Plants That Perform
Desert Green Conference, Las Vegas, NV 2026 / Daniel Goodspeed – Happy Valley Plants™
Plants That Perform have a purpose:
Purpose = Performance
To achieve optimum plant performance,
find the right plant for the right place!
Lots of plants can be considered low-water use or water-wise. How much water do these plants really need to perform well? We want our plants to thrive, not just survive. Knowing and choosing which types of plant to use in the proper setting can be challenging. Gardeners have more varieties, selection, and cultivars to choose from than ever before, that is the good news. However, having so many options can lead to choice paralysis. Drought tolerant plants may come from here in the southwest, Mexico, South America, Mediterranean, S. Africa, Australia, Caribbean, China, etc.
The fact is, not all plants can be happy and thrive everywhere or in every location. But most plants will PERFORM well if they are planted in a spot that matches their evolutionary, physical needs and tolerances.
It helps to know your water-wise planting zones. See our other Blog post article by this same name:
Water-Wise Garden Zones: What plants go where? https://happy-valley-plants.myshopify.com/blogs/plant-care/water-wise-garden-zones-what-plants-go-where
Most landscapes consist of one or more of these different zone types. These zones are based on environmental or physical factors such as:
· Sun Exposure, reflected heat, surfaces, etc.
· Plant proximity to the house/building, structures, hardscape features, or other natural features.
· Any existing shade trees, large shrubs, or other potentially competing plants.
· Site topography, natural berms, swales, soil composition, boulders/rocks, etc.
Remember, even water-wise, or drought tolerant plants need some water to thrive. Intuitively, oasis area plants require more supplemental waterings even if the soil retains more moisture. Transition zone plants afford more flexibility depending on where, and what type of plants you choose, and xeric/hot zone plants should be native to the same type of hot, dry exposed areas you want them to perform well in. You can’t make an oasis native plant thrive in a totally xeric situation.
Plant Performance = Finding the Right Plant for the Right Place.
Planting Advice Nuggets:
Don’t plant into a dry hole. Add water first to hydrate the surrounding soil profile.
2. Don’t plant drought tolerant plants too deep. Pay attention to the natural soil grade and identify how deep the finish mulch or top-dressing will ultimately be and adjust root ball depth accordingly.
3. Know that most woody shrubs and trees can take up to 6-8 weeks to start growing new roots. Perennials typically take 2-4 weeks. Loosen or trim roots prior to planting. New plant watering guideline for leafy plants is 1gal. of water per gallon of container size.
