Prickly Pear Lemon Bunny Ears
A compact, shrubby cactus with oval green pads dotted with lemon-yellow clusters of tiny barbed bristles called glochids, creating a bunny-ear appearance. Special Features Distinctive yellow-dotted pads; drought tolerant and well suited to desert gardens. Lacks long spines but has irritating, easily detached glochids. Problems & Solutions Overwatering causes root and pad rot; improve drainage […]
Red Bells
Red Bells (Enkianthus deflexus) is a deciduous shrub with dangling, bell-shaped spring flowers and colorful autumn foliage. Native to Asian mountain regions, it is poorly suited to Phoenix’s extreme heat, dry air, and alkaline soils, despite potential winter-hardiness compatibility. Special Features Delicate bell-shaped flowers, attractive branching, and yellow, orange, or red fall foliage. Autumn color […]
Red Torch Cactus
A clumping cactus native to Argentina, with upright, ribbed green stems covered in golden-brown spines and showy scarlet flowers. Special Features Drought tolerant; striking flowers attract pollinators; offsets readily to form dense clumps. Problems & Solutions Root and stem rot from excess moisture (ensure excellent drainage); sunburn in intense reflected heat (provide afternoon shade and […]
Red Yucca
A tough desert perennial with arching, narrow leaves edged in curling white fibers and tall stalks of tubular flowers; not a true yucca. Special Features Heat and drought tolerant; attracts hummingbirds; low maintenance; fibrous leaf margins without the sharp marginal teeth of many agaves. Problems & Solutions Root or crown rot in wet soil: improve […]
Royal Palm
Majestic tropical palm with a smooth, pale-gray trunk, prominent green crownshaft, and large, arching featherlike fronds. Marginal and generally unreliable outdoors in Phoenix Zone 9b because of frost, extreme dry heat, and low humidity. Special Features Striking architectural trunk and crownshaft; tropical appearance; self-cleaning canopy; flowers attract pollinators and fruits feed birds. Problems & Solutions […]
Sabal Palm (Cabbage Palm)
A stately, single-trunked palm native to the southeastern United States, with large, arching, fan-shaped leaves; also called cabbage palm. Special Features Cold hardy in Zone 9b; tolerant of wind, salt, and established drought. Flowers attract pollinators, and small black fruits feed birds. Problems & Solutions Phoenix heat and dry soil can cause leaf-tip browning; provide […]
Sedum Bronze Carpet
A low-growing, mat-forming succulent with small, fleshy, bronze-tinted leaves. Sedum spurium ‘Bronze Carpet’, also called Phedimus spurius ‘Bronze Carpet’, needs protection from Phoenix’s extreme summer heat. Special Features Bronze foliage; spreading groundcover; drought tolerant once established; flowers attract bees and butterflies. Problems & Solutions Phoenix summer heat can cause scorch and decline (provide afternoon shade […]
Silver Lady Slipper (Slipper Plant)
Succulent shrub native to the Sonoran Desert with upright, gray-green to silvery, nearly leafless stems and small slipper-shaped red flowers at the stem tips. Well adapted to hot, arid, low-desert conditions and reflected heat. Special Features Drought tolerant once established; excellent heat and reflected-sun tolerance; attracts hummingbirds; sculptural leafless stems Problems & Solutions Overwatering causes […]
Staghorn Cholla
A branching Sonoran Desert cactus with antler-like, jointed stems, prominent spines, and unusually variable flower colors. Special Features Exceptional heat and drought tolerance; sculptural branching; flowers attract native bees, and dense branches provide bird shelter. Problems & Solutions Root rot from excess moisture: improve drainage and avoid frequent irrigation. Sharp, barbed spines and detachable joints: […]
Spiral Cereus
A sculptural columnar cactus, Cereus forbesii ‘Spiralis’, with blue-green stems and prominent ribs that twist into distinctive corkscrew spirals. Special Features Unusual spiral stems; strong architectural form; drought tolerant once established; large night-opening flowers. Problems & Solutions Overwatering causes root and stem rot; ensure excellent drainage. Intense afternoon sun can scorch stems; provide shade and […]