No Water? No Time? No Worries!

We live in a beautiful area and sometimes fail to realize the wonderful plants that can grow here. Utilizing water-conserving, drought tolerant plants is not only a great idea for preserving water for drinking and the future, but it often means we get deer resistant, low maintenance plants as well. Below is a selection of a few great xeriscape plants for the home garden.

Acer grandidentatum - Bigtooth Maple
This beautiful tree grows 25 feet tall and about 15 feet wide. Its a small tree for intimate areas and is generally grown with multiple trunks. It doesn't mind tough soils and high elevations. Not only is this tree native to Utah, but it turns a lovely orange-red color in fall.

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Pinus aristata - Bristlecone Pine
A nice little evergreen tree that can handle tough areas. This tree gets 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. This is the oldest living tree species, so no need to worry about when the tree will die. They are slow growing, but also are less likely to over-grow a space or get out of control. They don't require a lot of water, but still respond well to extra water if you want a fuller, faster growing tree.

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Rosa foetida 'Bicolor' - Austrian Copper Rose
This is the rose for the indecisive. Not only is it a low maintenance shrub rose, but you get red and yellow blooms on each bush. Some varieties will have two-tone flowers, while others have the separate colored blooms. This bush grows up to 8 feet tall and about 5 feet wide. Its a nice hedge bush which will only require pruning for form and health, no dead heading needed.

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Physocarpus malvaceous - Mallow Ninebark
Don't let this native bush fool you. This bush grows up to 6 feet tall and about as wide. It has pretty white flowers in the spring and red-brown leaf colors in the fall. Not impressed? Well, check out its other family members. Ninebarks are generally a low water plant. They come in sizes from 4 feet to 10 feet. While all have white flowers in spring, the leaf colors come in yellow, green, red, purple, and almost black. They are a great plant for adding color to your garden without wasting water.

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Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis 'Panchito'
This low growing, evergreen shrub gets about 2 feet tall and spreads to about 5 feet wide. Its a broadleaf evergreen, so no needles or poky bits. It has lovely pink blooms in spring with red fruit in the summer, so there is never a dull time of year. It will grow in clay soils, but doesn't like to stay wet, so don't over-water this one.

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Gaillardia aristata - Blanket Flower
These perennial flowers will get about 18 inches tall and spread about 2 feet wide. They come back every year, so no need to replant. They grow most anywhere and will bloom all summer long and well into fall, if dead headed. If your not into the multi-colored blooms, they also come in all red, deep burgundy red.

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Penstemon strictus - Rocky Mountain Beardtongue
These perennial flowers grow nearly three feet tall and spread as wide. A hardy spring blooming flower that will grow anywhere and isn't found tasty by deer. Don't worry if the color isn't right for you, Penstemon come in a variety of colors (purples, blues, pinks, and reds), all of which attract hummingbirds.

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