Shrubs

Bright yellow blooms above aromatic leaves. These semi-evergreen subshrubs form mounds of woody stems with short dark green needle-like leaves that emit a strong but pleasant herbily scent when crushed.  Spring temperatures bring masses of bright yellow star-shaped blooms that cover the entire mass of plants. Damianita are tough little shrubs that are as happy in a mixed perennial bed as they are living on dry, rocky slopes. Moderate to low water use, maintenance is limited to periodic thinning, or light shearing to keep plants flushed with bright new foliage.

Soft silvery mounds with bright white blooms. These mounding subshrubs are tougher than they look. They form domes of silvery, pubescent gray-green long leaves to only 1-2 ft. high, but they will spread in width to a sizeable space, making proper placement and sitting critical in landscapes. In spring, masses of pink buds open to white morning glory-like flowers covering the entire plant. These plants resent shearing or heavy-handed pruning, which means giving them ample room to fill out fully is important to their long-term success. These are Mediterranean plants, which translates into giving them little to no supplemental water during cooler months of the year. Cold temperatures and wet soils can combine to cause root rot issues that most do not recover from. Pruning in winter is also ill-advised. Savvy growers recognize Mediterranean plants require excellent drainage to be healthy and happy.

Big white blooming shrubs for large landscapes. This large semi-evergreen shrub grows in wild habitats on rocky plains, alluvial flats, and mixed scrub in northern Mexico. This makes it a perfect choice for our low desert landscapes. While they have good drought tolerance and can exist with very little water once established, regular supplemental irrigation helps them bloom better and longer. Gray-green 1 in. round to oval ruffled leaves sparsely cover highly angled branches with dark brown color. White crepe paper-like blooms are borne in clusters, held high above stems and foliage making them a beacon in any landscape when in bloom, which occurs in spring and again in late summer as a response to monsoon conditions. If there is one desert landscape plant to NEVER shear, we think it is Cordia parvifolia. While they will accommodate shearing, doing so will completely ruin their unique individual angular, open character and if done too frequently, shearing can remove bud wood which prevents flowering. Landscape architects and designers should only consider using this plant if there is space on the project to do so. Like other desert shrubs, they are somewhat slow to develop and reach maturity, depending on cultural variables, however their mature size is no exaggeration. With careful and thoughtful annual pruning they can be kept at a slightly smaller size, but too often we find them planted in spaces too small to allow their attractive size and form.

Bold purple blooms on a tough tidy shrub. Like other Dalea sp., they require well-draining soils, but these medium sized plants can shrug off low desert heat and tolerate cold, dry winter locations in high deserts. Late summer to fall brings masses of amethyst purple pea-like blooms to these naturally rounded growing shrubs. When planted where they can fill out naturally, they require little to no maintenance. These green herbaceous looking shrubs pair well with other bold accents, gray-green shrubs, groundcovers or mixed flowering perennials.

Silver foliage, purple flowering subshrub. As a young container plant they may be cute, or diminutive looking, but they grow at a steady, moderate rate to become durable, resilient landscape behemoths. When first introduced, these Daleas were unknowingly represented by nurseries as small, manageable groundcovers. However, given optimal conditions and care, Dalea greggii can grow to be 10 ft. across and 3-4 ft. tall, which is way out of size for most urban, postage-stamp sized landscapes. While some pruning can help control their size, landscapers should recognize that more pruning leads to more woody, misshapen plants with little to no flowers. The moral of this story is, please embrace this subshrub for its attractive silvery foliage, lavender blooms, and tough, tenacious nature, but respect its growth potential and give it ample space to be happy. Like all Dalea sp. they require well-drained soil. Initial supplemental watering is necessary to get them established, but growth on mature plants can be slowed by reducing the amount of water they receive. Utilize annual, selective thinning in early spring to help control their shape and size when necessary.

Large, graceful green grass-like accent plants. Mexican grass tree is a good description, although it can take decades for it to grow into an arborescent form, they are long-lived and will eventually, similar to how Sago Palms behave. They are slow growing, non-clumping, rosette forming succulent-like plant. Long, stiff arching green quadrangle-shaped leaves grow to a length of about 3-5 ft. in length (shorter when young) and only about 1/4 in. thick. As with other Dasylirion sp., planting in full sun is best, but in low desert heat they can tolerate dappled sunlight or part shade as long as they have good draining soil. Mature plants can eventually produce a stalk with plume-like creamy flowers, but they take several years to reach maturity.

Handsome round-forming tough accent plants. These true southwestern native succulent-looking, evergreen silvery gray accent plants are more common and more adaptable than many Agave sp. They are tolerant of heat and cold, occurring naturally from about 2500 ft. up to 6000 ft. They are also tolerant to and accept more frequent waterings, especially when young and during the hottest months of summer. They are equally effective in mass plantings as they are when used as solitary specimens. Plants can thrive for years in large containers too. Like other Dasylirions, they will eventually produce tall stalks with fluffy flowers from the top to about 1/3 of the way down. Large specimens can form multiple heads that can produce multiple stalks.

Bright green large shrubs with ornate seeds. These are large, evergreen shrubs to small trees for low to mid-desert landscapes. Here in the Sonoran they occur naturally in narrow upland zones from about 2000 ft. to about 4500 ft., but despite this narrow distribution, these plants are quite at home in low desert urban landscapes. Extra supplemental irrigation when young and during summer months will keep them looking lush and happy. They grow moderately fast and can easily be trained into small, multi-trunk tree form. Like any evergreen, desert shrub, the more water they get the faster they grow, but this can come at a risk of a weak root system. Longer, deep soaks, especially during summer, are most beneficial. Their insignificant waxy yellow-green flowers open in spring and are followed by clusters of delicate-looking papery, winged seeds that are often tinged with red, giving them a unique ornamental appearance.

Strings of purple flowers against bright green leaves. Duranta are subtropical to tropical flowering large growing woody shrubs. With care and time, they may be pruned into small upright, multi-trunked trees. They can tolerate full sun in low deserts but require more water to maintain a healthy, lush appearance. They look their best in the afternoon shade. The branches end in many connected long racemes of purple to blue flowers. They bloom heaviest in spring but can produce blooms in flushes through the year. Blooms are followed by strings of golden yellow balled seeds responsible for their other common name Golden Dew Drops, which are just as ornamental than the flowers. Maintaining them at a smaller size is done easily by annual selective pruning directly after flowering. Our Purple Sky Flower are offered in bush form as well as staked.