# Desert Shade Shrubs
Despite the extreme heat and limited rainfall in deserts, there is an abundance of plant life in the region including shade-tolerant shrubs. Plants in the desert survive their extreme conditions with special adaptations such as long roots, succulent foliage that stores water and assuming dormancy during dry periods.
-
Identification
-
Desert shrubs that tolerate shade include desert honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi), native to the rocky, sandy canyons of southwestern New Mexico and southern Arizona and the Sonora desert, and white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana). White sage belongs to the sunflower family and is a native of high desert canyons and dry slopes at elevations of 2,500 to 8,500 feet.
Description
-
Desert honeysuckle is about 4 feet tall and blooms with 1 ½ inches orange, tubular flowers from summer to fall. The oblong foliage is about 1 ½ inches long and ½ inch wide. White sage spreads with underground rhizomes and has 2- to 3-inch long, silvery green foliage. The shrub blooms with spikes of small, yellow-white flowers in July.
Growing Conditions
-
Plant desert honeysuckle in areas of partial shade or full sun and well-drained soil. The shrub is cold hardy to temperatures near 20 degrees Fahrenheit. White sage adapts to areas of shade and a variety of well-drained, soil types. The shrub is drought-tolerant.
-
- What Shade of White for Cabinets?
- Shade Tolerant Trees and Shrubs
- Sonoran Desert Shrubs
- Shade Loving Evergreen Shrubs in Zone 7
- White Camellia Shrubs
- Shade Tolerant Evergreen Shrubs
- Desert Landscape Shrubs
- How to Find Desert Shrubs
- Desert Privacy Shrubs
- Border Shrubs
- Shade Shrubs & Fall Foliage
- Shade-Loving Shrubs in Zone 4
