ASLA - American Society of Landscape Architects

11/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/10/2026 10:55

Ask the Expert: What Landscape Architects Need to Know About Low Water Use Plants

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Ask the Expert: What Landscape Architects Need to Know About Low Water Use Plants

What landscape architects need to know about low water use plants, from Jane Beggs-Joles of Proven Winners® ColorChoice®.

If you've ever pulled together a planting plan heavy on drought-tolerant species and thought you were covered, Jane Beggs-Joles has some things she'd like you to know.

In the latest episode of Ask the Expert, Beggs-Joles, who has spent her career on the nursery side of the industry at Proven Winners® ColorChoice®, sat down with ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen for an honest, practical conversation about low water use plants. It's the kind of talk that doesn't happen enough between the people who specify plants and the people who grow them.

ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen sits down with Jane Beggs-Joles of Proven Winners to discuss what landscape architects need to know about low water use plants, how Proven Winners is developing plants suited to tomorrow's challenges, and how to bridge the gap between what designers specify and what's available.

Her starting point might surprise you. Low water use doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. In Arizona, it's the baseline for everything you do. In Ohio, drought might only show up as a problem every few years, and your plants are just as likely to be stressed by a brutal winter or a summer heat wave. Beggs-Joles says designers need to think about where they are, not just what's on the tag.

She also zeroes in on a word that shows up constantly in plant descriptions but gets glossed over: "established." Drought tolerant when established is not the same as drought tolerant on day one. A new installation needs water. Period. Even if the long-term plan calls for zero supplemental irrigation, that first year matters, and skipping it can undo everything.

Her starting point might surprise you. Low water use doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. In Arizona, it's the baseline for everything you do. In Ohio, drought might only show up as a problem every few years, and your plants are just as likely to be stressed by a brutal winter or a summer heat wave. Beggs-Joles says designers need to think about where they are, not just what's on the tag.

She also zeroes in on a word that shows up constantly in plant descriptions but gets glossed over: "established." Drought tolerant when established is not the same as drought tolerant on day one. A new installation needs water. Period. Even if the long-term plan calls for zero supplemental irrigation, that first year matters, and skipping it can undo everything.

From there, the conversation shifts to what Proven Winners® ColorChoice® is working on. They're looking at naturally tough genera like Aronia and breeding for compact size, which is good news for anyone designing on tight urban sites where every plant must earn its square footage. Beggs-Joles lights up when she talks about packing more ornamental value into a smaller footprint. You can tell this is the work she loves.

But the part that might stick with you longest is her advice about growers. She's blunt about it: nurseries and designers don't talk to each other enough. Growers are making bets on what to produce, and if nobody tells them what they want, it doesn't get grown. Then everyone's frustrated. Her fix is simple. Pick up the phone, visit a nursery trade show, build a relationship with your suppliers. "Nursery people are not that scary," she says. "We might talk your ear off about plants."

"Nursery people are not that scary."

- Jane Beggs-Joles, Proven Winners® ColorChoice®

Fair warning. It's worth it.

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ASLA - American Society of Landscape Architects published this content on November 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on November 10, 2026 at 16:55 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]