Native Plants in the Desert Garden
And Where to Find Them
by Colin Barrows
Growing native plants in your garden is a powerful way to connect with nature, restore habitat for birds and other wildlife, and build resilience in a changing desert climate.
Instead of “drought tolerant” or “water wise” plants sold at big box stores, find these ten most common Coachella Valley native plants at local nurseries, and bring the desert into your backyard!
Enjoy the photos of these plants in their wild habitat, and be inspired for the ways they might enhance your garden. Follow the links to Calscape, a project of California Native Plant Society, for detailed landscaping notes on each species.
California Fan Palm
Washingtonia filifera
Cahuilla Name: maul
California fan palms are one of the chief economic exports of the Southern California desert - found in planted landscapes around the world.
In your garden, leave the hanging skirts intact and on the trees to provide nesting habitat, shade, and shelter for a wide variety of native desert critters.
Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens
Cahuilla Name: utush
Ocotillo is one of the most striking additions to a desert garden, and a true desert specialist - the entire Fouquieriaceae family is found only in the deserts of Mexico and the southwestern US.
Ocotillo flowers are favorites of hummingbirds and other pollinating critters.
Desert Willow
Chilopsis linearis
Cahuilla Name: qaankish
Not true willows, these small trees are actually members of the family Bignoniaceae - mostly tropical plants known for their showy flowers.
Desert willows have large pink/purple flowers frequented by bees and other pollinators.
Blue Palo Verde
Parkinsonia florida
Cahuilla Name: u’uwet
Palo Verde are fast-growing trees and will quickly provide plentiful shade in your garden. They have a short, intense blooming period from late March through early May, during which they will transform with golden yellow blossoms.
Use caution when purchasing from nurseries - the closely related Parkinsonia aculeata is commonly sold and referred to interchangeably as “palo verde”, and is invasive in the wild.
Rush Milkweed
Asclepias subulata
Cahuilla Name: kivat or kiyal
This is the most commonly available native desert milkweed, and attracts a wide variety of pollinating insects.
Milkweeds are especially important food and shelter plants for monarch butterflies. Plant them in your garden to aid these beautiful, imperiled insects on the migratory journey from Canada to Mexico!
Brittlebush
Encelia farinosa
Cahuilla Name: pa’akal
In the wild, brittlebush can grow in vast fields on mountain foothills and alluvial fans.
The bright yellow sunflowers attract a wide diversity of pollinators, from bees and beetles, to butterflies.
Jojoba
Simmondsia chinensis
Cahuilla Name: qawnaxal
Individual jojoba plants are either male or female. Male plants have small yellow flowers that attract bees, and female plants develop large, edible nuts.
These plants will grow into large shrubs and can be trimmed into hedges, if desired.
California Barrel Cactus
Ferocactus cylindraceus
Cahuilla Name: kupash
Few desert plants can match the striking size and shape of cactus flowers, blooming February through April.
Barrel cacti are slow growing, and purchasing mature plants can be expensive. Plan on starting out with small cacti and watching them grow and develop over many years!
Creosote Bush
Larrea tridentata
Cahuilla Name: atukul
Creosote bush is perhaps the most commonly seen desert plant throughout the southwest US, and makes a great addition to the garden.
Not only does it attract pollinators to your garden, creosote contains many medicinally active compounds and is used by the Cahuilla to treat a wide variety of ailments, often as a sweetened tea made from the leaves and stems.
Chuparosa
Justicia californica
Cahuilla Name: pisily
The favorite plant of hummingbirds, these shrubs will attract pollinators just as well, or better, than any bird feeder, and will bloom for much of the year (October-April) with only minimal additional watering.
Buying Native Plants
Desert native plants tend to use less water and require less upkeep than other typical species sold for landscaping. In fact, the main difficulty in starting a desert garden is often finding the plants to purchase in the first place. Many commercial nurseries focus on growing and selling drought tolerant species which may originate on the other side of the world, and in some cases are invasive non-natives to the Coachella Valley, actively harming our local environment.
Think of planting a native garden as a process: start small, plan ahead, and look for native plants at your local nursery when they are available. In general, the closer to home your plants are grown and sold, the easier they will be to care for, and the better they will be for the environment.
Buy from a Nonprofit
Perhaps the two best sources for native plants in the Coachella Valley are local nonprofits focused on native plant restoration. Mojave Desert Land Trust operates a native plant nursery and holds plant sales in the spring and fall (April and October). The Riverside/San Bernardino chapter of California Native Plant Society also holds a fall plant sale (November) with plants sourced from other local nurseries.
In either case, plants will come from local seed stocks, you can get help and feedback from experts in native landscaping, and your purchases will help support the important work of these organizations!
Other Sources
Many other local plant nurseries sometimes carry native plants, especially trees and larger cacti. It can be a significant time investment to visit multiple nurseries and hunt through their available stock, but perseverance often pays off.
If your favorite nursery doesn’t carry the plants you are looking for, be sure to let them know that native plants are important to you, and hopefully they will carry more in the future.
Follow the link below for a Google Maps listing of several local nurseries, along with notes on the natives I was able to find at each!
Know a nursery missing from the map? Let me know!
Cahuilla plant names from Bean, Lowell John, et al. Temalpakh: Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants. Malki Museum, 1972.