Feeling melancholy as you sweep up the spent yellow petals of your Palo Verdes? I understand why: when the “month of monochrome yellow” is behind us, the baking summer is upon us, and most plants (and people!) sober up to prepare. Don’t despair yet, though—late spring wildflowers still surround Saguaros wreathed like brides with white blooms. And, now is the …
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Something Blue Azure Bush Germander (Teucrium fruticans ‘Azureum’) is a unique blue flowering perennial that thrives in full sun & drought tolerant Arizona gardens. With striking silvery sage foliage and cooling blue purple blooms that cover the bush in Winter extending into Spring, it’s sure to bring pollinators and brighten up your garden at a time of year when most …
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Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua), both drought tolerant and beautiful, brings a unique “cottage-garden” feel to the desert plant palette along with some surprises. In spring a flush of colorful flowers are produced that will cause people to stop in their tracks. After that, globe mallow will bloom off and on throughout the summer and fall. This shrubby, perennial is native …
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Aloes are striking succulents from southern and eastern Africa that offer some of the best color for Arizona gardens with their impressive and long-lasting show of flowers during the winter and early spring. Aloes have numerous forms ranging from low groundcovers to treelike species. Small clustering forms work well in containers and the tree forms work well as accents or …
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Texas Mountain Laurel Note this plant was recently reclassified to Dermatophyllum secundiflorum, but is often still sold as Sophora secundiflora. Description This evergreen shrub grows slowly, in time becoming treelike with multiple trunks. A typical mature size is 15 feet high and 10 feet wide. Glossy dark leaves up to 5 inches long are divided into seven to nine 1-inch …
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Succulents can steal the show in a drought-tolerant landscape. Their structural and exotic shapes add whimsy and originality to a desert yard. With a little knowledge, succulents are as easy to maintain as any other drought-tolerant plant. Here’s the secret: Succulents encompass a wide variety of plants. While there are general succulent-care guidelines, it is important to understand how each …
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It’s no surprise that the biggest challenge to growing plants in our region is the intense heat and dryness of summer, which is a stressful environment for plants. Thankfully, there are several plants that thrive in a hot, dry climate. Here are a few of Southwest Gardening’s Noelle Johnson’s favorite plants that can take the Southwest heat. 1. Bush Lantana (Lantana …
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How would you like to be greeted in the morning by the delicious, rich smell of chocolate from your garden? If that sounds AMAZING, Berlandiera lyrata, or “Chocolate Flower” is the plant for you! When the plant is in full flower, it gives off a distinctive chocolate scent. Yum! This low-growing perennial has coarse, evergreen foliage, with yellow daisy-like flowers …
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A different kind of flower this Valentine’s season. With long, colorful, tubular flowers, justicias are a hummingbird’s delight. Flower colors range from yellow to deep red. Justicias’ green foliage contrasts well with gray desert plants. Native to tropical and subtropical regions, they can be used in many types of landscapes. These semi-evergreen shrubs bloom throughout the year, inviting hummingbirds into …
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Add a little drama to your winter landscape with a Pencil Milkbush, Euphorbia mauritanica! This succulent is drought tolerant, perfect for your desert landscape and adds a pop of color when it blooms. We love Euphorbias in the winter! The Pencil Milkbush (sometimes called Pencil Cactus) is known for its pencil-sized stems and little yellow flowers that bloom during our …
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He’s making a list, checking it twice, gonna find out who’s naughty or water-wise! We have composed a list of naughty and water-wise flowers, shrubs, vines, and trees to help you plan out your Xeriscape garden. It’s not too late to get on the nice list this year by replacing your high water-use plants with low water-use plants. These selections …
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SIX QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED ABOUT SAGUAROS Nothing says you’re in Arizona better than those silhouettes of saguaros set against a red sky at sunset. After all, the National Park Service says, saguaros mostly grow in the Sonoran Desert. That means that almost all the wild ones grow in Arizona and some smaller areas of Mexico and California. Often on “Rosie …
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