Shrubs

This erect, shrubby perennial grows three feet tall and wide with needle-like, grayish-green foliage that is covered in fine hairs. From March through October, it produces showy, white flower clusters with pinkish-burgundy buds. Threadleaf milkweed is a spectacular plant when it is in bloom and its flowers last for a long time. After flowering, decorative seed capsules appear that are shaped like teardrops and are about two inches long. Use for its exotic character with other showy perennial plants and to attract the monarch and queen butterflies. Also use in patios, around pools, and near water features. It looks nice planted along foundations and low walls with its interesting growth habit and foliage. This plant is native to rocky slopes and canyons from southern Arizona into California and the Mexican Sonoran Desert at elevations of 1,500 to 6,000 feet.

The lush, herbaceous evergreen grows six feet tall and three feet wide with deep green, deeply lobed, shiny leaves, a clumping growth form, and underground rhizomes that spread as the plant matures. Stunning flower spikes reaching three feet tall are white with purple and can be used in fresh or dried flower arrangements. The dramatic blooms last for a very long time, but the plant does not produce flowers every year. In the Southwest desert, bears breech becomes dormant in summer after it blooms and the leaves die to the ground. It leafs out again in the cooler weather. It is slow-growing when young and grows quickly when established. Use for bold accents in atriums, entryways, shady courtyards, and planters to provide a lush addition with its bold, tropical appearance. It can also be used as an understory plant for woodsy effects in shady corners. The plant is native to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. It is a common plant in Mediterranean regions, particularly in Greece, where it is adored for its blooms.

This low-growing evergreen has feathery, upright, bright green, needle-like stems and trailing branches. It is not a true fern but has fern-like foliage and a dense growth habit, growing two to three feet tall and three to four feet wide. It has a tall, fluffy frond-like appearance. In the summer, it produces small, white blossoms followed by bright red berries. The flowers and berries do not appear every year and the berries can be toxic if eaten.  Use the foxtail fern as a groundcover, container plant, sculptural foundation, and border or courtyard plant in tropical settings or around pools and borders. Mix into beds with perennials and other lush plants. It is a native to South Africa, where it grows naturally along coastal areas of the southeastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, most commonly in open areas, in rocky soils, and along coastal dunes.

Known for its ability to attract butterflies, the Woolly Butterfly Bush(Buddleia marrubiifolia) grows well in southern and central Arizona. Native to the Chihuahuan desert, it is very tolerant of heat, intense sunlight and drought. It grows to 5 feet tall with an equal or greater spread. Its grayish green leaves are elliptical and covered with fine white hairs giving this plant a soft, fuzzy look. From March to August the woolly butterfly bush blooms small, bright orange colored flowers. These intricate, globe-shaped flowers are no more than half an inch in diameter, yet they are extremely attractive to butterflies which find them a rich source of nectar. People who like formal landscapes might be frustrated by this plant’s informal growth habit and its inability to conform to a prescribed geometrical shape. Use it in xeric landscapes, in butterfly gardens, or around pools and other water features for its interesting color and open, airy appearance. Woolly butterfly bush can also be planted in groups as an informal hedge.

Yellow bird of paradise is an upright, fast growing shrub originating from Argentina and Uruguay. Clusters of bright yellow flowers with long red stamens are produced in the summer. Its natural growth habit is irregular and open, but pruning will encourage dense growth. This long-lived and durable shrub is quite tolerant of cold, heat and drought, and performs best in full sun exposures. Grows to 10 feet tall by 8 feet wide. All parts of the yellow bird of paradise shrub are toxic and should never be injested.

Mexican Bird of Paradise is native to Northern Mexico. Its lush, ferny compound leaves provide a dark green backdrop for the bright yellow flower spikes that appear on the branch tips during the warm season. These flowers are followed by woody pods, which “explode” as they mature, adding a little bit of natural music the outdoor environment. This plant grows fairly rapidly 10-15 feet tall and spreads to 15 feet wide. The Mexican bird of paradise can be grown as a small tree or pruned to keep it a shrub.

The Red Bird of Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) has long been a favorite summer blooming plant in Tucson, Arizona. It celebrates the warm season with a dazzling display of orange-red flowers. This shrub grows fast to 8 feet tall with an equal or greater spread. In regions that are totally frost free, it can grow up to 10 feet tall. Its medium green, compound leaves contain up to nine sections, each of which has up to twelve pairs of small leaflets. Although it is cold hardy to 28º F, Red bird of paradise will shed its leaves at temperatures below freezing. In the spring, red racemes (flower stalks) grow up to 20 inches long. The racemes grow in a triangular, pyramid-like shape on which individual flowers bloom from March to October. The flowers are a brilliant mix of orange to red colored clusters with long stamens. Some varieties have yellow or orange tips on the flower petals or pure yellow flowers. Red bird of paradise makes an excellent accent shrub that is incredibly heat tolerant.

Baja Fairy Duster is a medium sized shrub that grows to 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. Medium green, twice divided leaves are one inch long and give this native of Baja California its tropical appearance. Scarlet red to red-orange, tufted flowers appear nearly year-round. Flowering is most prevalent from November to March with intermittent blooming during the summer. The long red stamens of these flowers resemble the tufted head of a dusting brush. It strongly attracts hummingbirds which are very territorial about this plant. Baja Fairy Duster makes a beautiful addition to any xeric landscape where year-round color and low maintenance are desired.

Green Feathery cassia is an evergreen shrub that grows four to six feet tall and wide. The shape is rounded and dense. It has leaves that are narrowly pinnate, forming feathery sprays of silvery foliage. Its showy yellow flowers appear at branch tips from late winter through early summer. A very tough plant, this shrub will survive under desert conditions or near the coast. It will even tolerate clay soils if kept dry during the summer. Green Feathery cassia attracts bees. Also known asSenna artemisioides filifolia or Green Feathery Senna.

Hop Bush (also known as Hopseed Bush) is a drought-tolerant shrub with an upright, branching form. It reaches a height of 12 feet with a 10 foot spread. Its willow-like leaves are 4 inches long. The foliage is a bronzy-green color that turns a reddish shade in the winter months. Small clusters of yellowish-green flowers bloom in the spring and are followed by winged seed pods. The winged seeds look similar to hops from which beer is made — hence the name.

Sky flower is a showy evergreen that grows eighteen feet tall and wide, if it doesn’t freeze back. It is a multi-trunk plant with arching branches that droop and trail in a downward appearance. Some species have spines on them, while others are spineless. The dark green foliage is thin with long leaves arranged in whorls of three and pointed at the tip. This plant produces showy, bluish-purple, tubular blossoms that flower for most of the year in warmer climates. It also attracts butterflies. There are a number of varieties available, including one that produces a white flower. In the Southwest desert, the sky flower begins blooming in the spring and continues its magnificent color show throughout the fall, until the first frost. It also produces a showy, golden yellow berry that hangs from the plant. The berry is poisonous to humans.  Use it as a large background shrub for its amazing flower color, as a screen, windbreak, or container plant around patios, pools, and water features. The plant is native to the scrubby woodlands of the West Indies and Central and South America. It has become established in western Texas and Florida.

Emu Bush (Eremophila maculata) is a medium-sized shrub with small, round green leaves and a dense, symmetrical growth habit. Native to Australia, this tough, evergreen shrub is becoming popular here in the desert southwest where it is valued for its low water requirements and its long winter bloom period. It is tolerant of heat, alkaline soils and drought. It grows to about 5 feet tall with an equal or greater width. From mid-winter to spring emu bush is covered with an abundance of tubular, rosy red flowers that grow along the tips of its branches and attract hummingbirds. Flowering starts in January, reaches its peak in February and tapers off in March. Several cultivars are now available including Eremophila maculata ‘Valentine’ which blooms just in time for Valentine’s Day. Use emu bush along city roadways and medians, driveways, walkways, as a foundation planting or a focal point.

The multi-trunk evergreen matures quickly up to six feet tall and wide with bright green foliage that has a pointed tip and grows in clusters along the branches. During the warmer weather, the leaves are covered in fine hairs. With cooler temperatures, the foliage turns crimson-green. Tubular, orange-red blossoms appear in the spring and continue to bloom into the heat of the summer, attracting hummingbirds. In fall, small, blackish-purple fruit appears, attracting birds.  Use it in mixed perennial gardens for summer color, or as a foundation plant on patios, in courtyards, or around water features, ponds, and pools. This plant is native to Florida, the Caribbean, the West Indies, central and south America, and into Bolivia and Paraguay.

Native to the Sonoran Desert, “chuparosa” is a shrub that normally grows to about 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Under ideal contitions, it can grow to 4 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Leaves are semi-succulent and measure about 1 inch long. Tubular flowers are nearly 1.5 inches long. Red is the most common flower color with yellow or orange variations less common. Chuparosa attracts hummingbirds and blooms through the long, mild winters in Southern Arizona.

Mexican Honeysuckle is a small shrub that isn’t fussy, blooms most of the year, and is attractive to hummingbirds. With yellow-green leaves and bright orange flowers, Mexican honeysuckle grows 2 to 4 feet tall and spreads 3 to 6 feet wide. The soft, velvety leaves become larger in partial shade locations. Clusters of bright orange, narrowly tubular flowers appear almost any time of the year.

The lantana is a prolific bloomer growing two to four feet tall and wide with sprawling branches that produce dramatic color during the warm season. The foliage is green, rough, and sometimes has prickly stems and leaves with rough hairs that emit a pungent aroma when crushed. This plant produces prolific flower clusters in an array of colors—yellow, orange, fuchsia, pink, white, and many multicolor varieties. Many hybrids are available. This nonstop bloomer produces flowers from early spring until the first frost. It often reseeds itself in areas of the landscape where water is available, and in some areas of the world it can be an invasive plant. In our Southwest deserts, however, it is a reliable, colorful shrub that provides enormous amounts color in spring, summer, and fall. Lantana can also be used as an accent, border, and foundation or container plant for dramatic color. It works well as a transition shrub in desert gardens and around pools and water features. The bush lantana is native to Australia and South Africa, where has become an invasive plant. It also grows naturally in the Gulf Coast region of Florida, warmer parts of Texas, and tropical areas all over the world.

This stunning, irregular-shaped shrub grows five feet high and four to five feet wide with small, hairy, silvery white foliage. The stems are twiggy when young and become woodier with age. Small clusters of bluish-violet blooms appear in abundance after the summer monsoon and again in the fall. It may bloom periodically after a hard rain.  Use it as a hedge, screen, or backdrop in medians, along roadways, in parking lots, and in masses for color display. The plant is native to the southern portions of Texas and into central and southern Mexico in the states of Durango, Zacatecas, Chihuahua, and Coahuila, growing at elevations of 2,000 to 5,000.

Its durability, easy care, and beautiful blooms have made Texas sage one of the most popular shrubs in Southern Arizona. These tough, desert-adapted plants provide the backbone for many desert gardens. Mostly evergreen, clean and hard to kill, Texas sage is indispensable to anyone designing a colorful, low-maintenance landscape. It absolutely thrives in the hot, muggy monsoon season in Tucson, AZ. Flowering coincides with periods of high humidity. It grows 6 feet tall and as wide. The scientific name of this plant is Leucophyllum frutescens, although it has several common names including “Texas Ranger.”

Green Cloud™ is a trademarked variety of Leucophyllum frutescenswith larger leaves and darker flower color than its close relatives. It has an upright, spreading form that can reach 8 feet tall by 8 feet across. The large, dark green leaves provide an ideal backdrop for the rich, rose-purple colored flowers that appear from June to October. Flowering is triggered by periods of high humidity. Green Cloud is one of the most deciduous varieties of Leucophyllum frutescens and was cloned and trademarked by Texas A&M University.

This twisted, irregular evergreen grows to heights of nine to twelve feet with dark green, glossy leaves that have a slight sharp point on the tip and are clustered around the branches. The foliage produces an aromatic scent when the plant is touched. Its growth habit is interesting in appearance, with a twisted branching pattern. The plant has tan bark, and when mature, it peels and becomes papery. In spring through summer, twisted myrtle produces fragrant, white, star-shaped blossoms in small clusters on its branches, followed by bluish-black fruit. The bitter fruit can be eaten and the flowers attract birds, butterflies, and bees. Use it as a focal point, accent, screen, background planting, barrier, container, or informal hedge. It also is an excellent plant choice for oriental or Japanese gardens. When it reaches maturity, prune off the branches to expose its exquisite trunk. This plant is native to Iran and Afghanistan and has been cultivated throughout Mediterranean gardens for many centuries.

Jerusalem sage is a fast-growing, warm-season plant that reaches three to four feet tall with an equal spread. The semi-woody evergreen plant has fuzzy, grayish-green, textured leaves and bright yellow, wooly blossoms in late spring through early summer. The blooms form a cluster of rings around the stems on a vertical stalk arranged with one flower on top of another, producing an interesting effect. Its flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Use it in an herb garden as an accent, in raised planters or containers, or in vegetable gardens. The flower heads and seeds can be dried and used in flower arrangements. Jerusalem sage looks nice when combined with Salvia greggi, Salvia leucantha, and Salvia clevelandii. It is native to the Mediterranean regions of Turkey and Syria but has been naturalized in the United States.

The evergreen is admired for its brilliant sky blue flowers with a loose, sprawling growth habit and grows four to six feet tall and four to ten feet wide. It has arching branches, long, skinny stems, and thin, green foliage with grayish-green on the underside of its leaves. New growth is bright green growing darker as the leaf matures. When the weather warms up in spring, it produces sky blue flower tubes with five assorted petals to form clusters of showy blossoms. The plant blooms from late spring into the fall and attracts butterflies. The variety ‘Alba’ has white flowers, and ‘Royal Cape’ has blooms that are cobalt blue.  Use it as a foundation or accent planting, in containers, along borders, in raised beds and flowerbeds, around pools and ponds, or in oriental gardens. The plumbago has traditionally been used for headaches, warts, broken bones, and wounds. In South Africa, it is thought that by placing a stick or piece of the plant in the thatch part of the roof, it may ward off lighting. It is native to the subtropics in South Africa from the southern Cape and eastern Cape into KwaZulu-Natal, where it grows as a large thicket or scrambling shrub

Pomegranate is a fast-growing, deciduous plant noted for its berrylike fruit that grows six to fifteen feet tall with a multiple or single trunk. ‘Nana’ is the dwarf variety and it reaches just one to three feet. The species produces slender, upright branches that gracefully weep if left un-pruned. It has skinny, shiny green foliage and bright, orangey-red, trumpet-like flowers with ruffled petals that are two inches long and bloom in spring for several weeks. After three to four years, pomegranates begin bearing a wonderful fruit that is about the size of an apple. It is reddish to pink and filled with crunchy, sweet seeds that are encased in a juicy, membranous skin. The seeds, pulp, and juice are eaten, but the membrane part of the fruit does not taste good. Juice from the fruit is used in jellies and wines. There are many varieties of pomegranates commonly cultivated in the Southwest desert, including ‘Papago’, ‘Chico’, ‘Wonderful’, and ‘Angel Wings’.  Use it as an attractive shrub, small tree, hedge, screen, or accent in the landscape. It can also be used in landscapes with other fruit trees or citrus. The dwarf form can be used as an edging or small foundation plant, and in courtyards, containers, raised planters, and patios. The pomegranate is a native to Asia from the Middle East to the Himalayas, where it grows in sandy or rocky soils and scrublands. It has been cultivated in Mediterranean climates and tropical areas throughout the world.

Rosemary is a hardy evergreen with needle-like, deep green, fragrant foliage that grows three to five feet high and three to eight feet wide. It is popularized as a landscape plant and offers edible leaves that when dried are used in cooking and for medicinal purposes. In the spring and again in fall, it produces attractive blossoms in blue, lavender, white, or purple. Bees, butterflies, and some birds are attracted to its small blossoms.  Use this versatile shrub as a foundation, border, low growing hedge, culinary herb, and transition or container plant. It is a good choice to use against a hot wall or in dry locations for erosion control on steep slopes and in rock gardens. Its attractive green foliage makes it a nice winter contrast plant. Use the dwarf cascading variety ‘Prostratus’ to creep over walls and drape over surfaces. Other varieties grow upright and have variations in flower color and taste. Rosemary works well as an herb in vegetable gardens. Oils extracted from the plant have been used for many centuries for antibacterial and holistic purposes, and the leaves give a nice scent to lotions, perfumes, soaps, and sachets. Rosemary originated in the Mediterranean region where it grows in dry, sandy, or rocky soils.

The coral fountain is a flowering perennial plant with long, slender, arching, fountain-like branches that form a dense mound to four feet tall and six feet wide. Its weeping branches produce dark green, scale-like leaves on stems. The plant has showy, one- to two-inch coral red, tubular flower clusters through the fall and into the winter. The blooms attract hummingbirds and butterflies. It likes full sun or shade. During the hot months, the plant may become stressed if exposed to reflected heat.  The shrub works well in pool areas, around ponds and water features, or cascading over banks, walls, and planters. Also, plant it in containers, as a foundation or color plant for tropical effects, and in hanging baskets, or train it to spill over a raised planter. It is an excellent plant to use in floral arrangements. This fast-growing plant is native to the humid, tropical areas of central Mexico, and has become established in areas of Florida.

Native to California, the chaparral sage performs extremely well in both low and middle deserts of Arizona. Chaparral sage grows in excess of 5 feet tall by 6 feet wide. The soft gray-green foliage of chaparral sage is extremely aromatic. The flower spikes are this plant’s most striking feature, with clusters of blue-violet flowers stacked like shish-kebobs along the stalk. This showy, fragrant shrub attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Autumn Sage is native to Western Texas and parts of New Mexico and Southern Arizona. It is a small, evergreen shrub that grows to about 3 feet tall and wide. Its small, dark green leaves have a slightly sticky coating. Showy, 1 inch long flowers appear on 6-10 inch long spikes in the spring, summer and fall. Autumn Sage is available in a wide range of flower colors including red, pink, fuschia, purple, orange, yellow and white. The hot pink and the fuschia flowering varieties are the most heat tolerant. Its compact size, rich green leaves, long bloom period and profusion of hummingbird attracting flowers have made this little shrub a mainstay in many Southwestern gardens. Use Autumn Sage in container gardens, planters or as a border for landscape color.

The colorful herbaceous plant grows in a mounded shape to four feet tall and wide with willowy, slender, arching stems that have soft, grayish-green to silvery, wrinkled-looking foliage. In late summer through the first frost, it produces elongated, lavender clusters that attract hummingbirds. The purple clusters send out white, tubular flowers that extend beyond the plant to create an amazing landscape accent.  Use it as a summer and early fall color accent plant, and as a border, foundation, or background plant. You can also use it around pools, ponds, and water features in English and perennial gardens. In the landscape, plant it next to yellow or orange lantana for an interesting contrast. The flowers can be dried and used in flower arrangements. It is native to Central America and Mexico.

Mount Lemmon Marigold is native to Southern Arizona. It makes a great desert xeriscape perennial shrub. Mount Lemmon Marigold was originally collected in Southeastern Arizona in the late 1800s by the Lemmons, a husband and wife collecting team, after which it is named. It has finely divided, medium-green, fragrant leaves. Grows to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide in low desert regions. Masses of 1-inch, daisy-like flowers appear late in the fall and throughout the winter months.

Orange Jubilee is an upright shrub that can grow up to 12 feet tall and 8 feet across if not frozen back for a couple of winters. The rich green, lush looking foliage gives this hybrid shrub a subtropical appearance. The compound leaves are about 6 inches long by 4 inches wide and are divided into 9 to 11 leaflets. Clusters of orange-red, bell-shaped flowers appear from spring to fall in Southern Arizona. Orange jubilee attracts hummingbirds and produces few seed pods.

The lush, broadleaf evergreen grows quickly to four to five feet with a three to four-foot spread, but gets much taller in warmer, tropical areas. The variety ‘Gold Star’ blooms the earliest of all Tecoma species and continues to flower prolifically throughout the summer and early fall. It produces large clusters of brilliant yellow, trumpet-shaped blossoms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. In late summer, its brownish-tan seedpods appear and remain on the plant for a long time.  Use it in masses or as a tropical color plant around pools, ponds, and water features, and in containers, courtyards, patios, and landscapes for summer color and accent. The variety ‘Gold Star’ was hybridized at Texas A & M University, and many more selections and hybrids of this plant exist.