Not sure what to ask your landscaper to plant? These are popular, low-water choices for Arizona desert yards, plus a quick look at lawn grasses. Plants vary by elevation and frost, so ask your landscaper or a local nursery what suits your yard.
Cactus, succulents, shrubs and trees
Golden barrel cactus
Round, ribbed and covered in golden spines. Slow-growing, very low water, and striking planted in groups along a walkway or bed.
Photo: Llez · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fishhook barrel cactus
A native barrel cactus with hooked spines, red-to-yellow flowers in summer and yellow fruit that lasts for months.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Prickly pear
Flat pads with yellow spring flowers and red fruit. Tough and fast-growing, so give it room away from paths.
Photo: Fawaz.tairou · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Agave (century plant)
A bold rosette that anchors a desert bed. It blooms once on a tall stalk and then dies; the sharp leaf tips belong away from walkways and play areas.
Photo: Jim Evans · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Red yucca
Not a true yucca. Grassy clumps send up coral-red flower stalks from spring into summer. No sharp spines, so it works near pools and paths.
Photo: Groogle · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Desert spoon
A spiky, silver-green rosette that looks good year-round. Its leaf edges have small teeth, so plant it back from foot traffic.
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Ocotillo
Tall, spiny canes that leaf out after rain and carry red flower clusters in spring. A classic Arizona focal point.
Photo: BLMArizona · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Texas sage
Silver-gray shrub that covers itself in purple flowers after summer rain and humidity. Let it keep its natural shape rather than shearing it into balls.
Photo: Jim Evans · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Brittlebush
A mounding native with gray leaves and bright yellow daisies in late winter and spring.
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bougainvillea
Huge color on walls and fences in the low desert. It has thorns and is frost-tender, so it suits the Valley better than the high country.
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons
Desert marigold
A small native wildflower with yellow blooms much of the year. Short-lived, but it reseeds on its own.
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Palo verde
Arizona's state tree. Green bark, light filtered shade and a blanket of yellow flowers in spring.
Photo: Stan Shebs · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Grass types for Arizona lawns
Which grass works depends mostly on elevation. In the low desert (Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma) warm-season grasses do best; in the high country (Flagstaff, Prescott) cool-season grasses do.
| Grass | Where it fits | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Bermudagrass | Low desert, full sun | The most common lawn grass in the Valley. Handles heat and foot traffic; goes brown and dormant in winter. |
| Hybrid Bermuda | Low desert, full sun | Finer, denser look than common Bermuda; often installed as sod. |
| Perennial ryegrass (winter overseed) | Low desert, fall to spring | Seeded over Bermuda in fall to stay green in winter. Uses extra water while it's growing. |
| Zoysia | Low desert, sun to light shade | Dense, slow-growing warm-season grass; takes longer to fill in. |
| St. Augustine | Low desert, partial shade | Coarse blades and more shade tolerance than Bermuda, but generally needs more water. |
| Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue | High country (Flagstaff) | Cool-season grasses for higher elevations with cold winters. |
Building a new home in Scottsdale? In 2023 Scottsdale stopped allowing natural grass in the front yards of new homes under construction, to save water (AZFamily, July 2023). Check with the City of Scottsdale for the current rules before you plan a lawn.
Thinking of skipping grass? Many cities pay you to remove it (see our rebate guide), and artificial turf stays green without water. Keeping a lawn? Our watering guide covers depth and timing.
For hundreds more low-water plants, see AMWUA's Landscaping with Style.
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Find xeriscape prosPhotos are from Wikimedia Commons and used under the licenses shown. Last checked Nov 5, 2026.