Last updated on October 11th, 2025 at 11:43 am
Small Desert Plants for the Southwest. These small cactus plants are great for a small Xeriscape landscape design. Most will require little water and will tolerate full hot sun…perfect for those small hot places that are bare.
Small Desert Plants
Desert plants, while known for their ability to thrive in hot, dry climates, are still susceptible to pests such as mealybugs, aphids, and scale insects. Because these plants require little water and maintenance, many owners assume they don’t need regular care — a mistake that can lead to unhealthy or stressed plants. To keep your desert plants strong and vibrant, it’s important to occasionally inspect them for signs of pests and provide the right nutrients. Using a fertilizer such as Cactus Juice or another cactus-specific plant food can help maintain healthy growth, improve resistance to insects, and enhance their natural color. With just a little extra attention, your desert plants can stay beautiful and pest-free all year long.
- Ask the garden salesman what type of care they need before purchasing them.
- Observe your cactus plants regularly. At least twice per month.
- Use cactus juice instead of regular fertilizers. Or dilute at half the recommended ratio.
- Make sure your container drains well.
- Check for Mealybugs and Scale Insects at least once per month.
- Here is a pic of what mealybugs and scale insects look like.
- Do NOT overwater, but many desert plants require different watering schedules.
The Queen Victoria Agave (Agave victoria-reginae)
Nice small desert cactus for a small yard. It will produce a bloom once it is well established, usually in its tenth year or so. It forms a tall spike densely packed with reddish-purple flowers.
Use it as a standalone specimen or plant it in a nice, small decorative pot. You can also use it in a rock garden and or a small succulent garden. It will grow to about one foot tall and a foot and a half in width. Very drought-tolerant once established.
The Dwarf Agave (Agave desmettiana)
A water-wise plant with long succulent fronds. This Agave has curled-up leaves that give it that special look. It is another desert plant that blooms in about 15 or 20 years of growth. It is an evergreen plant. Use it in a medium-sized pot and place one on each side of your front doorway entrance. It is a slow grower, but will eventually grow to about 4ft tall and wide. Plant it in the ground once it reaches its natural height and width.
The Christmas Cactus Plant
The Christmas Cactus will get long and leggy…growth is about 2-3 ft. wide and 2 ft. tall. They come in pink, white, fuchsia pink, and bright red. It’s best to re-pot each year after it stops blooming, normally in late spring. Re-pot into a larger container, as this will help them bloom and thrive. It likes temperatures right at about 70°. The Christmas Cactus is normally an indoor decoration plant.
How to make a Christmas Cactus Bloom
Here is one quick trick to making your Christmas Cactus bloom. Use a bloom booster at half the recommended ratio. First, water your plant, then apply your bloom booster. There are lots of bloom boosters on the market; however, in my humble opinion, Grow-More’s BR61 works best!
Desert landscape ideas for backyards
Spiral Aloe (Aloe Polyphylla) is succulent and will grow about 1 ft. tall and 2 ft. wide. It does not have a bloom or spikey plume. It is grown and used mainly for its colorful foliage. This plant is best used as an indoor house plant. It can be placed outdoors, but like most succulents, it will have a hard time with freezing temperatures and the hot scorching sun.
Small Desert Plants for Desert Landscape
Ferocactus Latispinus is a variety of barrel cactus that blooms at an early age. Also called the Crow’s Claw Cactus and the fishhook cactus. Drought-tolerant and is in the Cactus Barrel family. It produces a red and or a yellow flower from mid to late spring. They will grow to about 1 ft. tall and 2 ft. wide. It is a slow grower and is a low-water cactus. It can tolerate cold weather…down to -4°.
Blue Glow Agave
A very hardy Agave plant that has blue-green leaves with yellow and red margins from its fronds. Each frond or leaf has a sharp red-tipped spine…almost a needle-like tip. It will grow to about 1 1/2 ft. tall and about 2 ft. wide. Their blooms are showy yellow flowers in about their tenth year of growth. It does great in a rock garden or Xeriscape landscape, but it does like more water than other drought-tolerant plants. Especially during the hot mid-summer months. If possible, place it in the afternoon shade to protect it from the hot scorching Southwest sun.
Cactus Barrel
The Golden Cactus Barrel (Echinocactus grusonii). The Golden Barrel cactus loves the full hot sun…even in areas where temps go over 115° during the summer months. It produces a showy yellow flower after its 3-4 years of growth. It will grow about 4-5 ft. tall and 2-3 ft. wide. Perfect for a small cactus backyard or inside a rock garden.
Small Desert Plants
Echinocereus Cactus
This is what Wikipedia says about the this cactus plant; Echinocereus is a genus of ribbed, usually small to medium-sized cylindrical cacti, comprising about 70 species native to the southern United States and Mexico in very sunny rocky places. Usually the flowers are large and the fruit edible.
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