What are some pretty perennial plants that grow well in the desert?

Question

I have successfully managed to kill every plant, bush, and tree in my front yard. The only thing still alive is the weeds. So I ripped everything out and now I have a very plain yard composed of only rocks and the remaining weeds that continue to grow no matter how much c**p I spray on them or how often I pull them out.

Well, the HOA hates it and I got a courtesy letter explaining to me that I have to put SOMETHING in the yard to make it pretty. I'm heading to the plant store (aka Home Depot) tomorrow. Is there such thing as a plant is low maintenance, that grows well in the desert, and has pretty (ie pink) flowers?

Oh, and how do you get rid of weeds that refuse to die????

Answer 1

I live in southern Arizona and have a variety of plants in my yard.  My favorites are the desert-adapted plants:  red salvia, blue lavenders and mints.  All are perennials.  All are available at Home Depot.  Get the one-gallon plants as they are cheaper and handle tranplanting better than bigger plants.  Within a year the plants will be of good size.

If you are killing the plants you are either overwatering them or underwatering them, but there could also be something in the soil that's killing the plants via the roots, either a root-eating insect or root-rotting virus.