The Saguaro cactus, Carnegiea gigantea, is the most famous and characteristic plant of the Sonoran desert. This gigantic, tree-like cactus is an Arizona icon! Description The main trunk of a mature Saguaro may be 40 feet high and 2 feet in diameter. A woody inner skeleton provides the strength to support ten arms or more. Although the age of a Saguaro …
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All about Arbor Day April 27 is designated as National Arbor Day, a holiday set aside to celebrate the significant role trees play in our lives and our environment. It is also a day to promote the planting and care of trees. The founder, J. Sterling Morton, had the idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting. As …
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Yellow Bells provide a burst of summer color to desert xeriscape gardens. Spectacular clusters of bright yellow, bell-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds and cover these large shrubs or small trees from April through November. Pencil-like seed pods that develop in the fall provide food for over-wintering songbirds. The bright green foliage offers a cooling effect during the hot summer months. Yellow Bells …
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Acacias include a diverse group of arid region landscape plants ranging from trees to shrubs to groundcovers. Acacias offer shade, screening, and spectacular flower shows for your landscape, depending upon the plant selected. They are primarily full sun plants and tolerate a variety of soil conditions. Tree acacias require infrequent, yet periodic deep watering to develop a healthy root system. …
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Add Winter Interest to Southwest Gardens with Euphorbias The unique shapes and colors of euphorbias add a touch of drama to drought-tolerant landscapes. There are hundreds of species of this genus of plants, most that resemble something out of a Dr. Seuss book. These are succulents that do well with little attention and do well when planted in the ground …
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Description The gray leaves of Desert lavender, Hyptis emoryi, are covered with fine hairs and are soft to the touch. A pleasant lavender scent is released following rains or if you brush against the foliage. Individual leaves are 1-inch-long by ¾ inch wide, broader at the base than the tip. The edges have rounded teeth. The branches grow upright to …
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Description Desert Milkweed, Asclepias subulata, has slender gray-green stems that grow vertically to 4 feet from a woody base. The plant’s spread can reach 2 feet or more. Leaves 2 inches long by 1/8-inch-wide appear on new growth but soon drop. The white milky sap that oozes from cut stems contains rubber. From spring through fall, flat-topped clusters of pale …
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Creosote Bush, Larrea tridentata is the perfect plant for us to feature during these hot summer months. It’s one of the toughest plants you’ll find, and with a little extra water, they are green and attractive in the landscape! Description – What does the Creosote Bush look like? Whenever it rains in the desert, Creosote Bush lends a distinctive fragrance …
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Lovely, white blossoms of not one, but two different types of cordia, add welcome beauty to the arid landscape throughout the warm season, including summer. Cordias are large shrubs that are underused in the garden and deserve more attention due to their ability to thrive in full sun and shrug off the summer heat. Their evergreen foliage looks great all …
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I love springtime in the desert when it comes alive in shades of yellow, orange and pink. Last week, while I was driving through a residential area nestled in the desert mountains, I could hardly keep my eyes on the road. Everywhere I turned, there were brightly colored cactus blooming. It’s a small miracle that I didn’t crash into the …
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FIRST, A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES Before we start talking about these beautiful groundcovers, we want to briefly discuss plant names with you. The botanical name given to plants is often referred to as the “scientific name” or “Latin name.” Each plant has a name made up of two parts, a generic (or genus) name and a specific epithet …
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Occasionally in the plant world, a new introduction comes along that gets everyone excited. In this case, not one, but three different, drought-tolerant shrubs have recently become quite popular with homeowners and landscape professionals. All of these shrubs belong to the Eremophila family and the reasons for their popularity range from the fact that they each have attractive, evergreen foliage, …
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