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Plant Selection


Select These Plants for Water-Efficient Landscaping

The City's Xeriscape Demonstration Garden features low water-using plants that are grouped plants based on their water requirements:

  • Very Low
    Need water when first planted but very little or none once established.
  • Low
    Need more water than is available from natural precipitation, but need only small amounts of extra water during hot, dry periods.
  • Moderate
    Uses the most water in the garden, yet still uses less than most traditional landscapes.

KEY: (G) Groundcover (P) Perennial (S) Shrub (T) Tree

Xeriscape Garden Plant List Brochure (PDF 1.5MB)

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Very Low Water Use

Need water when first planted but very little or none once established.

  • (T) Amur Chokecherry - Prunus maackii
  • (S) Armstrong Juniper - Juniperus chinensis `Armstrong'
  • (P) Baby Cole Gaillardia - Gaillardia x grandiflora `Baby Cole'
  • (P) Basket-of-Gold - Alyssum saxatile
  • (P) Blood Red Geranium - Geranium sanguineum
  • (P) Blue Flax - Linum lewisii
  • (S) Blue Pfitzer Juniper - Juniperus chinensis `Pfitzeriana Glauca'
  • (S) Boulder Raspberry (Thimbleberry)- Rubus deliciosus
  • (S) Buffalo Juniper - Juniperus sabina `Buffalo'
  • Buffalograss Turf - Buchloe dactyloides
  • (T) Bur Oak - Quercus macrocarpa
  • (P) Burgundy Blanket Flower - Gaillardia x grandiflora `Burgundy'
  • (T) Canyon Maple - Acer grandidentatum
  • (P) Caucascus Geranium - Geranium caucascus
  • (G) Creeping Red Penstemon - Penstemon pinnafolius
  • (P) Crocus - Crocus sp.
  • (P) Dotted Gayfeather - Liatris punctata
  • (S) Dwarf Blue Rubber Rabbitbrush - Chrysothamnus naueosus pumila
  • (S) Dwarf Indigo Bush - Amorpha nana
  • (P) False Sunflower - Heliopsis helianthoides `Summer Sun'
  • (P) Goblin Gaillardia - Gaillardia x grandiflora `Goblin'
  • (T) Hawthorn - Crataegus sp.
  • (S) Hughes Juniper - Juniperus horizontalis 'Hughes'
  • (T) One-seed Juniper - Juniperus monosperma
  • (P) Pasque Flower - Anemone pulsatilla
  • (P) Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea
  • (G) Purple Hardy Ice Plant - Delosperma cooperi
  • (G) Pussytoes - Antennaria parvifolia
  • (S) Rock Spiera - Holodiscus dumosus
  • (T) Rocky Mountain Juniper - Juniperus scopulorum
  • (P) Rocky Mountain Penstemon - Penstemon strictus
  • (S) Rocky Mountain Sumac - Rhus glabra cismontana
  • (P) Showy Sedum - Sedum telephium `Indian Chief'
  • (S) Sand Cherry - Prunus besseyi
  • (S) Sand Sagebrush - Artemesia filifolia
  • (S) Saskatoon Serviceberry - Amelanchier alnifolia
  • (P) Silver Mound - Artemisia schmidtiana
  • (S) Silver Spreader Juniper - Juniperus virginiana `Silver Spreader'
  • (G) Snow-in-Summer - Cerastium tomentosum
  • (P) Sunray Coreopsis - Coreopsis grandiflora
  • (P) Sunrose - Helianthemum nummularium
  • (S) Threeleaf Sumac - Rhus trilobata
  • (S) True Mountain Mahogany - Cercocarpus montanus
  • (P) Wargrave Pink Geranium - Geranium `Wargrave Pink'
  • (P) Wild Four O'Clock - Mirabilis multiflora

Low Water Use

Need more water than is available from natural precipitation, but need only small amounts of extra water during hot, dry periods.

  • (P) Blanket Flower - Gaillardia aristata
  • (S) Blue Chip Juniper - Juniperus horizontalis `Blue Chip'
  • (S) Blue Rug Juniper - Juniperus horizontalis `Blue Rug'
  • (T) Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata
  • Brome/Fescue Turf 10% Smooth Brome - Bromus inermis, 70% Tall Fescue - Festuca arundinacea, 20% Kentucky Blue Grass Poa pratensis
  • (P) Carpathian Harebell - Campanula carpatica
  • (P) Common Primrose - Primula vulgaris
  • (P) Cottage Pinks - Dianthus plumarius
  • (G) Creeping Phlox - Phlox subulata
  • (G) Creeping Potentilla - Potentilla verna nana
  • (P) Daylily - Hemerocallis spp.
  • (P) Double Sunburst Coreopsis - Coreopsis lanceolata `Sunburst'
  • (T) Golden Raintree - Koelreuteria paniculata
  • (P) Grape Hyacinth - Muscari armeniacum
  • (P) Lamb's Ear - Stachy's byzantina
  • (S) Littleleaf Mockorange - Philadelphus microphyllus
  • (P) Missouri Evening Primrose - Oenothera missouriensis
  • (S) Mountain Snowberry - Symphoricarpos oreophilus
  • (P) Pasque Flower - Anemone pulsatilla
  • (T) Pecan - Carya illinoeusis
  • (T) Pinion Pine - Pinus edulis
  • (T) Pondersoa Pine - Pinus ponderosa
  • (P) Purple Coneflower- Echinacea purpurea
  • (S) Redtwig Dogwood - Cornus sericea coloradense
  • (G) Rock Soapwort - Saponaria ocymoides
  • (T) Russian Hawthorne - Crataegus ambigua
  • (P) Siberian Iris - Iris sibirica
  • (S) Winter Blue Juniper - Juniperus horizontalis `Winter Blue'
  • (P) Woody Yarrow - Achillea tomentosa nana
  • (P) Yellow Flax - Linum flavum

Moderate Water Use

Uses the most water in the garden, yet still uses less than most traditional landscapes.

  • (S) Alpine Currant - Ribes alpinum
  • (T) Austrian Pine- Pinus nigra
  • Bluegrass Turf - Poa pratensis
  • (T) Blue Spruce - Picea pungens glauca
  • (P) Columbine - Aquilegia spp.
  • (S) Compact Cranberrybush - Viburnum triobum `Compactum'
  • (P) Coral Bells - Heuchera sanguinea
  • (S) Cranberry Cotoneaster - Cotoneaster apiculata
  • (G) Creeping Grape Holly - Mahonia repens
  • (G) Creeping Potentilla - Potentilla verna nana
  • (G) Creeping Veronica - Veronica repens
  • (S) Dwarf Korean Lilac - Syringa meyeri
  • (S) Dwarf Winged Euonymus - Euonymus alata compacta
  • (P) Evergreen Candytuft - Iberis sempervirens
  • (P) Grape Hyacinth - Muscari armeniacum
  • (S) Gold Drop Cinquefoil - Potentilla fruticosa `Gold Drop'
  • (S) Green Mound Juniper - Juniperus chinesis procumbens `Green Mound'
  • (T) Hawthorn - Crataegus sp.
  • (S) Jackman Cinquefoil - Potentilla fruticosa `Jackmari'
  • (T) Kentucky Coffeetree - Gymnocladus dioicus
  • (G) Kinnickinnick - Arctostaphylos uvaursi
  • (G) Moneywort - Lysimachia nummularia
  • (S) Nannyberry Bush - Viburnum lentago
  • (S) Peking Cotoneaster - Cotoneaster acutifolia
  • (P) Perennial Bachelor Button - Centaurea montana
  • (T) Red Bud - Cercis canadensis
  • (P) Shasta Daisy `Alaska' - Chrysanthemum x superbum
  • (P) Speedwell - Veronica spicata
  • (G) Sweet Woodruff - Asperula oderata
  • (T) Tatarian Maple - Acer tataricum
  • (G) Whiplash Daisy - Erigeron flagilarius