Hi Carla,
Same latitude but different elevation, here in Prescott. Low humidity, low rain, bright sun; but maybe 20F cooler. Hope this helps:
Here's a list of plants I'd consider growing if I were at a lower elevation. Not sure which of these would work.
1) Oleander - if you get the right cultivar it's fragrant. Also resistant to furry creatures. Endures hot weather and some drought, though not so much as agaves. (see logees.com)
2) Agaves - (see Annies Annuals and Perennials)
3) Bougainvilla (Logees) I've seen some planted by the highway.
4) Agastaches and Penstemons are native to western dry climates they are also hardy to zone 5 or 6 (High Country Gardens)
5) California poppies (Wildseed Farms), also cold hardy.
--
Here in Prescott, I have iris, roses, daylilies, yucca, agastache, penstemon, wildflowers, and some herbs. Roses can tolerate a good bit of drought once established. Rosemary is remarkably unphased by drought, IME. Ditto oregano. I grow some lavender, but it does need both good drainage in the winter and ample water to get established. I find that I like artemesias better. There are alliums that go dormant over the heat of the summer that might work. The prickly pear cactus is hardy here and does well in light soil. There's a purple-tinged prickly pear that I find stunning, but have only ever seen in warmer places.
The catmint Nepeta Walker's Lowe grows well here, needing water to establish, but none later. Salvias May Night and Caradonna do well, needing only a little supplemental water. The roots of knifophia are fleshy like daylilies and they evolved in dryish conditions, probably a good bet. Yarrows vary. There's a white that self-sows like a weed here, and a purple from Annies Annuals that I cannot establish. The yellow Moonlight yarrow does well and looks good with gray foliage. Some of these might be good bets.
Curiously, it's just about too cold in my location to grow tomatoes, trying cultivars bred for mountain climates this year.
