Native plants are underutilized in our gardens in the Sonoran Desert. Many nurseries sell plants from Mediterranean climates or from deserts in South Africa and South America. But our native trees, cacti, shrubs and flowers make for great garden plants, too.

As a bonus, native plants also provide food and habitat for animals of varying sizes, and particularly for small mammals, birds and insects which are critical to healthy food chains and ecosystems. With native habitats shrinking, planting native plants in our gardens can help reduce the ecological damage wrought by overdevelopment.

Here are some articles you can read to find out more about your native plant options. The video below shows some examples of beautiful native plants.

7 ground cover plants for your desert garden
Lifestyles

7 ground cover plants for your desert garden

  • Dominika Heusinkveld
  • Updated

Groundcovers in your garden can help shade the soil, prevent erosion, and act as a living mulch. Take a look at these 7 options for Tucson gardens.

Planting a thorn-free garden for kids
Home-and-garden

Planting a thorn-free garden for kids

  • Dominika Heusinkveld
  • Updated

If you have kids, you're probably tired of dealing with scratches and thorns. But you can still have native and near-native desert plants.

In this Series

Your Tucson garden and the changing climate

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Future-proofing your Tucson garden

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Helping your plants get through Tucson's summer heat

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Composting tips for your Tucson garden

14 updates

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