Horticulture

Desert Dreams

My mother-in-law dreams of growing an English garden full of beautifully blooming roses, hydrangeas and primroses. Unfortunately, she lives in the high desert of Southern California, where the most common landscape plants include cacti and Joshua trees. Even worse? She hates cacti and Joshua trees.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, you don’t have to give up your floral fancies and you don’t have to line your beds with prickly succulents. Instead, you only need to discover the many plants that can handle the extremes of a desert garden.

CONSIDERATIONS

Along with the obviously tough conditions of intense heat and lack of moisture, desert gardeners must also contend with challenges from the wind and soil.

Thanks to factors such

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