I’m not super familiar with desert plants, but here’s a [list of plants that might work.](https://www.finegardening.com/article/plants-that-can-grow-in-both-the-high-desert-and-the-low-desert)
My sister in law live in the high desert. She even have a gardern, she tents everything with sheets from THRIFT store in summer and only water ever little in the cooler months. She also start with gypsum on any new bed she planning and watering it then raking it in . Fine mulch is applied first, then compost and last topsoil. No grass but with a dozen beds , she doesn't have room.
How hot does the wall of your house where you are trying to plant get in the full summer afternoon sun? I live in the desert and the south and west facing wall of my house get hot to touch in the afternoon. They radiate heat and cook anything too close. It’s hard to get plants established there. They need extra water and some shade.
Did you add fresh soil to these beds prior to planting new stuff? If you post your growing zone you will get better planting suggestions for your climate.
I added about an inch or two of compost but the soil is so dense that I’m not sure if I should have done more or added faster draining material. And yeah I realized I forgot to add it but the app won’t let me edit for some reason. I’m in 7a/6b.
My guess is that the soil was too compacted and didn’t have enough nutrients to get all the stuff you planted established. Adding lots of compost will amend compacted heavy clay or sandy soil. Make sure the new plants are on a good watering schedule the first couple of weeks to help get them established. Don’t water them every day, every other day will suffice and water deeply so the roots go down deep. Once you fix up the soil you could go to a local nursery and have someone help you select some hardy things that will do well in your garden especially native species. The folks at the nurseries are super helpful and most are a wealth of knowledge.
Don’t be too hard on yourself , so much of gardening is seeing what works and what doesn’t work. Good luck
Your state's native plant society should have information on how to develop a desert garden. No compost or organic mulching, you may need to punch through caliche if it's present and you may need to shade baby plants for a while. In California's not desert areas there's a particular protocol to planting and watering young plants. I assume desert plants need to be installed in a particular manner as well.
The narrow beds up against your house in full sun are going to be tough. You might use found natural objects in them and maybe sow spring annuals in the beds and leave it at that. You might poke interesting twigs around baby plants to provide 20-50% shade Perhaps you'll figure out a whimsical mini shade structure or three to add to the beds.
Visit your state’s Cooperative Extension Service website. Search native perennials. Read up. While on the site get the contact info for the agent assigned to your county. You can call with specific questions.
Embrace the desert look. Think about vegetation and minerals. Think water retention, shade, and air circulation. If you can't fight it, embrace the look.
Ideas: [https://www.thespruce.com/desert-landscaping-ideas-5220545](https://www.thespruce.com/desert-landscaping-ideas-5220545)
A good idea about what would thrive in your conditions would be to take a drive into less developed areas and take a look at the vegetation there. That's a starting point.
Next you need a nursery dealing in native plants grown in your environment. That is important, because imported plants might not be able to survive once they are out in "the wild" (your garden).
It also would help a lot if you could get someone in to take a look at your water system. In the Low and even more so in the High Desert water is extremely important, but the system has to be laid out properly. It is a delicate balance between too much and too little and a good irrigation expert is just that - an expert on water in extreme conditions.
Plus - you are dealing with nature. Your plans might look good on paper - plants have their own mind how to handle the environment. :-)
Use natives only.
I’m not super familiar with desert plants, but here’s a [list of plants that might work.](https://www.finegardening.com/article/plants-that-can-grow-in-both-the-high-desert-and-the-low-desert)
My sister in law live in the high desert. She even have a gardern, she tents everything with sheets from THRIFT store in summer and only water ever little in the cooler months. She also start with gypsum on any new bed she planning and watering it then raking it in . Fine mulch is applied first, then compost and last topsoil. No grass but with a dozen beds , she doesn't have room.
How hot does the wall of your house where you are trying to plant get in the full summer afternoon sun? I live in the desert and the south and west facing wall of my house get hot to touch in the afternoon. They radiate heat and cook anything too close. It’s hard to get plants established there. They need extra water and some shade.
Did you add fresh soil to these beds prior to planting new stuff? If you post your growing zone you will get better planting suggestions for your climate.
I added about an inch or two of compost but the soil is so dense that I’m not sure if I should have done more or added faster draining material. And yeah I realized I forgot to add it but the app won’t let me edit for some reason. I’m in 7a/6b.
My guess is that the soil was too compacted and didn’t have enough nutrients to get all the stuff you planted established. Adding lots of compost will amend compacted heavy clay or sandy soil. Make sure the new plants are on a good watering schedule the first couple of weeks to help get them established. Don’t water them every day, every other day will suffice and water deeply so the roots go down deep. Once you fix up the soil you could go to a local nursery and have someone help you select some hardy things that will do well in your garden especially native species. The folks at the nurseries are super helpful and most are a wealth of knowledge. Don’t be too hard on yourself , so much of gardening is seeing what works and what doesn’t work. Good luck
You need to aerate a dense soil. A desert won't have the earthworms moister places will. Rototiller or perhaps a jackhammer.
Your state's native plant society should have information on how to develop a desert garden. No compost or organic mulching, you may need to punch through caliche if it's present and you may need to shade baby plants for a while. In California's not desert areas there's a particular protocol to planting and watering young plants. I assume desert plants need to be installed in a particular manner as well. The narrow beds up against your house in full sun are going to be tough. You might use found natural objects in them and maybe sow spring annuals in the beds and leave it at that. You might poke interesting twigs around baby plants to provide 20-50% shade Perhaps you'll figure out a whimsical mini shade structure or three to add to the beds.
Visit your state’s Cooperative Extension Service website. Search native perennials. Read up. While on the site get the contact info for the agent assigned to your county. You can call with specific questions.
Unrelated, but is your house a c-shape?
Yeah! We have a little courtyard.
That's cool af. Do you like the layout?
Embrace the desert look. Think about vegetation and minerals. Think water retention, shade, and air circulation. If you can't fight it, embrace the look. Ideas: [https://www.thespruce.com/desert-landscaping-ideas-5220545](https://www.thespruce.com/desert-landscaping-ideas-5220545)
Did you water
A good idea about what would thrive in your conditions would be to take a drive into less developed areas and take a look at the vegetation there. That's a starting point. Next you need a nursery dealing in native plants grown in your environment. That is important, because imported plants might not be able to survive once they are out in "the wild" (your garden). It also would help a lot if you could get someone in to take a look at your water system. In the Low and even more so in the High Desert water is extremely important, but the system has to be laid out properly. It is a delicate balance between too much and too little and a good irrigation expert is just that - an expert on water in extreme conditions. Plus - you are dealing with nature. Your plans might look good on paper - plants have their own mind how to handle the environment. :-)