Easy Plants for Utah that Don’t Need a Lot of Water
There’s nothing quite like summer in Utah. Hot summer days, plenty of things to do, and nights enjoying the warm air with family and friends. But Utah summers also tend to bring water restrictions in addition to all the fun and games. Water is a precious resource in this desert area, so if you want your yard to be a beautiful place you can enjoy all summer long, you need to choose drought resistant plants that Utah water conditions won’t impact. Here are a few of our favorite Utah drought tolerant plants.
Utah Drought Resistant Plants 101
When people think about drought tolerant plants, their mind usually goes straight to xeriscaping. Don’t get us wrong, we love a well done xeriscape, and if that’s what you’re after, we’ve shared some great ideas for xeriscaping your yard. But if xeriscaping isn’t your look of choice, there’s no need to go that extreme. You can have a green yard full of plants that can also survive on minimal amounts of water. The key is to use native plants for Utah.
It makes sense that the best landscaping plants for Utah would be the ones that grow here naturally. Because Utah is primarily a desert area, a lot of the native plants are in the sagebrush and natural grass category. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t also beautiful flowering plants and trees that can be found in the area.
When choosing drought resistant plants for Utah, it’s important to consider their placement in your yard. Think about the type of sunlight they will be getting, and the ease of watering them when they do need it. If you’ll be using sprinklers to water them, you’ll want to make sure your system is set up with the proper heads and watering time and frequency to accommodate their needs. It’s also important to keep in mind that it takes two years for plants to get established and become drought tolerant. Until then, even native plants for Utah will need to be watered and nurtured to give them a chance to grow and establish themselves.
12 Of Our Favorite Drought Resistant Plants For Utah
If you’re ready to tackle your yard and select some drought resistant plants for Utah’s hot and dry climate, you may want to consider a few of our favorites. Most of these require little or no water, and many thrive in full sunlight conditions. Here are some Utah drought tolerant plants we love:
Perennials
This flowering plant spreads horizontally to cover a lot of ground. It thrives in full sunlight, and can generally survive on rain and groundwater alone. It flowers in the evening, making it the perfect plant to add beauty to evening yard parties.
There are a lot of different varieties of this flowering plant. The native plants for Utah include the Palmer Penstemon, Desert Penstemon, and Eaton’s Beardtongue. Each of these are flowering plants that require varying amounts of sunlight, but no water. In fact, they will die if overwatered, so you have to be careful not to love them too much.
While not necessarily native to Utah, the many varieties of Yarrow are another example of drought resistant plants that thrive in the Utah climate. The standard Yarrow, along with the Greek Yarrow, Fernleaf Yarrow, and the Serbian Yarrow are all great choices. They all flower, love full sun, and only need to be watered about once a month.
This showstopper needs little water and will remind you of something from a Dr. Seuss book! The voluminous bloom is actually made up of many smaller flowers and because it is a member of the onion family, it’s a great deterrent to animal pests that like to munch on plants. They require very little maintenance and will stand up to Utah’s dry climate.
Deciduous Shrubs
It may be surprising, but lilac bushes are actually quite drought tolerant, in addition to being beautiful and smelling amazing. They do well in full sun, and only need to be watered once a month or so.
- Forsythia
This is the bright yellow harbinger of spring that often blooms in Utah yards before much of anything else has awoken for the year. They yellow flowers even appear before the leaves and this sunshine-y shrub can get as tall as nine feet.
Evergreen Shrubs
If you water these plants about once a month, and put them in a sunny or lightly shaded spot in your yard, these shrubs will thrive. The manzanita gets pink flowers in the spring, and has dark green, leathery leaves year round.
Juniper bushes are a fairly common sight in Utah, and that’s because they are great drought tolerant plants. They are evergreen, great for birds, do well in full sun, and only need water about once a month.
Deciduous Trees
This tall, elm-like tree is a tough tree that can provide shade. It does uniquely well in urban environments because not only does it require little water, but it tolerates pollution well also.
This is on the small end of the tree family, but what it lacks in height, it makes up for in beauty. In addition to its leaves, it has wispy foliage that flowers. It can survive in full sun with water about once a month.
Another one of the native plants for Utah is the Bigtooth Maple. It only reaches about 10-20 feet tall, but has thick, dark green leaves throughout the summer, and requires water about three times a month.
Evergreen Trees
You’ll probably recognize this Utah native plant, as it’s one that is often used. It’s a great choice for a Christmas tree, and grows large, while only needing water about three times a month.
Have More Drought Questions About Your Yard?
If you have more questions about using drought resistant plants for Utah in your yard, you can contact Big Rock Landscaping. We have many years of experience landscaping Utah yards, and are well-versed in what thrives in this climate. We can help you create a water-wise yard that suits your taste and will be the perfect place to relax, entertain, and enjoy all summer long.
Finding a landscaping expert you trust can be difficult. When you work with Big Rock Landscaping, we will consult with you and then work to develop a plan for the best landscaping services to fit your needs. Give us a call and see what Big Rock Landscaping can do for you.
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