Arizona Plants Guide

R. banksiae lutea Lady Banks Yellow Rose Vine Evergreen vine that blooms in spring for 2-4 weeks. Hardy plant. No thorns. Up to 20 feet high and wide, and is hardy to 10 degrees F.

Caesalpinia mexicana Mexican Bird of Paradise has ferny leaves with bright yellow flower spikes in the warm season. Fast grower 10-15 feet tall to 15 feet wide. Can be a small tree or pruned to keep it a shrub. Great winter option for color. Can be messy with flowers dropping and seeds.

Dodonaea viscosa Hopseed Bush Hopseed is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that can grow 12 – 15 ft. tall and wide. Blooms yellow flowers in spring and fall. Ideal xeriscape plant in Phoenix. It can be grown as an informal hedge or a patio tree.

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Red Bird of Paradise –Full sun blooms spring to fall grows to 6’x6′ will freeze back in winter. Goes dormant in winter and needs to be cut back until spring growth.  Beautiful in larger area and can handle reflective heat.  Drought tolerant low maintenance.

Eremophila maculata “Valentine Bush” Full sun rounded evergreen shrub Red flowers in winter 4′ x 4′

Blue Ruellia – Drought tolerant plant green leaves with blue flowers.  Very pretty but does spread underground with tubers the sprout up.

Angelita Daisy Full sun evergreen with yellow flowers spring & summer. Clumping Accent plant 4″x6″

Cape Honeysuckle Full sun to partial shade fast growing evergreen. 6-8′ tall with orange flowers. Low maintenance and

Bottle Brush Full sun to partial shade, evergreen shrub. 3’x3′

Gold Lantana Full sun medium growth spreading shrub 18″-24″tall x 4′ wide

Radiation Lantana Full sun medium growth spreading shrub 4′ tall x 4′ wide

Arizona Yellow Bell

Mexican Honeysuckle

Blue Plumbago

Red Hibiscus Bush Full Sun to partial shade evergreen with large dark red showy flowers in spring to summer. This is one of the hardier colors of Hibiscus for the Arizona Sun.   3-6″ tall. Needs regular watering especially in extreme heat. Frost sensitive needs to be covered.

Bicolor Iris

Hamelia patens -Fire Cracker Bush.  Full sun to partial shade with tubular red-orange flowers produced in the summer.  Great Hummingbird plant.  Dark purple edible fruit follow the flowers. The foliage turns a burnished copper red color in the fall. May freeze to the ground in hard freeze but will resprout in the spring. Frost damage should be pruned back in the spring.  Keep trimmed some for a more compact look.

Pygmy Date Palm- slow growing, salt tolerant, moderate water, low maintenance.

Pygmy Date Palm Small

Boxwood Beauty – small accent plant green waxy leaves does freeze back in hard frost.  2’x2′. Full sun and occasional watering once established.

Bougainvillea Bush – full sun and reflective heat.  Blooms spring through fall. Will freeze back in frost.  The more sun they get the more they will bloom.  Will not bloom in shade. Messy around pools.

Bougainvillea Vine

Brittle Bush

Deer Grass

Desert Spoon

Desert Marigold

Fountain Grass

Japanese Boxwood Shade to partial shade slow growing evergreen 3′ x 3′

Katie Ruellia Full sun fast growing evergreen shrub accent plant. 1′ tall x 2′ wide. Great plant in mounds as an accent.  Rabbits love this plant and will eat it to the stem.

Morning Glory Bush Full sun medium growth evergreen with white flowers spring/summer.

Red Fairy Duster Full sun medium growth evergreen flowers during warm months. 4’tall x 6′ wide

Red Yucca – Full sun reflective heat 2-3′ tall and wide with flowering stalks up to 6′ high. Drought tolerant.

Chihuahuan Sage – An evergreen shrub with a loose, spiky form and small olive-green leaves. Periodically during the summer and fall it explodes with fragrant lavender flowers. Plant in full sun, reflected heat and well-drained soils.

 Trailing Rosemary

Tacoma X -Orange Jubilee – A semi-deciduous, upright woody shrub with lush green compound leaves and produces masses of orange trumpet-shaped flowers in spring/summer. Produces seed pods after flowering. Loves full sun and reflected heat exposures. Cut back as needed to remove frosted foliage and to generate fresh growth. Hummingbirds love the flowers!

Myoporum Parvifolium Groundcover Fast spreading groundcover. 8″ H to 20′ wide. Small white flowers bloom in summer. Can be kept small with trimming. Also comes in dwarf type.

Fox Tail Fern Asoaragys Densiflorus Meyersii Medium growing mouding evergreen. 24″ t x2.5′ w. Has tiny white flowers and berries. Needs afternoon shade.

Chihuahuan Sage Bush Fast growing evergreen shrub. Full sun and reflevtive heat. Drought tolerant. Grows 5’X5′. Blooms light purple flowers in summer when it rains. Very easy to grow but looks sticky when it gets large.

Jojoba Full sun medium growth evergreen 5′ Tall x 4′ Wide

Twisted Myrtle Full sun hardy medium growth evergreen 8′ tall x 4′ wide

Little John Bottle Brush Full sun to partial shade evergreen shrub Spreads 3′ x 3′. This is a dwarf variety.  Suffers from iron chlorosis and requires chelated iron fertilizer as needed.  Does not like to be over watered.

Regal Mist Full sun fast growing evergreen with pink flowers in fall. Cut back in winter. 3’tall x 5′

  Texas Mountain Laurel Full sun to partial shade evergreen with purple flowers spring/summer. Slow growing

Torch Glow Bougainvillea Full sun evergreen, long bloom season. 5′ tall – no support needed. Great bush for color and no maintenance.  Does not need to be trimmed unless it freezes then you can simply rub off the dead flowers in spring and it will bloom back again.  Is not messy like Bougainvillea bush. Hardy to 32 degrees

Firecracker Penstemon Eatoni- low water, winter color, pool friendly small plant.  Humingnbirds love it!  Glossy dark green leaves form a ground hugging rosette. Plant in full sun and well-drained soils. It reseeds readily.

Tropical Bird of Paradise Full shade to partial shade (no afternoon sun)

Variegated Agave Full sun medium growth succulen Up to 3′ tall, hardy to 26 degrees

Tiger Aloe Shade to partial evergreen succulent with pink flowers nearly all year. 1′ tall x 2′ wide

Octopus Agave Full sun evergreen succulent with large twisted leaves. 4′ x 5′

Spanish Dagger Full sun slow growing evergreen, flowers in summer. 10′ x 8′.

Our Lords Candle Full sun slow growing, blooms in summer- plant dies after flowering

Blue Yucca Full sun medium growth evergreen with dense spikes of white flowers. 12’tallx5′

Fish Hook Barrel Cactus Full sun fast growing evergreen with flowers on and off. 4′ tall x 3′

 Convolvulus Sabatius – Blue Ground Morning Glory 6″ tall x 2-3′ W. Blooms spring through summer. Full sun, good drainage, fast growing.

Coral Fountain Grass Russelia Equisetiformis Medium growing evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves and coral flowers that blooms almost all year. 3’t x3′ w. Full sun, needs water and good drainage. Does freeze but comes back in spring.

Queens Wreath Antigonon Leptopus 15’x15′ twining deciduous vine. Medium green leaves with pink or white flowers summer to fall. Dies in frost and grows back in spring. Can take heat and full sun. Low litter -great for pools and walls.

 Lilac Vine Hardenbergia violacea Winter Color, full sun to partial shade. 15′ tall x 10’wide. Purple cluster flowers winter to spring. Fast growing twining evergreen, low litter, no thorns, needs well drained soil.

Pink Trumpet Vine Podranea ricasoliana 20’hx10’w twining vine. Summer color blooms late summer through fall, lightly fragrant. Full sun to partial shade, semi-evergreen to 25 °, low water, seasonal litter,

moderate growth.

Cats Claw Vine Macfadyena unguis-cati Fast growing, twining evergreen vine 25’wX15’h. Full, reflective sun. Great to cool walls and add depth to yard. High litter, spring blooms. Low water. Will damage house.

Easter Egg Emu Eremophila Racemosa Fast growing, full sun, evergreen shrub with winter/spring flowers.

Damianita Chrysactinia mexicana Low mounding evergreen shrub. 12″x24″ full sun or light shade. Blooms April to September. Does not like too much water.  We have not been very successful with this plant long term.

Yellow Ice Plant Malephora LuteolaFast growing spreading succulent. Full sun.  Birds love it and can take it out in a day.

Purple Trailing Ice Plant Delosperma Cooperi Fast growing spreading succulent. It loves full sun in Arizona and is a great choice for color on a mound, draping over a pot, or any location in a desert or tropical landscape design.The Purple Ice Plant is a very drought resistant ground cover and is also cold hardy.  It usually does not get any frost damage.  It spreads up to 18″ wide and only 3 inches high. It has bright purple flowers that bloom off and on throughout the year.

Hearts and Flowers Hearts and Flowers -Aptenia CordifoliaFast growing perennial ground cover succulent. Partial shade.

Star Jasmine Trachelospermum Jasminoides Fast growing evergreen vine or shrub. Full sun but does better in afternoon shade. Amazing smell for walkways or windows.

Yellow Dot Wedelia Trilobata Plant- fast growing trailing evergreen ground cover with little daisy like yellow flowers. Full Sun, Low Water use, Pool friendly. Spreads up to 5′ wide.

Rocky Mountain Penstemon – The Penstemon comes from a family of medium growing, clumping perennials.  They range in color from dark green foliage to gray leaves.  The flowers can be blue, pink, purple, red and stem 2′ higher then the plant. This is a full sun, drought tolerant plant.  It will grow up to 4′ tall by 2′ wide. Need to deadhead flowers.