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Constructed landscapes are the default ecosystem for most urban residents of the American Southwest and provide welcome environmental and aesthetic benefits.�� However, such landscaping is increasingly viewed as unsustainable due to its demand for water and other resources.� Efforts to increase sustainability range from artificial to completely natural landscapes that address reduced resource use, but often fail to recognize the quality of life provided by traditional landscaping and its importance in the urban environment. Woody plant development for horticultural crop production has historically focused on the selection and use of superior, asexually propagated clones.� While the use of such cultivars leads to monocultures and the problems of decreased genetic diversity, the advantages of characteristics such as fruit quality and uniform harvest dates in a managed environment far outweigh the potential disadvantages.� The benefits of woody plant cultivars also extend to landscaping and are seen in the use of plants with superior traits that also meet the demands of landscape architects and homeowners for a product that is consistently both true-to-name and true-to-type.�The need for sustainable urban landscaping is driving a demand for the use of adapted, native plants.� When used appropriately, native woody plants offer a sustainable alternative to less adapted exotic plants in the constructed landscape.� However, being native is not enough.� Such plants should also be selected for superior landscape characteristics such as fall color and/or disease resistance; identified as named cultivars; and propagated clonally.� �The combination of both native adaptation and superior horticultural traits holds the greatest promise for the use of native plants to increase the sustainability of our landscapes.� In turn, such landscapes will further enable conservation of resources while maintaining quality of life.