Dwarf Heavenly Bamboo – Nandina domestica ‘Compacta’
Height: 4 – 5 feet Width: 2 – 3 feet Bloom color: White Flowering season: Summer USDA minimum zone: 6 Cold hardiness: 0° F
Dwarf Myrtle – Myrtus communis ‘Compacta’
This hardy evergreen shrub is a smaller version of the True Myrtle that has been highly valued by many cultures and cultivated for centuries. It takes very well to heavy shearing, and is often used to create a clipped hedge or topiary. If left unclipped, it develops into a dense, rounded shrub that is useful…
Desert Willow – Chilopsis linearis
The Desert Willow can be grown as a small tree or a large shrub. This tree is astonishingly cold hardy to ten below zero as well as heat tolerant. You will be hard-pressed to find a tree that blooms as often and as long as this one; pink, burgundy, or white flowers entice hummingbirds and…
Desert Wolfberry – Lycium andersonii
Height: 5 – 6 feet Width: 5 – 6 feet Bloom color: Lavender Purple Flowering season: Spring USDA minimum zone: 7 Cold hardiness: 10° F
Desert Hackberry – Celtis pallida
A must-have for any birdwatcher’s garden! Birds fancy Desert Hackberry for its tiny, edible red berries that are a major source of food in fall, for the dense foliage that extends much-needed shelter from summer heat, and for the multitudes of thorny branches that provide a safe place to build homes. Several species of butterfly…
Desert Honeysuckle – Anisacanthus thurberi
The intense orange to red tubular flowers of the Desert Honeysuckle are a surefire way to keep the hummingbirds and butterflies returning to your garden. Though flower production is heaviest in spring, this thornless native will continue blooming through fall if given plenty of sun and a few summer irrigations. Desert Honeysuckle thrives in sunny…
Desert Lavender – Hyptis emoryi
If you’ve ever smelled the unmistakable perfume of lavender while hiking through Sabino Canyon, this desert native was probably to blame! Desert Lavender’s silvery foliage releases the namesake scent when something brushes against it, and when rainfall wets the leaves. This semi-evergreen shrub’s brilliant, silver sheen comes from the soft, wooly, water-conserving fuzz that covers…
Desert Senna – Senna nemophila
Desert Senna is much like the other Australian Sennas in form and stature, but is much greener than other varieties, and while thriving in high reflected heat, it also tolerates much colder temperatures. Clusters of golden yellow blooms cover these plants from late winter through spring, creating a lively blast of color against the deep-green,…
Creosote Bush – Larrea tridentata
Desert dwellers know this plant for the characteristic aroma it gives off when it rains. A true champion of the arid southwest, Creosote Bush thrives in full sun or reflected heat with little to no supplemental irrigation, and will tolerate temperatures as low as 5oF! With its distinctive twisting branches and open, airy growth habit,…