Survivor Plants - Outwit, Outgrow, Outlast
Desert Green XXIX (Oct. 1-2, 2025 Las Vegas, NV)
Are you ready for even hotter, dryer summers, longer seasons, and more unpredictable weather events? One of the easiest ways to be better prepared is to get back to basics with your plant choices. Embrace good old-guard plants that have evolutionary adaptations like heat resistant foliage, specialized textures or colors, tiny or waxy leaves, drought deciduous foliage or drought dormancy, salt tolerance, or even specialized molecular metabolism modifications.
It is an inherently simple concept to choose what works. Be sustainably smart, choose these Survivor Plants that can outwit, outgrow and outlast the others!
Some agencies, like SNWA refer to these Survivor plants as Bulletproof or Ironclad. Whatever you call them, they are tough, adaptable, and regionally sustainable.
Plants evolve within a matrix within their own specific environments. Plants develop interdependent, complex characteristics that form a web of variations to benefit each other.
What matrix did that plant evolve in? Where is it from? Where or how does it grow within that matrix?
Is it a Mohave native? Chihuahuan, Sonoran, South African, Mediterranean?
What water-wise zone does the plant naturally grow in? Oasis zone, Transition zone, or Xeric/Hot zone? (https://happy-valley-plants.myshopify.com/blogs/plant-care/water-wise-garden-zones-what-plants-go-where)
Presentation Plant List
Power Plants & Spiky Silhouettes:
Agave parrasana – Z6-10, gun-metal gray color, slow growing medium sized solitary plants with rounded shape, short wide guttered leaves with gnarly marginal teeth and terminal spine. Use as single specimen or mass plant. Widely adaptable. Bulletproof. Works well from sun to dry shade. WW-Garden zones 2 or 3.
Agave salmiana (A. salmiana v. ferox) – Z7-11, rich green color, medium to large solitary plants with long recurved, guttered leaves. Widely spaced pronounced marginal teeth and long terminal spine. Single specimen or mass planted. Widely adaptable. Bulletproof. Works well in sun to part sun. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Agave zebra – Z8-11, blue gray, mature plants develop striking darker horizontal striping. Medium sized, solitary but can develop some pups. Leaves spoon shaped wider at the top narrow at the base with sharp marginal teeth and short terminal spine. Widely adaptable. Bulletproof. Works well from sun to dry shade. WW-Garden zones 2 or 3.
Yucca baccata – Z5-11, gray green rough textured leaves with course filaments and short, sharp terminal spine. Mature plants grow 3-4 ft. long, 2in. wide leaves and slowly sucker from the base to form large clumps. Flowers with tall stalks above the foliage. Numerous large hanging lantern-like blooms of cream with burgundy reverse are prized by hosts of pollinators. Widely adaptable. Bulletproof. Works well in WW Garden zones 1-3.
Yucca torreyi (Syn. Y. treculeana) - Z7-11, arborescent yucca with long, tightly spaced green sword shaped leaves with sharp terminal spines and some filaments. Mature plants can grow to 12 ft. tall & 8 ft. across leaf tip to leaf tip. Native to NM, TX, Mexico grassy steppes, slopes and rocky roadcuts up to 5000ft. elevation. Widely adaptable. Bulletproof. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Opuntia gomei – Z8-10, large bright green pads with wavy contorted shape, spineless but areoles have short glochids. Yellow hummingbird attractive blooms in late spring to summer followed by dark purple fruits. Fast-growing med. to large plants 4-5ft. tall x 6-8ft. wide. Adaptable with multiple landscape uses. Bulletproof. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Opuntia cacanapa v. ellisiana – Z6-11, medium to small oval spineless gray-green pads have powdery coat. Most cold hardy spineless prickly pear grow to manageable size of 4-5ft. high & wide. Yellow spring flowers followed by numerous pink fleshy fruits. Adaptable, fast growing with multiple landscape uses. Bulletproof. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Opuntia basilaris v. longiareolata – Z5/6-10 Marble Canyon prickly pear is a low growing and spreading beavertail type cacti. Plants are comprised of numerous round, to oval shaped gray-green velvety looking pads with glochids but no spines. Bright pink to magenta blooms in spring. During periods of cold temperatures pads can take on purplish hue. Adaptable, cold hardy, durable. Bulletproof. Work well in sun and part shade. WW-Garden zone 2 & 3
Opuntia polyacantha ‘Snow White’ – Z9-11, narrow to elongated green pads covered by dense white fuzz created by modified glochids. These spineless prickly pears grow to medium typical size of 4-5ft. high & 2-3 wide. Adaptable, fast growing with multiple landscape uses. Stunning when backlit. Bulletproof. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Opuntia hybrid ‘Carnival’ – Z6-11, large round, green pads with symmetrically spaced glochids and a few golden spines. Spring blooms are large and reliable starting out red and fade to orange or copper-gold color. Easy to grow. Adaptable and durable plants. (O. engelmanii x O. robusta) WW-Garden zone 2 & 3
Euphorbia antisyphilitica – Z8-11, numerous gray colored narrow vertical stems grow to 1-3ft. high and wide. They form short round clumps. Easy to grow and adaptable. Mature plants flower with tiny pink blooms near the top of the stems. Tiny leaves are drought deciduous. Chihuahuan native up to 4000ft. on rocky slopes, hills, ocotillo forests and limestone ridges. Adaptable. Bulletproof. Works well in sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1 & 2.
Echinopsis terscheckii (Syn. Trichocereus terscheckii) – Z7-11, Argentine saguaro are slow growing, thick columnar cacti that produce arms in candelabra form. Green flesh is protected by golden spines. Native to the Andes in Argentina & Bolivia from 2600ft. to 5000ft. they are cold hardy and remarkably adaptable. Growing successfully in gardens from Houston, to Phoenix, St. George, UT and Boise, ID. Bulletproof. Works well in full sun. WW-Garden zones 1 & 2.
Marvelous Mediterranean's
Artemisia x ‘Powis Castle’ – Z6-9, silvery-gray, aromatic frilly foliage grows on herbaceous stems with plant forming large, rounded clumps or rafts 2-3ft. tall x 2-4ft. across. Highly adaptable. Bulletproof. Overwatering, especially during humid summers, can lead to damping off or crown rot. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Olea europaea ‘Little Ollie’ – Z8-11, narrow pointed leaves are glossy green on top, white underneath. Woody shrubs grow dense with foliage and lend themselves to sheering or as topiary. Fruitless. Once plants become established, they are extremely drought tolerant. Highly adaptable with multiple landscape uses. Bulletproof. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Euphorbia rigida – Z5-9, gray-green succulent stems form rounded short clumps. Leaves whorled around the stems. Early spring brings dramatic clusters of chartreuses to yellow bracts at the ends of each stem. By early summer, spent flower stems should be pruned completely off near the base or crown. Wildly adaptive and texturally unique. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Punica granatum – Z7-10, woody, deciduous large shrubs or small trees. Historically useful and significant fruit trees but sadly underused or appreciated landscape plants. Gray, slightly thorny stems covered with bright green elongated oval leaves spring through summer. Fall foliage is bright yellow to golden against large woody dark red fruits. Spring and summer sporadic blooms are orange-salmon to reddish color. Popular with pollinators. Tough and adaptable plants. Long-lived, with multiple landscape uses. Bulletproof. Works well in sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1-3.
Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ – Z6-10, woody, thornless arching stems covered with evergreen to deciduous, dark green leaves. Fast growing long arching stems can reach 15-20ft. when grown on arbors, arches or trellis with average width of 8-10ft. Typically smaller growing when used as a rambler over retaining walls, gabions or slopes. Spectacular spring display of small but copious, butter-yellow double blooms. Native to China. Adaptable, durable, self-sufficient plants with many landscape uses. Works well sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1 & 2.
Zephyranthes sp. – Z7-10, commonly known as rain lily. Chive-like to narrow strap-like foliage grows from small bulbs to form grass-like clumps of bright green. One to 2 ft. tall and wide. White, pink, salmon, or yellow blooms held above the foliage. Summer dormant plants will naturally appear and bloom in response to summer monsoon rain or irrigation. Native to Rio de la Plata region of S. America but behave like many Mediterranean bulbs. Adaptable, care-free survivors. Works well in sun to part shade. WW-Garden zones 1 & 2.
NOTE: If you would like more detailed suggestions of plant varieties or have other additional questions, please email us: happyvalleyplants@gmail.com
**Blogs & photos by Daniel S. Goodspeed, without use of AI. No photos or blog info may be reprinted or reproduced without permission or consent of the author, Happy Valley Plants™ or its subsidiaries. **
