If you want a tropical look but live in a desert, use these plants!

Living in the desert doesn't always have mean cacti and rocks. You can have a lush vibrant landscape filled with flowering plants and attractive foliage. I have seen so many incredibly inviting landscapes in hot desert climates. And it's actually a request I get quite often from customer is how they can create a tropical vibe in the middle of a desert. I direct them to a handle of wonderful plants that will bring life and color to the garden, even in an arid environment. These plants not only have attractive foliage and flowers, but they can thrive in a desert landscape and are very drought tolerant.
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I hope this helps give some direction on how to make your landscape look more tropical and lush... even if you live in a desert!
Happy planting!
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[@kt9495]

I’m in the Southeast but have been loving Mangaves. We had a freeze last year (17F), I lightly covered and it didn’t flinch. Other lower shrubs and ground covers for me that have taken intense heat and drought have been Black Dalea and Wooly Stemodia. They thrive when others have succumbed. Also Hibiscus for that tropical look!

[@BudgetPlants]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Definitely like the hibiscus to hit the tropical vibe. 😎

[@nevadaexplorer8399]

Love it need them all

[@KeyholeK8]

The peacock flower plant is gorgeous. We have Grevillea ‘Superb’ planted in full sun (zone 9b). The hummingbirds love it!

[@BudgetPlants]

Looooove Grevillea Supurb!!

[@siarlbychan]

Tecoma stans is a fantastic native plant here in the Big Bend region of the Chihuahuan desert in west Texas. It's one of my favorite plants here and thank you for adding it to your list.

[@BudgetPlants]

Thanks so much for watching! 😎

[@lindalambert6554]

Thanks for the information. I live on a rugged piece of shore on the Sea of Cortez, near La Paz.

[@BudgetPlants]

Ohh wow!.. bet it’s GORGEOUS 🤩

[@berthaduniverse]

Thanks for the episode, luv what you are doing here. Any chance you could cover deer resistant landscape and maybe an episode on various agave like plants...?

[@BudgetPlants]

Great suggestion! we have a lineup of some really cool content coming up and I think a deer resistant palette would make a solid video. 😎

[@jess_ismore]

Arizona gal who HATES (hate, hate, hate) bougainvilleas. Thank you for this list bc I want color and lush, but I will NOT go bougainvillea. I agree that they're beautiful, but my first intro to them was my chore of cleaning up the leaves (esp from the pool) when we moved down here and I learned how incredibly high maintenance they are.
That leads me to wonder the maintenance on some of these others?

[@doctorhadland6510]

Shangri La Mulberry

[@carrierockwell2447]

Question - how close or how far away should Tacoma Stans be from an inground pool?
Thanks

[@BudgetPlants]

The roots are not super invasive so I’d say 3’ should be good.

[@carrierockwell2447]

Thank you for getting back

[@staceylam762]

An I plant a bougainvillea next to house? Will the root crack foundation?

[@BudgetPlants]

It shouldn’t. Bougainvilles do not typically have an invasive root system known to lift foundations.

[@pamgrimm8850]

I have had every one of these plants in my Las Vegas yard. The lantanas spread beautifully spring to summer, BUT turned an ugly brown every fall. I pruned back all the dead foliage, and they remained ugly for months. I finally removed them all and am replacing the area with specimen cacti.
I, too, love the Mexican Bird of Paradise. However, I need mine in large clay pots. I’ve had 5, they die and I replace. Only one remains, has survived for 3 years now, has grown some but slowly and never as full as I’d like. Will it ever look like the ones in your photos since it’s in a pot? I was hoping to block the view of my pool equipment.

[@BudgetPlants]

Thank you so much for sharing! The Caesalpinia can do OK in a pot, however, in most circumstances, they tend to thrive a little better in the ground. They tend to like a balanced mixture of sand, amended topsoil, and a bit of perlite. I also recommend a time release fertilizer. This will help with bloom production and foliage density. 😎

[@JamesBondsLittleFinger]

What about a cold desert climate?

[@BudgetPlants]

Many of these can take down to 5-10 deg f. You would have to verify your usda zone and make sure it matches with the plants.