Pineapple Guava: A Beautiful Challenge
Pineapple guava is a gorgeous plant that has exotic edible flowers and, with the right care, “may” produce edible fruit. It can be grown in the desert, but it’s not … Read more
Desert Trees
Planting a tree is the single best investment you can make in your garden. A well-placed tree provides shade, a scarce commodity in the desert, and increases the value and curb appeal of your home. They add beauty and attract wildlife life to your yard.
We are fortunate here to have a wide range of beautiful trees that happily grow in the southwest desert, both native and desert-adapted.
Here at Southwest Gardener, you’ll find in-depth information to help you choose the best trees for your desert garden and how to care for them, too.
Mastic: “Clean” Evergreen Tree or Shrub
Mastic is an evergreen that can be grown as a tree or a large shrub. It is often considered one of the “cleanest” trees you can grow in the desert … Read more
‘Joan Lionetti’ Oak: Hardy Hybrid for the Desert
‘Joan Lionetti’ is an oak hybrid that has been selected for its tolerance of desert heat, drought, and alkaline soil. Here’s everything you need to know about planting and caring … Read more
Mexican Blue Palm: ‘True Blue’ Native
Mexican blue is a magnificent palm tree that easily handles our extreme sun, wind, and temperature swings. It’s one of the few Sonoran Desert native palms, and it also happens … Read more
Chaste Tree: Profusion of Purple
Chaste “tree”, ironically, naturally grows as a large shrub. But it can be trained to grow as a small tree. Either way, it really stands out in the summer when … Read more
Bottle Tree: Straight & Narrow
Bottle tree is a unique tree that you can identify by simply looking at its trunk. Unlike most desert trees, it grows bean-pole straight and narrow. Here’s how to plant … Read more
Blue Palo Verde: Unmistakable Sign of Spring
Blue palo verde is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant tree with green bark. You know that spring has arrived when these trees put on their display of sunny yellow flowers. Here’s everything … Read more
Foothills Palo Verde: Keystone Desert Tree
Foothills palo verde is the most common tree in the Sonoran Desert, so it certainly will thrive in desert gardens with little-to-no care provided you get it off to the … Read more
Pomegranate: Much More Than a Fruit Tree
If you’re looking to grow fruit in the desert, pomegranate should be a top choice. As a Middle Eastern native, it thrives in hot, dry desert gardens. And it also … Read more
Featherbush: Spring Standout
Featherbush is a lacy tree that is lovely and provides dappled shade all year. But with its lime green foliage and delightful puffball flowers, it really stands out in the … Read more
Ironwood: Tough, Lovely Keystone Tree
Ironwood is a tree that’s as tough as its name implies. It’s an important Sonoran Desert “keystone species” that also makes a beautiful landscape tree, especially when in bloom. Learn … Read more
Lemon Bottlebrush: Cascades of Crimson
Lemon bottlebrush is an exceptionally beautiful plant that positively drips with distinctive red flowers that look like bottlebrushes. It can be grown here, but it’s not ideally suited to grow … Read more