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Desert Gardening Resources

The volunteers at the Desert Horticultural Society of Coachella Valley have prepared a number of documents and write-ups to help desert gardeners to create habitat-friendly gardens, use less water, and survive in our unique climate.

Plants of Low, Medium, and High Water Needs

Desert plant identifier

Identify plants common to the desert by their water needs: low, medium, and high. This page includes information in English and en Español. It also includes other resources for plant identification.

October
February

Desert watering guide

Get the right watering times for every month for your plants and your sprinkler types. There is plenty of additional information about your watering schedule and some information en Español, tambien.

Also, some helpful information about sprinkler systems and converting to drip irrigation.

orange and blossom

Desert citrus guide

Prepared for us by a member who attended a lecture by local legend Don Ackley, this is a helpful guide to caring for citrus in our desert. The information may be a bit outdated, but it’s a good starting point.

The Chuparosa Mast Head

The Chuparosa

For a time, we had a beautiful monthly newsletter lovingly produced by a team of DHSCV volunteers. We’re no longer producing them, but they have great information so you can still download them at the link above, or read other archives.

Pennisetum setaceum - Fountain Grass

Invasive Species

Some plants we commonly see here are actually invasive species (like the Fountain Grass pictured). If you don’t already know what this means or want to know what to look for, read this post.