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haname

Your Fave Sonoran Desert Native

Haname
12 years ago

I want to incorporate more natives in my little northeast Phoenix suburban landscape. I'm interested in annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees native to the Sonoran desert.

What do you have that you really love? If it's edible, all the better! But not necessary. :)

Comments (8)

  • softmentor
    12 years ago

    Tree is smoke tree
    shrub is "dye weed" but I have never seen it at a nursery, just grows wild at my place.
    annual is desert primrose, again, just grows wild.

  • grant_in_arizona
    12 years ago

    My favorite native tree is desert "willow" (Chilopsis linearis). Who can resist those beautiful blooms??

    For shrubs I really love chuparosa (Justicia californica), the various Leucophyllum varieties, and fairy dusters.

    I also love Superstition mallows and desert penstemons too (P. palmeri and P. eatonii especially).

    I'm a huge fan of hesperaloe (H. parviflora) alhtough many folks will debate that it's not technically a native to the Sonoran desert, although it absolutely thrives here.

    If you like cacti, Engelman's prickly pear (the super common native type that produces large succulent fruit) Opuntia engelmanii is a great plant, as is Senita (barely native, but it is found in the southernmost part of the Sonoran desert and thrives in the Phoenix metro).

    I'm curious to hear other folks' favorites too. If you're allowed to include the Chihuahuan desert you can add a ton of other great plants like Tecoma and more.

    Let us know what you select and how it works out. AZ Cactus Sales in Chandler carries smoke tree several times a year if you're interested in one. Great plant!

    Take care,
    Grant

    Here is a link that might be useful: My goofy little garden blog, just a few posts a month

  • Haname
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Softmentor,thank you for the suggestions. I did have some primrose growing in front but a gardener 'weeded' them out and since then haven't had more. :( What is dye weed? I'm going to let volunteers grow out back in the hopes that some will be wildflowers. Obvious weeds of course will go into the compost as soon as I can tell what they are. My back yard does have some poppies (Mexican or California, I can't tell) but I've mostly been removing everything else. Looks good in spring but would be great to have some of the primroses growing there too, along with lupines and any other wildflower that would like to live here.

    Grant, Yes! I forgot to mention cacti and succulents which of course are wanted as well. Thanks for mentioning the hesperaloe. I have some of that and never knew it's name. Also thanks for the link to your blog to which I have subscribed.

    So far what I do have that is native are:

    Pink fairy duster
    Palo verde (hybrid thornless does that count as native?)
    Opuntia (4 types, I think one of them is the native variety)
    Wild golden poppies (not sure which type, possibly a mix because one little one in glaring western sun only now just finished blooming)

  • User
    12 years ago

    Tree: desert willow
    shrub: don't know the name.
    flower: I call it wild squash.

    This is embarrassing after living here all my life. I really need to learn the names.

  • aztreelvr
    12 years ago

    Here are some of my favorites:
    Chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata) - smells like milk chocolate, perennial
    Flame honeysuckle (Anisacanthus quadrifidus) - tubular scarlet flowers that hummingbirds adore
    Superstition mallow Abutilon palmeri) - velvety silvery green leaves and melon orange flowers
    Guyacan (Guaiacum coulteri) - stunning deep blue flowers

    Here is a link that might be useful: Water Wise Plants for the Arizona Desert

  • Haname
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    aztreelvr, and everyone else, thanks for the recommendations, looking forward to finding spots for some of these native treasures!

  • Kathleen W
    12 years ago

    http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/66/acourtia-wrightii-brownfoot/ Brownfoot is a beauty, very lush looking for a native. Mine is a wild native that rambles under the north side of a thick old untrimmed palo verde. It sprawls and only is about 1' high, reminds one of the underforest back east, looking almost like an ivy or grape but with lovely fragrant purple flowers in spring. It does require regular water to stay green during summer, surely that's how it got it's name, it's brown under foot if not watered:)

    http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/1633/mirabilis-laevis-desert-wishbone-bush/ Another volunteer beauty,desert wishbone, with white mini-flower on a pretty little vine. Also needs water to stay or else it goes to rest until the following spring. Also low to the ground, a delicate looking plant and looks lovely twining around underneath big platter pots of cacti.

    Engelmen's prickly pear is very pretty with the bright burgundy fruits. They are also wonderful for jelly or syrup, loaded with vit C and great for drinks, toast, dressing, bbq and other sauces. Just burn off the stickers with a torch or gas flame, wash the fruit, cut in half or quarters and cook down with a bit of water just to cover for 10 min. Mash w/potato masher and pour then squeeze through a clean old pillow slip to strain. Use that juice for jelly, syrup, etc.

    We also have a wolfberry (red edible berries aka goji berries)and graythorn (non-edible deep navy purple berries) that are lovely BIG natives that require zero water. Birds love them. They are rather out of control though, very sprawling. Suppose they like the little bitty wash they are near. Either would be great for screening/security on the boundary of the property.

    Fairy duster and century plants are also faves. Mormon Tea, desert willow, desert senna and brittle bush are others we have that "came with the desert" and we love them, no care but lovely.

  • Juttah
    12 years ago

    Creosote Bush! I like 'em so much, I have 9.

    Only bought one, the rest I got for free from a local weedlot :)

    Give them a little water now and again, and they'll get lush and bloom. House finches devour their seeds, and I love their fragrance after it rains (hopefully soon!)

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