Shrubs

Underutilized solid shrubs. A Sonoran native plant with velvety soft gray-green leaves. Orange to yellow flowers spring to summer. Medium to large sized shrubs for low water use landscapes. Best maintained in a shearing-free landscape. They have a moderate to fast growth habit and require minimal maintenance and water, especially once they have become established. Do give these plants room to grow and spread since shearing them to fit a space will ruin their overall form and character.

Tough, blue blooming non-hibiscus. These Australian native drought tolerant large shrubs are not related to hibiscus, the flowers happen to look similar. We grow these on stakes to give you a head start on growing them into a beautiful espalier. Morning sun is the best exposure in low deserts.

Quintessential Sonoran Desert shrub. Its small, rough leaves are grey-green to white looking. These Sonoran native plants are tough and extremely heat and drought tolerant as you would expect, however, they also adapt to and perform well on supplemental irrigation. Which landscapers and designers should be aware of, as they typically grow much larger with more lush foliage when provided with more water. This can lead them to become shorter-lived. Once they are established, offering less but strategic irrigation, especially during the hottest summer months, works best to have the healthiest, best looking plants for the longest.

Blooming hummingbird delights! Orange tubular to red colored flowers appear in summer and last until fall. Adaptable, drought tolerant once established. Plants are fast growing with bright green leaves on woody upright stems. These heat loving plants offer more lush appearance than other SW native shrubs. They can grow 4 to 5 ft. high and wide, but are easily kept shorter if needed. They will adapt to mesic or desert landscapes equally well. They blend well with Yucca species, Agaves, misc. cacti and other native accent plants like ocotillos. Or pair them with other gray leafed shrubs, groundcovers or with mixed desert perennials.

Graceful, ornamental foliage. A billowy, bright green mound with long arching stems covered with tiny leaflets. Often grown as durable and adaptable houseplants in colder climates, these plants are tougher than they appear. Put them in pots or planters in dappled sunlight. They form dense roots with bulbous water-storing roots, which allow them to become quite drought tolerant when mature, but regular supplemental water is appreciated to get them established. Maintenance is essentially removing lower, older stems as the plant grows. The foliage is tender to frosts, but plant roots can survive more cold.

Upright summer color. An erect growing variety needing no support. Without shearing, each stem forms a dense conical upright shape with dark magenta bracts held tight within the upper section of each branch giving its namesake “torch” appearance. When sheared, plants form a dense amalgamated form. If pruned often they will display less color. Like other Bougainvillea they are tolerant of high heat and periods of drought, although regular spring and summer watering allows for better blooming. These plants do well as foundational shrubs, accent color or grown in large pots for patios or focal points.

‘Royal Purple’ forms iridescent purple bracts. Hardy and vigorous but performs best with some late afternoon shade in low deserts. A bit of extra iron applied annually in alkaline soils helps prevent chlorosis. Available in bush form, staked or as espalier. Most Bougainvillea grow into tall and wide thorny, woody vines. Support is needed initially, but with strong, vigorous growth, plants mature quickly to stand alone displaying brilliantly colored bracts. The roots of all Bougainvillea sp. are sensitive to disturbance. Care and gentle handling during planting are needed to avoid stress and transplant shock.

Evergreen shrubby showy vines. ‘Barbara Karst’ (a.k.a. BK) sets the standard with long-lasting bright magenta to red colored bracts. ‘BK’ is fast growing and virtually indestructible requiring minimal care. Available in bush form and staked. Most Bougainvillea grow into tall and wide thorny, woody vines. Support is needed initially, but with strong, vigorous growth, plants mature quickly to stand alone displaying brilliantly colored bracts. The roots of all Bougainvillea sp. are sensitive to disturbance. Care and gentle handling during planting are needed to avoid stress and transplant shock.

Wooly, tough & pollinator attractive. All Buddleja sp. are known to be butterfly attractive plants when in bloom, and this SW native one is no exception. Adaptable to low and mid-desert regions it forms a dense bush with silver pubescent foliage. The orange ball-shaped flowers appear from spring through summer. The best pruning practices are to thin plants after blooming and avoid shearing. In well-drained soil with regular, moderate watering through establishment, wooly butterfly bush will become quite drought tolerant.