There are few climates that are more challenging to landscape for than the arid desert.  If you leave in a hot and dry climate, you might feel that your front yard landscaping designs are limited.  While you will lack many of the options available to your temperate climate neighbors, careful planning will assist you in designing and maintaining a front lawn that adds to your home's appeal.

The most important thing to remember is to work with your climate and soil while developing your front yard landscaping rather than forcing your lawn into something unnatural.  While irrigation  systems might make such designs possible, it is not always wise.  If you are a recent transplant to a desert climate, take the time to learn about landscaping with desert plants instead of trying to maintain the same type of yard you had before.  Even with an irrigation system, water rationing and droughts can kill the yard that relies too heavily on water.

Fortunately, the desert is not a dry and barren wasteland.  There are a variety of trees and flowers that thrive on less water and can be combined to form an attractive front yard.  Not only are these plants beautiful and non-reliant on a large amount of water, they are also often hardier than their temperate cousins as well.  You will not need to spend time and money fertilizing your soil.  By planning a lawn that matches your environment, you will have to spend little time maintaining your plants.

We can't give you a list of every desert plant available, but we will list three of our favorites to help you get started.  All of these plants are hardy, attractive, and perennial so you'll only have to plant them once.

Purple Sage

Purple Sage is great because it can tolerate full sun and drought conditions.  It comes in many different varieties that will yield anything from light purple flowers to bright and vibrant purple blossoms.  It's easy to find and not an expensive plant to purchase or care for.

It blooms several times a year after a rain or during humidity.  You can water it to encourage its blooming.  Purple Sage is a bush and will need pruning.  Be sure to plan it's pruning when it is not in blossom so you don't cut off the lovely purple flowers.

Longwood Blue Bluebeard

The Longwood Blue Bluebeard is another shrub that can brighten up your desert landscaping.  As the name implies, its blossoms are blue in color.  These flower clusters contrast nicely to the silver foliage of the plant.  The Longwood Blue Bluebeard is a fragrant desert plant. 

This deciduous bush is tall enough to provide some privacy when in season.  Its height ranges between three and four feet and it grows about two feet thick.

Oleander

Unlike the Longwood Blue Bluebeard, Oleander is an evergreen shrub.  Its flowers also have a wider variety of colors available, including pink and white.  These flower clusters bloom from May to October. 

Although Oleander is poisonous, it is not dangerous if it is not consumed, so keep an eye on children and pets outside.

Oleander  comes in many different sizes, so double check the size you are purchasing.  The Oleander, like your other flowering shrubs, will need trimming, so avoid getting a size too large for you to handle.  Some varieties can grow to be twenty feet tall.