Desert ground covers

Trailing Lantana. Lantana montevidensis, is a winter dormant ground cover, but still a good choice if you want lots of hot weather color. The plant reaches about 2 feet tall, spreading to 3 feet wide. The purple flowers attract all kinds of butterflies, making this a good choice for butterfly gardens.Prostrate Germander is an underused ground cover for the desert, and for no real good reason. This tough, low growing plant, loves full sun but can take part shade as well. It is a very green plant, unique in desert loving plants, and has tiny pinkish flower spikes in the early summer.View the list »
Golden Dyssoidia is a native wildflower, and reseeds itself even in poor soils. It tolerates full sun, and is covered with tiny yellow flowers throughout the warm season. It dies back in the winter, coming back from seeds once the weather warms up. You can start Golden Dyssoidia from seeds. 

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Skip the grass and become more water conservative. Low water use ground covers are a great alternative for high water use grass. While you can’t walk on these, they will keep the soil around your home cooler in the summer and lower your utility bills to boot.

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Selecting ground covers suitable for your needs will need you to ask yourself a few questions.
What is the sun orientation? Part shade, full shade or full sun?
Do I want a ground cover that is evergreen, or am I okay with winter dormancy?
Do I want reliable ground cover, or am I okay with spending time tending the plants so they look their best?

If you are someone who has better things to do than care for plants weekly, pick a ground cover that is evergreen. Also think outside the box. Some vines can be substituted as ground cover, since they don’t care if they crawl up a trellis or along the ground.

View the list
  • Golden Dyssoidia is a native wildflower, and reseeds itself even in poor soils. It tolerates full sun, and is covered with tiny yellow flowers throughout the warm season. It dies back in the winter, coming back from seeds once the weather warms up. You can start Golden Dyssoidia from seeds. 
  • Prostrate Germander is an underused ground cover for the desert, and for no real good reason. This tough, low growing plant, loves full sun but can take part shade as well. It is a very green plant, unique in desert loving plants, and has tiny pinkish flower spikes in the early summer.
  • Trailing Lantana. Lantana montevidensis, is a winter dormant ground cover, but still a good choice if you want lots of hot weather color. The plant reaches about 2 feet tall, spreading to 3 feet wide. The purple flowers attract all kinds of butterflies, making this a good choice for butterfly gardens.
View the list

, Tucson Gardening Examiner

This author has lived in Arizona since 1972 and has been gardening for more than 28 years. A landscape architect and certified arborist, Linda teaches classes for everyone in desert plant care for Green Valley Recreation, and provides services in landscape design. Contact her at Linda...

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