I just moved to the desert. What bush needs the least water? What flowering pland needs the least water?
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Whatever you choose to plant, use GOOD QUALITY potting soil or worm castings, a.k.a. vermicast. The good stuff is absolutely loaded with nutrients, but more importantly, it time-releases water and nutrients to the plants to make sure they don't drown one minute, and dry up the next minute. It just kinda keeps the plants damp and gives them what they need when they need it. You can find this stuff at www.1800TOPSOIL.com or call 1-800-TOPSOIL to see if they service your area. They are national so they'll know your area, whichever desert you're in. The desert's nice - don't sweat it! Good luck!
My favorite waterwise bush is clove currant. It's related to a gooseberry. It has FRAGRANT yellow flowers in the spring, beautiful green foliage, and in the late summer, you can eat the dark purple fruit. In the fall the foliage looks a bit like a burning bush. My second favorite waterwise bush is Russian Sage. It stays pretty for a really long time. I also like butterfly bush (believe it or not, it's drought tolerant), mountain mahogany, and three leaf sumac. Once any of these get established, then you'll only have to water every few weeks.
As far as flowering plants go, I like penstemon, eccinaecia (did I spell that right?), dianthus (not all dianthus are waterwise, choose carefully. They're a lot like carnations, but better for a dry climate, and very fragrant), irises (suprise, they're waterwise!), centranthus (which has so many common names that I always say the latin name), salvia (not all types are waterwise, once again, so choose carefully), yarrow (comes in lots of pretty warm colors), and prarie coneflower (aka mexican hat, which isn't quite politically correct anymore.)
Many spring bulbs are waterwise, like daffodils and grape hyacinths. Those are the only two types I can think of right now.
Hope this list of plants helps. Do a photo search for any of these plants that you don't recognize the names of. And a good nursery for waterwise plants is High Country Gardens. I'm not sure of their website, so just do a search online to find it.
Bouganvilllea, ice plant (definitely), marigolds, California poppies.
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