How to Grow Flowers in the Desert Southwest

One of the best sights of nature to see is a patch of Earth covered with blooming flowers. The different colors which compliment each other relieve stress and help you relax. Growing a garden is one of the most common hobbies in the world. But is it possible to create a garden within a desert? The answer is a big yes, in fact, there are a lot of low-maintenance perennials that grow in the arid regions of the southwest desert.

Growing Desert Flowers – The Two Biggest Enemies

There are a lot of difficulties when it comes to growing flowers in the desert. However, because of the arid lands in the desert, the difficulties are even more challenging in the U.S. Southwest regions. One of the challenges includes the harsh weather of the region, ranging from a scorching hot and dry summer and an unforgiving chilly winter.

Because of this reason, flowers that can bloom in harsh weather conditions are the ideal flowers in the desert. Such examples are Penstemon and Primrose. These are tough but beautiful plants. Penstemon even has a lot of color varieties which can be an attractive option for a lot of people. In addition, Penstemon can thrive in both hot and cold weather. Primrose’s strength is that it almost needs no maintenance.

The second difficulty in gardening within the southwest desert is the watering. Because of the region’s nature, rains are as infrequent as they can get. In the same time, frequent watering is also a bad idea because of the hot weather. This difficulty can be remedied by using drip irrigation. Drip irrigation provides an excellent water source for plants in hot weather by providing slow and consistent water flow to the roots of the plant.

Soil Condition Is Important

Most of the plants that thrive in the desert need well-drained soil in order to survive. Flowers such as Datura, Agave, Mexican Tarragon, Salvia, Penstemon, and Four o’Clock needs well-drained soil, as well as full sun in order to grow. Well-Drained soil is a soil condition in which the soil has a porous surface and does not allow quick pooling of water. You can improve the soil drainage by adding organic materials such as manure, compost, or peat moss.

Tips In Growing Desert Flowers

1. Choose a sunny spot

You might think that because of the extremely hot weather in the desert, your plants will not need more of it so gardening is more ideal in shady areas. However, even in the desert, the flowers will need a healthy dose of sunshine, especially during the winter season. A good spot would be in a place where the sun can shine for at least six hours.

2. Digging techniques

It is recommended to dig holes that are three times the width of the root ball when planting new plants. This allows roots to grow and for the flower to become healthier and stronger.

3. Raised beds

Raised beds improve soil drainage, which is essential in growing plants in the desert. Filling the bed with compost and other organic materials regularly will help in maintaining the soil drainage.

The tips keep on rolling in! Check out how to optimize and revolutionize your garden game this spring by using a rain barrel.