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Desert Landscape Shrubs

When selecting shrubs for your desert landscape it is advisable to choose plants which are native to desert regions, as those tend to require less irrigation and tolerate the severe heat. Many desert plants have thorns, which require careful consideration before planting, as they will be more difficult to prune or trim. Some flowering desert shrubs produce more dramatic flowers than other flowering plants. Some will bloom year-round in warmer, frost-free regions.

  1. Gray Thorn

    • Native to the Southwest United States and Mexico, the aptly named gray thorn (Zizyphus obtusifolia v. canescens) boasts large thorns on its gray-green, medium-textured foliage. Because of the thorns, plant away from walkways and entries, but select a visible section of the garden for planting as its dark bluish black fruit attracts birds. The gray thorn, an upright shrub, does well in the full sun. A moderately slow grower, at maturity it can get to about 6 feet high and 8 feet wide. During the early summer, its unimpressive cream-colored flowers bloom.

    Golden Eye

    • The yellow daisy-like flowers of the golden eye (Viguiera deltoidea) bloom during the springtime, making the golden eye a striking selection for a naturalistic landscape. It is an evergreen shrub, with medium-green, fine foliage, that produces little litter and is thorn free. A small shrub, the fast-growing golden eye only gets about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide at maturity and has a rounded shape. A native of the Sonoran Desert, the bush does best in full or reflected sunshine.

    Arizona Rosewood

    • A tall-growing shrub, the Arizona rosewood (Vauquelinia californica) grows to heights of 10 feet with an 8-foot width at maturity. Gardeners use the Arizona rosewood, a low-water-use plant, as an alternative to the oleander. It is trainable as a small tree or shrub. Native to the Sonoran Desert, its white flower clusters bloom in early summer. As an evergreen, it provides year-round color to the landscape, and its dark green, medium textured foliage has no thorns and produces little litter. Plant the Arizona rosewood in the full or partial sun.

    Cape Honeysuckle

    • For year-round color in frost-free regions, plant the sprawling cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis), as its brilliant orange-red flower blossoms bloom all year in those areas. Its flowers' nectar attracts hummingbirds and other birds. A native of Africa, the cape honeysuckle is an evergreen with dark-green, medium-textured, thorn-free foliage. A fast grower, at maturity it will get about 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and does well in full or partial sun.

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Landscaping Shrubs
  1. Ornamental Weeping Shrubs
  2. List of Japanese Holly Shrubs
  3. Blue Spruce Shrubs
  4. Photinia Shrubs
  5. Types of Juniper Shrubs
  6. Privacy Fence Shrubs
  7. Dwarf Cedar Shrubs
  8. Pond Shrubs
  9. Year-Round Green Shrubs
  10. How to Select Shrubs
  11. Landscape Shrubs for South Facing Exposure
  12. Fast-Growing Shrubs in the Desert

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