Do you love fall colors but live in the desert? Here’s a look at landscape trees that have colorful fall foliage and are easy to grow in the desert southwest.
If you’ve lived in other parts of the country that have spectacular displays of fall colors, you may miss this in the desert.
While there are plenty of trees with colorful fall foliage in cooler, higher elevations in the west, there are relatively few that do well in the lower elevations.
Here are my favorite landscape trees that are at home in the desert and have beautiful fall leaves.
Arizona Ash
Arizona ash (Fraxinus velutina) is a large, deciduous shade tree that turns golden-yellow in the fall. As the name implies, it’s native to parts of Arizona but also grows naturally in California, Utah, Nevada, and Texas.
It’s a substantial tree that needs plenty of room. It grows moderately fast and can reach a mature size of 40 feet tall by 30 feet wide.
Even though Arizona ash is a southwest native, it grows in canyons and along streams and is a riparian rather than a desert tree. So it requires more water than typical desert trees, especially when young.
Arizona Ash Summary
| Common Names | Arizona ash, velvet ash |
| Scientific Name | Fraxinus velutina |
| Origin | Southwestern US |
| USDA Zones | Zones 6 – 11 |
| Cold Hardy | To -10℉ |
| Flowers | Inconspicuous |
| Mature Size | 40’ high x 30’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full sun, part shade |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
Arizona Ash ‘Fan Tex’ Hybrid
Fraxinus velutina ‘Fan Tex’ is considered the best variety for residential landscapes. It performs better in hot, dry conditions than the parent plant. Plus, it has a longer growing season. The leaves arrive earlier in the spring and die later in the fall.
Mexican Redbud
If you’ve ever admired the gorgeous golden color of quaking aspens in the fall and wished you could duplicate that in your yard, look no further than Mexican redbud (Cercis canadensis var. mexicana).
This lovely native accent tree has aspen’s golden color and similar heart-shaped leaves.
I find everything about this tree appealing (which is why I planted one in front of my home office window.) I love its beautiful rosy-pink flowers in the spring, glossy scalloped leaves in the summer, and golden foliage in the fall.
The only potential downside of Mexican redbud is that it’s a favorite of leafcutter bees. Depending on how you feel about pollinators, you may find this a “feature”… or a “bug”. 😉 Before you decide, you can learn about these amazing creatures in our article Leafcutter Bees: Garden Friend or Foe?
Mexican Redbud Summary
| Common Name | Mexican redbud |
| Scientific Name | Cercis canadensis var. mexicana |
| Origin | Texas, Mexico |
| USDA Zones | Zones 6 – 11 |
| Cold Hardy | To -5℉ |
| Flower Color | Violet-rose |
| Flower Season | Spring |
| Mature Size | 15’ high x 15’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Slow to moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full sun, part shade |
| Water Needs | Low |
Pomegranate
Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a striking, fruit-bearing plant thought to have originated in Iran and Afghanistan. Pomegranates were introduced to the southwest by Spanish explorers in the late 16th century.
Most gardeners grow it for the fruit, but some grow it simply because it’s an attractive, carefree landscape plant. Pomegranate naturally grows as a large shrub, but with proper pruning it can be trained to grow as a small tree.
Either way, it offers visual interest all year. It has flame red-orange flowers in the spring which are followed by large red fruit during summer. In the fall, the normally glossy green leaves turn bright yellow.
Pomegranate Summary
| Common Name | Pomegranate |
| Scientific Name | Punica granatum |
| Origin | Asia |
| USDA Zones | Zones 7 – 10 |
| Cold Hardy | To 10℉ |
| Flower Color | Orange-red |
| Flower Season | Spring |
| Mature Size | 20’ high x 10’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Slow to moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full sun, part shade |
| Water Needs | Low |
Pomegranate Cultivars
There are over 500 varieties of pomegranates, but the most commonly grown variety in the southwest is the ‘Wonderful’ hybrid. It’s drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and produces an abundance of delicious fruit.
Another popular cultivar is dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum ‘Nana’) which is as colorful as the standard plant, but grows to be 4′ by 3′ and has smaller flowers and fruit.
Red Push Pistache
Red push pistache (Pistacia x ‘Red Push’) is a large shade tree. Its name refers to the “push” of copper-red leaves in the spring. It’s a hybrid of two trees native to the dry, hot Mediterranean.
If you’ve come to the southwest from a temperate, four-season part of the country, this tree might remind you of “home”… wherever that may be.
It grows as a single-trunk tree with a round canopy, which is unusual for a desert tree. Its leaves undergo three distinct phases — copper-red in the spring, dark green in the summer, and brilliant yellow, orange, or red in the fall.
Fall foliage color naturally varies year to year, depending on how abruptly the weather turns cold.
When the fall temperatures are mild, the leaves usually turn yellow. In years when there is a sudden cold snap, the leaves tend to turn orange and red.
Red Push Pistache Summary
| Common Name | Red push pistache |
| Scientific Name | Pistacia x ‘Red Push’ |
| Origin | Asia, Middle East (hybrid) |
| USDA Zones | Zones 7 – 11 |
| Cold Hardy | To 0℉ |
| Flowers | Inconspicuous |
| Mature Size | 40’ high x 30’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full sun |
| Water Needs | Low |
Red Push vs Chinese Pistache
Red push is a hybrid of Chinese pistache (Pistache chinensis), which also turns red and orange in the fall. Chinese pistache looks similar to red push in size and form, but has several drawbacks.
It has messy fruits, doesn’t hold its fall color as long, and is susceptible to Verticillium wilt, a potentially fatal fungus disease. For these reasons, I recommend the red push hybrid over Chinese pistache.
Caveats About Pistache & Ash Trees
Before you choose either the Arizona ash or the red push pistache for your garden, there are a few things to consider.
First, Arizona ash and red push grow to be huge — 40′ tall by 30′ wide. If you live in a typical suburban home, these trees can ultimately overwhelm the average yard. And if you live in a community with an HOA, these trees might not be on the approved list for this reason.
Second, Arizona ash and red push are not truly xeric and need a moderate (rather than low) amount of water. Obviously, this can be a concern if you are watching your water bill. But these trees can also become a hidden problem when grown near desert plants.
Watering a large tree could make the ground too wet for saguaros, ocotillos, or other truly desert plants in your yard, even if they don’t seem that close. Saguaro roots can extend over 100 feet beyond the base of the plant! Many people unknowingly kill their desert plants this way.
Third, these trees drop a lot of leaves so be sure you won’t mind dealing with them. When your tree is small, you might find raking or blowing leaves enjoyable, but it could become an overwhelming chore when the tree matures.
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Author Bio
Deane Alban is the creator of Southwest Gardener. She is a science writer with a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of South Florida. Gardening is her lifelong passion. She’s been gardening in Tucson for 15 years.
Photo Credits
Tmasjeg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marija Gajić, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Arizona State University’s Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants