Trees, shrubs and flowers that suit Utah
Waterwise plants that USU Extension recommends, how to choose a tree, and the plants that struggle in Utah yards.
Choosing by zone and elevation
Pick plants rated for your zone or one lower, group plants with similar water needs together, and remember that smaller plants generally need less water.[1][2] USU's water-wise list covers plants that are water-conserving and adapted to Utah's arid climate and cold winters, but it does not assign zones to individual plants, so check the label at the nursery against your zone.[1]
USU-recommended waterwise picks
- Apache plume: an evergreen shrub about five feet tall and wide with feathery, pink-tinged seedheads.[1]
- Curl-leaf mountain mahogany: a large shrub to small tree, especially suited to low-water landscapes.[1]
- Mexican cliffrose: native to the southern Intermountain West with potential for low-water landscapes.[1]
- Firecracker penstemon: scarlet flowers, found across the West at 3,000 to 11,000 feet.[1]
- Mountain beebalm: a mound-forming perennial from higher elevations with lavender to rose-purple flowers that draw bees and butterflies.[1]
- Prince's plume: an extremely drought-tolerant perennial up to 5 feet tall with lemon-yellow summer plumes.[1]
- Little bluestem: a long-lived native grass that holds soil.[1]
Aspen is the one USU singles out as a poor fit: it is adapted to high elevations and wet meadows and generally does poorly at most garden altitudes and water levels.[1]
Trees
USU Extension's tree pages cover selecting and planting landscape trees, conifers for Utah and oaks, including the native Gambel oak, as drought-tolerant landscape trees. The USU Tree Browser describes 245 tree species found in Utah and the Intermountain West.[3]
Plant bare-root trees and shrubs in March, keeping the roots moist, and plant more trees and shrubs in late summer and fall as temperatures cool.[4] In October, wrap young tree trunks with white reflective wrap.[4] If you are tearing out lawn around a tree, watch the irrigation: USU has a separate guide to preserving trees during and after lawn removal.[3]
What to do in the garden bed each season
- March: sharpen mower blades, start a compost pile and fertilize spring bulbs.[4]
- April: mulch shrubs and trees with wood chips or bark, wait to prune roses until buds swell, and prune spring-blooming shrubs right after they flower.[4]
- May and June: plant summer-blooming bulbs, let spring bulb foliage die back, deadhead spent blooms.[4]
- July: divide iris and daylilies after they bloom.[4]
- October: plant spring bulbs through early November, plant cold-hardy annuals such as pansies and ornamental kale, and cut raspberry canes to the ground after fruiting.[4]
Local guides
- Salt Lake County and Tooele County
- Utah County
- Northern Utah: Davis, Weber, Cache, Box Elder, Morgan and Rich
- Summit and Wasatch counties
- Central Utah: Juab, Millard, Sanpete, Sevier, Piute and Wayne
- Southern Utah: Washington, Iron, Kane, Garfield and Beaver
- Eastern Utah: Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan, Uintah, Duchesne and Daggett
Keep reading
- Utah growing zones and frost dates
- Waterwise landscaping and Localscapes
- How much to water a Utah lawn and landscape