The 15 trees, shrubs, succulents, and grasses that thrive in 95 to 105°F Inland Empire summers and Santa Ana winds, on low water, from Riverside to Murrieta.
Get a Free Planting PlanUpdated June 2026 by Monarch Landscape & Design, serving the Inland Empire since 2009.
The best drought-tolerant plants for the Inland Empire are Desert Museum Palo Verde, Chinese Pistache, fruitless olive, Westringia, Texas Ranger, Ceanothus, Bottlebrush, Red Yucca, Agave, Kangaroo Paw, deer grass, and Trailing Lantana. They thrive in 95 to 105°F summers, mild winters, sandy-loam-over-clay soil, and Santa Ana winds on low water once established.
The Inland Empire (Riverside, Corona, Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, San Bernardino, and the surrounding valleys) sits in a hotter, drier USDA Zone 9b to 10a, with roughly 10 to 13 inches of rain a year, mild winters that rarely freeze hard, and dry Santa Ana wind events. That milder climate opens up a broad Mediterranean and California-native palette. Here is the quick comparison, then the detail by category.
| Plant | Type | Water (established) | Mature size | Cold hardy to | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Museum Palo Verde | Tree | Very low | 20 to 25 ft | 15°F | Flowering accent tree |
| Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) | Tree | Low | 30 to 40 ft | 0°F | Shade, fall color |
| Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia) | Tree/shrub | Low to moderate | 15 to 25 ft | 5°F | Summer flowering |
| Fruitless Olive (‘Swan Hill’) | Tree | Very low | 25 to 30 ft | 15°F | Mediterranean shade, screen |
| Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) | Tree | Very low | 15 to 25 ft | 10°F | Flowering shade tree |
| Westringia (Coast Rosemary) | Shrub | Low | 4 to 6 ft | 20°F | Clean hedge, coastal look |
| Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) | Shrub | Very low | 5 to 8 ft | 5°F | Flowering hedge |
| Ceanothus (California Lilac) | Shrub | Very low | 3 to 8 ft | 15°F | CA native, blue blooms |
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon) | Shrub | Low | 6 to 15 ft | 20°F | Red blooms, screen, birds |
| Rockrose (Cistus) | Shrub | Very low | 3 to 5 ft | 15°F | Flowering, fire-wiser |
| Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora) | Accent | Very low | 4 to 6 ft bloom | 0°F | Coral blooms, accent |
| Agave | Succulent | Very low | Varies | 15 to 20°F | Sculptural accent |
| Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) | Perennial | Low | 2 to 4 ft | 25°F | Unique color, accent |
| Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) | Grass | Low | 3 to 4 ft | 0°F | CA native ornamental grass |
| Trailing Lantana | Groundcover | Low | Spreads 6 ft | 25°F | Year-round color |
The IE’s mild winters (Zone 9b to 10a) mean cold-hardiness is rarely a limit at the valley floor. It matters more in the foothills and in cold-air pockets near Beaumont and the San Jacinto range.
The best drought-tolerant trees for the Inland Empire are Desert Museum Palo Verde, Chinese Pistache, fruitless olive, Crape Myrtle, and Desert Willow. They give shade, flowers, or a Mediterranean look on little water and handle the IE’s hot, dry summers.
The premier low-water flowering tree for the Inland Empire. A thornless hybrid with green photosynthesizing bark, large showy yellow blooms from spring through summer, and fast growth. Virtually no supplemental water after establishment, and an easy fit in a rockscape or front-yard conversion.
Fruitless olive (‘Swan Hill’) is the classic Mediterranean tree for the IE: silvery evergreen foliage, very low water, no messy fruit, and a long life. Crape Myrtle brings months of summer color in pink, red, white, or purple and handles heat well, a favorite for street-facing yards in Riverside and Corona.
For shade with brilliant fall color, Chinese Pistache reaches 30 to 40 feet and is cold-hardy to 0°F. Desert Willow is a smaller flowering tree that draws hummingbirds and needs almost no water once established. Pair any of these with our rockscape for a complete low-water yard.
The best drought-tolerant shrubs for the Inland Empire are Westringia, Texas Ranger, Ceanothus, Bottlebrush, and Rockrose. They give structure, color, and privacy on very little water, and several are California natives.
A clean, gray-green 4-to-6-foot shrub that shears into a tidy hedge and gives the coastal-Mediterranean look so popular in Murrieta and Temecula. Low water, tolerant of heat and wind, and hardy to about 20°F.
Ceanothus (California Lilac) is a true CA native that erupts in blue spring blooms and, once established, often needs no supplemental water. Texas Ranger is a silver-leaved shrub that bursts into purple bloom before rain, hardy to 5°F, and excellent as an informal hedge or screen.
Bottlebrush (Callistemon) carries red blooms that draw hummingbirds and works as a screen or small tree. Rockrose (Cistus) is a low, very-low-water flowering shrub that is one of the more fire-wiser choices for foothill yards. Both shrug off the IE heat.
The best low-water accent and texture plants for the Inland Empire are Red Yucca, Agave, Kangaroo Paw, and deer grass. They carry a rockscape visually and need little to no irrigation once established.
Red Yucca (Hesperaloe) sends up 4-to-6-foot coral flower spikes spring through fall and is hardy all the way to 0°F, one of the most reliable accents in the whole region. Agave forms a bold sculptural rosette and needs very little water (place spiny varieties away from walkways). Both are staples of the modern IE front yard.
Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) adds unusual tubular blooms in red, orange, and yellow that thrive in IE heat with low water. Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) is a soft California-native bunchgrass, 3 to 4 feet, that adds movement between boulders and shrubs. For California-native depth, add Manzanita and Toyon, both native, drought-proof once established, and bird-friendly.
The best low-water groundcovers for the Inland Empire are Trailing Lantana, trailing rosemary, and the low-growing sages. They cover ground fast, fill gaps between boulders and shrubs, and hold soil on slopes.
Groundcovers are also the easiest way to hit the rebate requirement of 3 plants per 100 square feet when you convert a lawn. See our drought-tolerant landscaping page for full conversions, or the water rebates guide for the payment side.
Desert Museum Palo Verde, fruitless olive, and Texas Ranger are among the most drought-tolerant, all surviving on little or no supplemental water once established. The Palo Verde photosynthesizes through its green bark and needs almost no irrigation after its first two years, while Mediterranean plants like olive and Texas Ranger are built for the IE’s hot, dry summers and mild winters.
During the first 1 to 2 years they need regular drip irrigation, about twice a week in summer. After that, most need water only every 7 to 14 days in summer and rarely in winter. Use inline drip, not spray heads, since hot, dry Santa Ana conditions waste 50 percent or more of spray water to evaporation. A drought-tolerant yard uses 70 to 90 percent less water than a lawn.
Yes. Replacing lawn with a living drought-tolerant landscape qualifies for the SoCal Water$mart turf-replacement rebate across IE districts including Western Municipal, Eastern Municipal, Rancho California, and Riverside Public Utilities. The base rebate starts at $2 per square foot, and many districts add a local top-up. The program requires at least 3 plants per 100 square feet, a stormwater retention feature, and removal of overhead spray. Synthetic turf does not qualify; living plants do. See our water rebates guide.
For foothill and hillside lots in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (La Cresta, the Santa Rosa Plateau, and the San Bernardino foothills), use low-fuel, well-spaced, higher-moisture plants in the first 5 feet around the home. Good choices include Red Yucca, Agave, deer grass, and well-irrigated groundcovers, spaced with gravel or decomposed-granite breaks. Avoid juniper, rosemary, and other resinous shrubs in Zone 0. See our defensible-space hardscape page for the hardscape side.
Ceanothus (California Lilac), Manzanita, Toyon, Deer Grass, and the native sages (Cleveland and white sage) are true California natives that evolved for Inland Empire summers. Natives support local pollinators and birds and, once established, often need no supplemental water. Desert Willow and Red Yucca are Southwest natives that perform just as well here.
Fall, roughly October through November, is the best time to plant in the IE. Warm soil and cooling air let roots establish over the mild winter before the next hot summer, and winter rains reduce irrigation. Early spring (March) is the second-best window. Avoid the peak heat of July and August.
Monarch designs and installs low-water, rebate-ready landscapes across the Inland Empire. We pick the right plants for your soil, sun, and slope, build the rockscape and drip, and handle the rebate paperwork.
Get a Free Planting PlanOr call (760) 792-7627
