Phylogenetic diversity enhances ecosystem functioning but restoration ecology has not taken advantage of this knowledge. We propose plant facilitation as a mechanism to promote phylogenetic diversity in restoration practices. We planted three functionally different species (Gypsophila struthium, Sedum album, and Limonium sucronicum) in a degraded gypsum ecosystem in Spain and found that after 7 years, the species with nurse traits (G. struthium) survived longer and facilitated the establishment of new species forming phylogenetically diverse neighborhoods. These facilitation-driven phylodiverse communities may potentially produce a cascade of benefits on ecosystem functioning. ; This work was supported by the BBVA Foundation (project Mintegra; I Convocatoria de ayudas de la fundación BBVA a proyectos de investigación) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (CGL2014-58333-P). M.G. acknowledges support by the Programa Ramón y Cajal (Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad). Plant production, plantation, and monitoring were partially co-funded by European Union's Interreg IIIC-Medocc project “Semclimed” and the EAFRD Operative Programme 2006–2013 for the Valencian Community. ; Peer Reviewed