When Does the Desert Bloom?

Spring-blooming Cacti

• Most desert cacti bloom in the spring. The golden barrel cactus, a native of Mexico, blooms in the spring, as does the Sonoran Desert's native Engelmann's hedgehog with its bright magenta flowers. Other spring-blooming cacti include the compass barrel, beavertail prickly pear, buckhorn cholla and Mexican fencepost. The saguaro, which bears Arizona's state flower, blooms in late spring. It is a native of the Sonoran Desert. Some cacti bloom from late spring to summer, such as the senita and totem pole with their pink blossoms, and the Engelmann's prickly pear with its showy yellow flowers. Some cacti bloom only at night, such as the organ pipe, which blooms from spring to summer.

Summer

• Some desert plants bloom in the middle of the summer, such as the shrubby senna, an upright, deciduous shrub that reaches about 4 feet high and 6 feet wide at maturity. The Chihuahuan Desert native has bright yellow flower clusters and medium green foliage. The Baja passion vine, a native of Baja, California, is another summer bloomer. It boasts exotic-looking white and purple flowers and attracts butterflies.

Summer to Fall

• A native of the Chihuahuan Desert, the flame honeysuckle, a bright green shrub, blooms from summer to late fall, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to its orange-red flowers. The turpentine bush produces bright yellow flower clusters from late summer to fall. It is a mounding shrub with bright green foliage and a native of the southwest United States and Mexico. The San Marcos hibiscus, native to the Sonoran Desert, is a rounded shrub that bears yellow flowers from summer to fall. The plant has dark green foliage and heart-shaped leaves. Other summer to fall bloomers includes the violet silverleaf and Langman's sage, both adding purple and violet colors to the desert landscape.

Fall to Early Winter

• The black dalea blooms from fall to early winter with reddish-purple flower clusters. The black dalea is a rounded shrub with medium green, fine-textured foliage. A native of Chihuahuan Desert, the semi-evergreen plant is popular with quail and other birds.