Sandy Soil

I live in a sandy area and was wondering if anyone had any advice on what to plant for this kind of terrain. I added peat moss and mulch to the topsoil of my gardens, but all the plants have died. I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I'd like for it to look nice. Any advice?

You might have to build a raised bed, line it with weed cloth, then fill it with nutrient rich soil. Otherwise, soil amendments to create a better growth environment might just wash away into the sandy soil.

If strawberries will grow in your area, they do well in sandy soil. I always mix sand into the area before I plant strawberries.

Choose plants which require little water and are drought tolerant. Plants which have hard, leathery, tough leaves tend to grow in hot climates. Pomegranate trees and date palms grow well and produce fruit in a desert. Ask your neighbors or local nursery what grows well in your type of soil.

Succulents like aloe vera, agave, prickly pear, yucca and flowering cacti do well here because they have thick waxy leaves which have the ability to hold water for later. They shrink when thirsty and swell when fed water.

Your garden can include gravel beds planted with flowering cacti, bamboo, aloe, yucca, colorful sedum, salvia, ice plants, ornamental grasses such as Mexican feather grass, herbs such as rosemary and lavender, agaves and other plants which love the heat and do not require much water. Search 'desert garden plants' online for more plants.

Even the desert has hundreds of blooming plants after it rains. Drip irrigation is an excellent way to conservatively use water. Install a water feature which irrigates the plants via a trench and then recycles the water. Use plastic flowerpots and planters which hold the moisture better than terracotta. Mulch around your plants to keep moisture in the soil.

Create a rock garden covered with white stones and river rocks and build hard landscaping like patios and decks.

Rose White, author
"Easy Gardens A to Z"