Plants adapted to Utah's arid climate and cold winters have to be tough to survive. However, this doesn't mean that the plant pallette is limited or that the plants cannot beautiful!
Many of the public gardens and water-conservation demonstration gardens in Utah have compiled lists and databases of plants appropriate for our climate.
USU Extension resources are listed at the bottom of this page.
| Conservation Garden Park Plant Database | Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District |
| Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Utah Special Collection | LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center |
| Native Plants for the Intermountain West | Wyoming Extension/WERA-1013 (website currently hosted by USU Extension) |
| Plant Select ® | Colorado State University & Denver Botanic Gardens |
| Red Butte Garden | Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City, UT |
| Red Hills Desert Garden | Red Hills Desert Garden, St. George, UT |
| Tree Browser | Utah State University |
| USU Botanical Gardens and Utah House | Utah State University |
| Water-Wise Plant Lists for Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City Public Utilities |
| Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, Layton, UT |
Selecting the right plant for the right place in your garden is essential when creating a water-efficient landscape.
It is a good idea to research the types of plants you would like in the landscape before heading off to the nursery to purchase.
One way to do this is to visit local water-wise demonstration gardens for ideas on plant combinations and mature sizes.
The many water-wise demonstration gardens around the state of Utah can help you visualize ideas for water-wise plant selection, irrigation innovation, hardscape ideas, as well as planning and design.
Annuals are plants that come up in the spring, reach maturity, flower, set seeds, then die all in one season. They provide eye-catching color to any flower bed and can be used as borders, fillers, or background plantings. There are several ways to find an...
Apache plume is an evergreen shrub that can reach five feet tall and wide in a landscape setting. This plant’s most distinguishing and attractive feature is the feathery, redturning-pink seedhead that emerges after the white rose-like, five-petaled flower...
Curl-leaf mountain mahogany is a marvelous large shrub to small tree that would look good in any ornamental landscape, but is especially adapted for low-water landscapes.
Bright scarlet flowers that shower from arching stems of firecracker penstemon have made this plant a favorite of many penstemon enthusiasts. The species is found throughout the West at elevations from 3,000 to 11,000 feet.
This plant can be found naturally in desert surroundings, along waterways, and in rock crevices. This is a long-living plant that can be used ornamentally as a specimen, in a rock garden, or anywhere soil stabilization is desired. In winter, the seeds are...
Mexican cliffrose occurs throughout the southern regions of the Intermountain West and has great potential for use in low-water landscapes.Cultural Requirements:
This mound-forming perennial is typically seen in higher elevations in the interior West. The lavender or rose-purple flowers are attractive to insects, especially bees and butterflies. This plant is easy to establish and maintain in Intermountain West la...
Extremely drought-tolerant perennial to 5 feet, tall with a large mound of coarse foliage at the base and tall plumes of lemon yellow flowers in summer.
The purpose of this series of publications is to recommend plants and landscape management procedures for various regions of the state. This edition targets the communities of the high mountain valleys of the state (Rich, Morgan, Summit, and Wasatch count...
Urban and suburban landscapes present special challenges concerning shrub selection in Utah. Due to our distinctive climate, shrubs must be able to withstand intense sunlight, low relative humidity, drying winds, and limited seasonal precipitation.
This fact sheet includes a water-wise list of ornamental trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, ornamental grasses, and ground covers. The plants on the list are (1) water-conserving, (2) adapted to Utah’s arid climate and cold winters, (3) available in th...
This book gives homeowners and designers the confidence to create beautiful, low-water landscapes with examples of successful plant combinations in low-water gardens throughout the Intermountain West. The plant combinations are grouped together by water r
A practical volume for the home or business owner on landscaping with native, drought-tolerant plants in the Rocky Mountain West. Filled with practical tips on landscape design, water-wise irrigation, weed control, and descriptions of over 100 native pla
This publication is a compilation of successful protocols from research literature for native woody plants in Utah. The guide is laid out much like a recipe; listing the various ingredients and materials for each 'dish', and step-by-step instructions to r
"Written in an easy to follow format, this book will be beneficial to anyone wanting to install a new xeriscape landscape or renovating a traditional landscape to a more xeric landscape." -James E. Klett, author of Best Perennials for the Rocky Mountains
Convenient and comprehensive, Water Wise provides specific information about shrubs, trees, grasses, forbs, and cacti that are native to most states in the Intermountain West, and that can be used in landscaping to conserve water, reflect and preserve the
