Landscape Pros Share Their Top Plant Picks for a Resilient Garden

Isara Ongwiseth, FormLA Landscaping, Los Angeles

Southern California may be known for its generally mild climate, but it also experiences climate events such as extended droughts, wildfires and landslides. That’s why Isara Ongwiseth prioritizes resilient native plants when designing any garden there. Fortunately, he has lots of options. “Los Angeles has more than 3,000 indigenous plants that can help people achieve almost any aesthetic they prefer,” Ongwiseth says.

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Focus on diversity. Ongwiseth says that the more biodiverse a landscape is, the more capable it will be of resisting pests and infections. “For example, a hedge mixing our local Catalina cherry [Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii, USDA zones 9 to 10; find your zone], toyon [Heteromeles arbutifolia, zones 7 to 10; shown here] and California lilac [Ceanothus spp.] will better resist these hazards than a monoculture of ficus,” he says.

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Make plants multitask. Ongwiseth also likes to focus on plants that can serve multiple purposes. He notes that many native plants not only can thrive in both drought and deluge conditions, but also won’t need toxic chemical fertilizers and pesticides, protecting both humans and wildlife from exposure.

Ongwiseth uses the same multipronged approach to help mitigate damage from natural disasters. He says that two of his favorites, chaparral yucca (Hesperoyucca whipplei, zones 7 to 10) and coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis, zones 7 to 10; shown here), can aid in both fire defense and slope stabilization.

Choose interesting finishing touches. Look for ground covers with interesting colors, flowers or fruits. Two of Ongwiseth’s favorites are beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis, zones 4 to 9; shown here) and prostrate California lilac (Ceanothus spp.). He also looks to ornamental grasses to provide movement. His favorite is sanddune sedge (Carex pansa, zones 8 to 11).

Benjamin Vogt, Monarch Gardens, Lincoln, Nebraska

Every pro we spoke with says that choosing regionally native plants is a good starting point for creating a resilient landscape. This mantra is particularly strong for Benjamin Vogt, who designs native plant gardens with a focus on sustainability and wildlife. His gardens are naturally resilient, as they have already adapted to the local area.

Tailor your plants to your site. Vogt says that choosing the best resilient plants for your own garden depends on your specific site variables. “Every site has different soils, sun, drainage and plant communities,” he says. “Choosing the right plants can help fix issues like ponding, erosion, weeds or low fertility.”

José Roberto Corea, austin outdoor design, Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas, is known for its climate extremes. “These extremes highlight the importance of designing landscapes that can withstand intense heat, unexpected cold snaps, long periods of drought and sudden, intense rains,” José Roberto Corea says.

Anchor a landscape with trees. To shield a landscape from the hot sun, Corea turns to oaks, especially those that are native to the area. Among his favorites are escarpment live oak (Quercus fusiformis, zones 6 to 10), lacey oak (Q. laceyi, zones 7 to 9), bur oak (Q. macrocarpa, zones 3 to 8) and Monterrey oak (Q. polymorpha, zones 7 to 10). “I also like to use cedar elm [Ulmus crassifolia, zones 6 to 9; shown here],” he adds.

Corea also adds smaller native trees to the mix. His favorites include the evergreen, multitrunked Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora, zones 8 to 10) and Mexican plum (Prunus mexicana, zones 6 to 9). He likes to use Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana, zones 7 to 10) and desert willow (Chilopsis linearis, zones 6 to 9) as well.

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Add ground covers and vines. Corea’s choices for resilient ground covers are well-suited to the climate, even if some of them are unfamiliar to many. Silver ponyfoot (Dichondra argentea, zones 10 to 12) and woolly stemodia (Stemodia lanata, zones 8 to 11) have silvery foliage. Cedar sedge (Salvia roemeriana, zones 7 to 10) can handle shady conditions.

For a vertical element, Corea looks to native climbing vines such as trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens, zones 4 to 9) and red-flowered crossvine (Bignonia capreolata, zones 5 to 9). Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zones 8 to 10; shown here), another favorite, is not native but is well-adapted to the climate.

Showcase your location. Succulents and cactuses pay tribute to the desert climate and also are able to handle weather extremes. Corea’s favorites include familiar whale’s tongue agave (Agave ovatifolia, zones 7 to 11), Texas sotol (Dasylirion texanum, zones 5 to 10), spineless prickly pear (Opuntia ellisiana, zones 7 to 11), twistleaf yucca (Yucca rupicola, zones 7 to 10) and red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora, zones 5 to 10; shown here).

Jeff True, Hursthouse Landscape Architects and Contractors, Bolingbrook, Illinois

Chicago is known for its brutally cold winters and hot, dry summers. “Just a few hours north and south of here is a very different climate,” says Jeff True.

Turn to native hardwoods. True says that native hardwood trees can handle weather extremes and are often his starting points. These include several maples, such as red maple (Acer rubrum, zones 3 to 9), sugar maple (A. saccharum, zones 3 to 8; shown here), silver maple (A. saccharinum, zones 3 to 9) and Freeman’s maple (A. x. freemanii, zones 5 to 8).

Native white oak (Quercus alba, zones 3 to 9), which is the state tree of Illinois, is also a tried-and-true favorite, as are swamp white oak (Q. bicolor, zones 3 to 8), Chinquapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii, zones 5 to 7) and shagbark hickory (Carya ovata, zones 4 to 8). “I personally love Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus, zones 3 to 8) and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis, zones 2 to 9),” True says.

He adds that the new elm varieties resistant to Dutch elm disease, such as Triumph elm (Ulmus ‘Morton Glossy’, zones 4 to 7), are fast-growing, allowing them to fill in spaces quickly.

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