Houseplants For Dry Climates (10 Houseplants With Low Water Needs)

Some houseplants need frequent watering to survive, while others thrive even in dry or drought conditions. These houseplants are great if you are away often (or if you forget to water sometimes!)

So, what are some houseplants for dry climates? Houseplants for dry climates include: Aloe Vera, Baby’s Toes, Bay Laurel, Candle Plant, Cycad, Desert Rose, English Thyme, Karoo Rose, Purple Shamrock, and Snake Plant. Some of these houseplants have attractive foliage or flowers to add beauty to your home!

Of course, these plants will still need a little water from time to time, but they can handle a little neglect when it comes to watering.

In this article, we’ll talk about 10 houseplants for dry climates. We’ll also take a look at what they need for light, water, and other important growth factors.

Let’s get started.

10 Houseplants For Dry Climates

There are plenty of houseplants for dry climates to choose from, but here are 10 to start with:

Aloe Vera
Baby’s Toes
Bay Laurel
Candle Plant
Cycad
Desert Rose
English Thyme
Karoo Rose
Purple Shamrock
Snake Plant

Let’s begin with Aloe Vera.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is a houseplant for dry climates that produces 1 to 2 inch yellow flowers in winter, spring, or summer. This perennial succulent also tolerates poor soil, and its leaves can treat minor cuts or burns.

Aloe Vera needs a dry environment with moderate to low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Aloe Vera is a warm weather plant that likes full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9a (as cold as 20 degrees Fahrenheit or -7 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet.

You can propagate Aloe Vera by stem cuttings or offsets.

You can learn more about Aloe Vera from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Aloe Vera from Woodie’s Garden Goods.

Baby’s Toes

Baby’s Toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla) is a houseplant for dry climates that produces 1 to 2 inch white flowers. This perennial succulent also tolerates poor soil.

Baby’s Toes needs a dry environment with low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Baby’s Toes is a warm weather plant that likes full sun. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9b (as cold as 25 degrees Fahrenheit or -4 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 2 inches and a width of 8 inches.

You can propagate Baby’s Toes by offsets.

You can learn more about Baby’s Toes from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Baby’s Toes from Etsy.

Bay Laurel

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree that produces showy, tiny (less than 1 inch) green and yellow flowers in spring or early summer. It is a good addition to a windbreak or hedge, and it can also be used as a houseplant in dry climates.

Bay Laurel needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water causes root rot and can damage the plant.

Bay Laurel prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial or full shade. It prefers strongly acidic to strongly alkaline soil (pH of 5.1 to 9.0).

Bay Laurel can tolerate some cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 8a (as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit or –12 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 10 to 40 feet, with a width of 10 to 30 feet.

You can propagate Bay Laurel by offsets, root cuttings, tip cuttings, or seed.

You can learn more about Bay Laurel from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Bay Laurel from Forest Farm.

Candle Plant

Candle Plant (Curio articulatus) is a perennial succulent that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. It produces tiny (less than 1 inch) white flowers in winter.

Candle Plant needs a dry environment with low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Candle Plant is a warm weather plant that likes partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or -1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of up to 18 inches.

You can propagate Candle Plant by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about Candle Plant from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Candle Plant from Etsy.

Cycad

Cycad (Encephalartos horridus) is a succulent that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. It produces underground tubers and has attractive leaves.

Cycad needs a dry environment with moderate to low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Cycad is a warm weather plant that likes full sun. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or -1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 2 to 3 feet, with a width of 2 to 4 feet.

You can propagate Cycad by offsets.

You can learn more about Cycad from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Cycad from Cycad Palm.

Desert Rose

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) is a perennial (annual in frosty regions) that produces showy pink or red flowers (possibly year-round). You can keep it as a houseplant for dry climates.

Desert Rose needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Desert Rose needs full sun. It prefers slightly acidic soil (pH of around 6.0).

Desert Rose cannot tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 8 to 10 feet, with a width of 3 feet.

You can propagate Desert Rose by layering, stem cuttings, or by seeds.

You can learn more about Desert Rose from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Desert Rose from Garden Goods Direct.

English Thyme

English Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is an evergreen herb that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. It has fragrant leaves that can be used for seasoning in your cooking.

English Thyme needs a dry environment with moderate to low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

English Thyme is a plant that likes full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or -34 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches.

You can propagate English Thyme by stem cuttings.

You can learn more about English Thyme from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find English Thyme from Mountain Valley Growers.

Karoo Rose

Karoo Rose (Lapidaria margaretae) is a perennial succulent that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. It produces small (1 to 2 inch) showy yellow flowers in late summer or fall.

Karoo Rose needs a dry environment with low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Karoo Rose is a plant that likes full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 9b (as cold as 25 degrees Fahrenheit or -4 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of only 1 to 2 inches.

You can propagate Karoo Rose by seed.

You can learn more about Karoo Rose from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Karoo Rose from Succulents Box.

Purple Shamrock

Purple Shamrock (Oxalis triangularis) is an herb that does well as a houseplant for dry climates. It produces small (1 to 2 inch) showy pink flowers throughout the year.

Purple Shamrock needs a dry environment with moderate to low moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Purple Shamrock is a plant that likes full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 6a (as cold as -10 degrees Fahrenheit or -23 degrees Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 6 to 12 inches.

You can propagate Purple Shamrock by division, offsets, or bulbs.

You can learn more about Purple Shamrock from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Purple Shamrock from Easy To Grow Bulbs.

Snake Plant

Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata, or previously Sansevieria trifasciata) is an evergreen drought tolerant perennial plant that works well for dry climates. It produces white flowers in late spring or early summer, after which it produces no new leaves.

Snake Plant needs moderate to dry moisture levels. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.

Snake Plant prefers partial or full shade. It prefers acidic to alkaline soil (pH of 4.5 to 8.5).

Snake Plant cannot tolerate much cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).

This plant grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet.

You can propagate Snake Plant by division, leaf cuttings, or stolons and runners.

You can learn more about Snake Plant from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.

You can find Snake Plant from The Cactus King.

Conclusion

Now you know about 10 houseplants for dry climates and how to take care of them. They might provide inspiration to help you to improve one or more rooms in your house and add beauty to your home.

You can learn about 10 fragrant houseplants in my article here.

If you are limited on space, you can find 7 houseplants for apartments here.

You can find houseplants that are hard to kill here.

I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.

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