Featherbush: Spring Standout
Featherbush is a lovely, lacy tree that provides dappled shade all year. With its lime green foliage and delightful puffball flowers, it really stands out in the spring. Here’s everything … 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.
Ironwood: Tough, Lovely Keystone Tree
Ironwood is as tough as its name implies. It’s an important Sonoran Desert “keystone species” that also makes a beautiful addition to desert gardens, especially when in bloom. Learn how … Read more
Lemon Bottlebrush: Cascades of Crimson
Lemon bottlebrush is an exceptionally beautiful plant that positively drips with distinctive red flowers shaped like bottlebrushes. It can be grown in the desert southwest, but it’s not ideally suited. … Read more
Desert Museum Palo Verde: Unforeseen Flaw
Desert Museum palo verde is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant tree that looks like a wonderland when in bloom. But there’s a big problem with these ubiquitous landscape trees. Here’s what you … Read more
Leatherleaf Acacia: Tough as It Sounds
Leatherleaf acacia is an attractive, gray-green shrub that is often trained to grow as a small tree. It’s as tough as its name implies. Here’s how to plant and care … Read more
Soaptree Yucca: Bold Specimen Plant
Soaptree yucca is a stunning tree-like succulent that makes a bold accent plant in any garden. It looks desert-tough — and it is. Here’s everything you need to know about … Read more
Texas Ebony: Dense Desert Shade
While most desert trees provide dappled shade, Texas ebony will cover your yard in dense shade. But since it’s slow-growing, it will take a while. Here’s how to plant and … Read more
Sago Palm: Exotic “Living Fossil”
Do you live in the desert, but love the feel of the tropics? Do you like to grow plants that are out of the ordinary? Then consider sago palm, a … Read more
Sweet Acacia: Love It or Leave It?
Sweet acacia is a tree that people either love or hate. Here’s a look at its various attributes and drawbacks so you can decide for yourself whether this tree sounds … Read more
Mediterranean Fan: A Top Palm for the Desert
Mediterranean fan palm looks tropical but is right at home in the desert southwest. It easily handles our extreme sun, wind, and temperature swings. Here’s everything you need to know … Read more
‘Leslie Roy’ Mesquite: Thornless, Low Litter Hybrid
‘Leslie Roy’ is a fast-growing mesquite hybrid that offers several improvements over the two parent trees, including being thornless and producing very few seed pods. Here’s everything you need to … Read more
Texas Mountain Laurel: Distinctive Desert Beauty
Texas mountain laurel is a unique evergreen tree with wisteria-like flowers that smell like grape soda. Here’s how to plant and care for this Chihuahuan Desert native. Texas mountain laurel … Read more