardening (Cool Springs Press); see details below.
