United Arab Emirates, is a federal monarch country that consists of seven emirates namely, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. The country is situated in the Middle East region sharing borders with countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The discovery of the oil in the 19th and early 20th centuries led to the rapid development of the region transforming the vast desert areas into the country of skyscrapers, iconic towers and buildings.
The United Arab Emirates has a subtropical arid climate that has scorching summers and warm winters. The average maximum temperature in the region can go up to 45o C during the months of July and August whereas, the average minimum temperature in the months of January and February ranges between 10 to 14o C. Due to the hot climate, scarcity of water and presence of sandy soil, only selected amount of flora flourishes in this region.
If you are thinking about creating a garden for your home in UAE, you can think about these plants for a visually appealing backyard in your home.
Flame Tree- Officially known as Delonix regia, this flame tree is a perfect addition to your garden in UAE. The plant comes with fiery red, orange or yellow flowers and is a native of Madagascar. It is usually found in the tropical or near-tropical climates and grows well in open, low retaining sandy or loamy soil which are added with different types of organic matter. The tree can achieve a height of 12 metres and spreads widely giving perfect shade to the people sitting in your garden.
Frangipani (Plumeria)- Plumeria or frangipani is the ideal addition to your UAE gardens. The plant consists of dark green leaves with soft white and yellow flowers making it an undisputable part of your garden. The flowers have a sweet and heady fragrance and can be grown easily due to its better climate adaptability. It can withstand direct sunlight, severe drought and flourishes well in the poor soil quality. Plumeria grows as a small tree or shrub and reproduces through stem cutting or aseptically germinated seeds.
Tropical Hibiscus- Also, known as the China rose, this flowering plant thrives well in the sandy regions when provided with the regular dose of soil nutrients. Hibiscus grows as a shrub or as a container plant which requires pruning of its roots at a regular interval of every 3 year. The plant is susceptible to the attack of pests like spider mites, thrips, mealy bugs and other such insects. If you want more details about different summer flowers, take the help of this blog- Top 30 summer flowering plants for pots.
Date Palm- The scientific name of this plant is Phoenix dactylifera which is considered as an important part of the Bedouin life. It gives the fruit of dates which is one of the constituent of the dry fruits. This Date Palm can grow much taller in height which can be as high as 23 metres and consists of the leaf span of four to six metres. The plant can either grow individually or can also form a cluster with the help of several stems that are arising out of a single root system.
Bougainvillaea- It is one of the most popular plant of UAE and comes with bright multi-coloured hues for your beautiful garden. Bougainvillaea belongs to the South American region and is part of the genus family of thorny ornamental vines, bushes and trees. It can grow up to a height of one to twelve metres and is utilized as an ornamental plant in warm climate areas. The plant has low water requirements and grows well in dry soil with adequate sunlight making it a perfect constituent of any UAE garden. Therefore, it makes for one of the best outdoor plants.
Yellow trumpet flower- Also scientifically known as Tecoma stans is a native of the America and is the official flower of US Virgin Islands. It can easily grow along the landscapes such as roadsides by facing the harsh weather conditions like bright sunny days, less water, salt presence and such others. The foliage of the plant is bright green in colour and is formed by five tooth-edged fingers. It can attain a height of up to five metres.
Mother’s tongue- Scientifically known as Albizia lebbeck, this flowering plant is a native of the Indomalaya, New Guinea and northern Australia. The bipinnate leaves of the flower are dense and dark green in colour whereas the flowers are round and fluffy with pale yellow appearance. Mother’s tongue can grow abundantly in UAE due to its salt tolerance, drought resistance and other such characteristics.
Damas Tree- Damas tree or the Conocarpus lancifolius is resistant to heat, drought and salt which helps in its proper growth in UAE. It is a native plant of coastal and riverine areas such as Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen but grows well in the areas of Horn of Africa and South Asia. The plant has got much importance in the UAE due to its ability of cleaning oil contaminated soils which has made it so much useful in soil stabilization and reforestation programs.
Along with the above plants, you can also plant a variety of other plants in the UAE for creating a beautiful and visually appealing garden. Some of the flowers that can flourish well in UAE climates are Desert Hyacinth, Red Thumb, Oleander, Rose of Sharon, Spider Lily, Desert Rose and such others. Do consider all these plants in order to have a spectacular garden of your choice in UAE.
