What to plant
Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9
For a full-sun bed in zone 9: Indian hawthorn, Little bluestem 'Standing Ovation', African iris, Lily of the Nile and Blanket flower 'Arizona Sun'. 26 plants of 5 kinds for a 12 × 6 ft bed.
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
The plant list
12 × 6 ft · Zone 9 · 6+ hours of sun · Low-water
Rhaphiolepis indica
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3.5 ft apart · grows 3–5 ft tall · Mar–May
Can't find it? Use Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana' or Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue'.
Schizachyrium scoparium 'Standing Ovation'
Grass · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Aug–Sep
Can't find it? Use Pink muhly grass or Mat rush 'Breeze'.
African iris
× 5
Dietes iridioides
Filler · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Mar–Oct
Can't find it? Use Mexican bush sage or Butterfly weed.
Agapanthus africanus
Filler · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2–3 ft tall · Jun–Aug
Can't find it? Use Mexican bush sage or Butterfly weed.
Gaillardia × grandiflora 'Arizona Sun'
Edge · Edge of bed · quart pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 0.5–1 ft tall · Jun–Oct
Kinds
5
Plants
26
Coverage
94%
Gravel
0.44 cu yd
Gravel or decomposed granite: 0.44 cu yd at 2 in deep (6 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 94% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
- Zone 9
- Texas and the South-Central states summers (e.g. Texas)
- 6 or more hours of sun
- Low-water style
- 12 × 6 ft bed
When to plant in zone 9
- Spring planting
- late February to mid-April
- Fall planting
- late October to mid-December
- Typical last spring frost
- late January to late February
- Typical first fall frost
- late November to mid-December
Typical dates for zone 9. Your own dates can differ by two weeks or more; check with a local nursery or extension office.
Why these rules
Full sun means 6 or more hours of direct sun in summer. That opens up the widest choice of flowering plants, but beds in full sun also dry out fastest, so mulch matters.
Zone 9 only describes winter: the coldest night of an average year falls between 20°F and 30°F. This list was composed for Texas and the South-Central states, with hot summers that swing between drought and downpour, so plants that fail in those summers were left out even where the zone says they would survive. Plants listed as invasive in any state of the region were left out too.
A low-water bed uses plants that, once established, get by on rainfall in most years. They still need regular water through their first summer while the roots grow out.
The sample bed is 12 × 6 ft: 5 kinds and 26 plants. Taller plants go at the back, grasses and mid-height flowers in the middle and low plants along the front edge, each planted in a group so the bed reads as one planting. Quantities come from each plant's spacing, so a bigger or smaller bed changes the numbers, not the logic.
Also eligible
Every other plant in our table that passes the same rules (23 in all, including the 5 above). Swap any of these in within the same role.
Show the 18 other eligible plants
Filler
Questions and answers
- How many plants do I need for a 12 × 6 ft bed?
- This list uses 26 plants of 5 kinds for a 12 × 6 ft bed (72 sq ft), spaced so they cover about 94% of the bed when mature. Add 6 bags of mulch (2 cu ft) to cover it 3 inches deep.
- When should I plant in zone 9?
- In zone 9, plant in spring from late February to mid-April, or in fall from late October to mid-December. Typical last spring frost is late January to late February and first fall frost late November to mid-December; your own dates can differ by two weeks or more.
- What if I can't find Indian hawthorn?
- Use Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana' or Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue': they fill the same role and pass the same rules. Every plant on the list shows two substitutes like this.
- How many plants pass these conditions?
- 23 plants in our table pass the rules for 6 or more hours of direct summer sun in zone 9 and suited to a low-water style. The ones not used in the sample bed are listed above by role.
How this page was made
This page was generated from FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules: the same rules engine that builds paid lists filtered the table for the conditions above, picked plants by role and worked out quantities for the sample bed. No person or chat model chose these plants, and no named expert has reviewed this list.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants
More guides
Same need, other zones
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6, Mountain West
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 4
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 5
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 6
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 7
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 9, Southwest
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8, Southwest