What plants are best for flower garden in the desert?
Posted by pano | Under Herb Garden Thursday Sep 2, 2010I live in in Phoenix AZ and really want my backyard full of beautiful plants, mainly flowers & herbs. With little kids around I don’t want cactus or poisonous plants. I know I’ll have aloe vera, rosemary and mint.
Most of the yard gets little shade (late afternoon only). What kind of plants should I plant & when? I hate killing them all the time 
I have the opposite of a green thumb. Help Desert Gardeners!!!!!!!! 
Sansevieria,
Kalanchoe thysiflora Flapjack
Plectranthus-ambionicus or creeping charlie
Setcreasea pallida Purple Hearts
Succulents-Echeveria-Black Prince,gibbiflora,Lucy,Perle von Nurenburg,Silver Onion,Topsy Turvey,Graptosedum Bronze,Pachyveria glauca,Sedum Tropical Blue, Sedum x rubrotinctum.
Sempervivum-Hens and chicks
Yucca Garland gold
Sedum-Angelina, Ogon, Limelight, Jellybean, Tectractinum, John Creech, Murale
Santolina
Jovibarba green carpet
Artemisia Powis Castle
Sedum October Daphne
Sedum Autumn Joy
Sedum Autumn Fire
Salvia Uliginosa
Delosperma-Ashtonii, Cooperi, Dyeri,Nubigenum
You need drought resistant flowers like zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, moss rose and common geraniums. The first four are annuals that you can start from seed in the spring. For shrubs there is the desert willow and desert sage. Both of them flower. I’m adding a site here with other flowers that do well in the desert.
http://onlysometimesclever.wordpress.com/2006/10/02/the-year-round-color-desert-flower-garden/
Native plants of the desert. Join a cacti and succulent forum, club, or call the Master Gardner’s for suggestions, I grow desert plants, they must be able to withstand high temperatures (116F + at ground level) It will also depend on how much water is available for you to use. Go to the nearest Garden Center and see what they suggest and sell. Look at any neighbors gardens and see what is growing. It’s a good way to meet any neighbors living close and perhaps make a new friend.
ice has little pinkish purple flowers and likes the heat, works well in a planter
Xeriscape: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geuqcW4q1LgyMA2RxhxrF_?p=xeriscape+landscaping&fr=ush-ans
Plants: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geuqJG4q1Lzm8A7iRhxrF_?p=xeriscape+plants&fr=ush-ans
Wild flowers: http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geuqh_4q1LoiQBLCxhxrF_?p=az+wildflowers&fr=ush-ans
I live in an area with climate, soil, and rainfall totally different from where you live. I do know however, where to find a large selection of plants for areas like yours. Try this catalog and look for the plants with the little code for very dry areas next to their description:
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
I plan gardens for people and sometimes in miserable dry sites where the plants will get no supplemental watering and the soil is sandy and retains no water. I have had good results with the plants from the company above.
If you do not like mail ordering, you could make a list from the catalog of the plants that interest you then go shopping for them at a local nursery.