16 Flowering Shrubs That Thrive in Reflected Heat

The toughest spot for growing plants in a desert garden is near a heat-reflecting wall. Here are 16 shrubs that not only thrive in reflected heat but reward you with beautiful flowers!

The hot, dry desert climate can be hard on plants. And the toughest spot in the garden is one that gets reflected heat. You know the spots — next to a house or a wall that has the sun beating on it all day long.

I’ve checked the surface temperatures of my house and garden walls with my infrared thermometer gun and have found them to be as hot as 180℉! No plant living in the wild has to face the unnatural burden of growing next to heat-radiating man-made surfaces like our garden plants do.

Since most houses in southern Arizona have yards surrounded at least in part by block or stucco walls, one of the most common questions I hear is “What can I plant near a hot, sunny wall?”

You might think you’ll be limited to desert workhorses like cactus, but this turns out to not be true. There are a surprising number of attractive shrubs that grow quite happily next to a house or even a west-facing wall — the hottest place of all. In fact, many of these shrubs prefer intense sun over part shade.

A surprising source of reflected heat is the glare
from windows which can melt artificial turf! 😮

Here’s a look at some of the super-resilient shrubs that can thrive in the hottest spots in your yard and reward you with a rainbow of beautiful flowers!

Baja Fairy Duster

Baja fairy duster (Calliandra californica) is a lacy evergreen shrub that’s adorned with charming red flowers. It’s one of the few plants that blooms all four seasons in my garden, making it an important year-round food source for hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea is a genus of scrambling woody vines native to South America. These plants need little care and bloom profusely from spring through the first frost. They are semi-deciduous, losing their leaves with the first freeze. Be mindful when pruning since they are covered with substantial thorns.

Brittlebush

Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) is so common in the Sonoran Desert that you might not think of it as a landscape plant. But its silver-gray leaves and yellow daisy-like flowers provide a splash of color most of the year. It grows fast — from seedling to a few feet tall in just a few months. Since I one established in my yard, I find the occasional volunteer, usually in a perfect place.

Creosote

If you’ve spent a summer in the desert, you are probably familiar with creosote (Larrea tridentata), an extremely tough desert native that smells like the desert when it rains. This informal shrub gets covered with dainty yellow flowers followed by white fuzzy seed pods. You’ll find this plant at nurseries that specialize in native plants.

Emu Bushes

Eremophila is a genus of drought-tolerant Australian shrubs with flowers shaped like tiny tubes of lipstick. Some emu bushes available in the US include: Valentine (E. maculata ‘Valentine’), Easter egg (E. racemosa), Winter Blaze (E. glabra ssp. carnosa), Outback Sunrise (Eremophila glabra ‘Mingenew Gold’), and Blue Bells (E. hygrophana ‘Blue Bells’). You can often find them at Lowes or Home Depot.

Fairy Duster

Fairy duster (Calliandra eriophylla) is a delicate-looking plant that’s a tough southwest native. It has puffy pink flowers, wiry stems, and lacy, fern-like leaves that close at night. In its native environment, it exists on as little as 3 inches of annual rainfall and survives temperatures in the low teens.

Globe Mallow

Globe mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua) is a super-resilient shrub that usually has orange flowers, but also comes in a rainbow assortment including white, lavender, magenta, pink, and red. This extremely resilient plant is often found growing alongside some of the toughest desert shrubs including creosote and brittlebush.

Indian Mallow

Indian mallow (Abutilon palmeri) is an evergreen southwest desert native with an open, airy form. It has silver-gray, heart-shaped leaves that are relatively large for a desert native. It’s covered with orange poppy-like flowers most of the year. It’s also called Superstition mallow since its range includes the Superstition Mountains.

Lady Bank’s Rose

When it comes to roses, Lady Banks rose (Rosa banksiea) is in a class of its own. While it’s possible to grow roses in the desert, they can be challenging. Not so with Lady Banks. This sprawling vine-like shrub grows fast to cover a blank wall with a cascade of white or yellow roses every spring.

Fun Fact!
The largest rose in the world is a Lady Bank’s rose
that grows in Tombstone, Arizona.

Little Leaf Cordia

Little leaf cordia (Cordia parvifolia) is an extremely hardy, sprawling shrub that’s adorned with snow-white flowers, a rare color in the desert. It really stands out in mid-to-late summer, since it’s at its best when many plants are looking tired. This informal shrub is native to southern Arizona and parts of Mexico.

Oleander

Oleander (Nerium oleander) is a popular (some say “overused“) shrub that thrives in the desert southwest. This versatile Mediterranean native is fast-growing, withstands a wide variety of conditions, flowers profusely, and requires minimal care. It’s so tough that it’s planted along thousands of miles of roads and highways. However, it does have some serious issues you should consider before planting.

Red Bird of Paradise

Red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a large, exotic-looking shrub with dramatic, vibrant flowers. It flowers just before the monsoon kicks in, giving a splash of color just when many plants are taking a break from producing flowers. This West Indies native has naturalized in the desert southwest.

Texas Olive

Texas olive (Cordia boissieri) is native to Texas, but it’s not related to olive trees. It can be grown as either a large evergreen shrub or small tree, depending on how it’s pruned. It has large, leathery leaves and big, white ruffled flowers. After it blooms, it produces non-edible seeds that look somewhat like olives.

Texas Ranger

Texas ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) is an extremely hardy desert shrub with show-stopping lavender flowers. It comes in a dozen or so varieties, which differ in size and color but are all equally tolerant of reflective heat. This desert native needs very little care, but it does need plenty of room to grow to reveal its true beauty.

Yellow Bells

Yellow bells (Tecoma stans) is an exceptionally attractive shrub with large clusters of yellow flowers and bright green leaves. While it may look tropical, it’s native to the desert southwest. It’s not uncommon to see yellow bells thriving in parking lots, looking fresh and cheerful in spite of neglect.

Yellow bells has many popular hybrids including ‘Orange Jubilee,’ ‘Sparky,’ ‘Gold Star,’ and ‘Bells on Fire.’ They all thrive in reflected heat, too.

Woolly Butterfly Bush

Woolly butterfly bush (Buddleja marrubiifolia) lives up to its name. This shrub’s silvery gray leaves are woolly and butterflies flock to it when in bloom. Each marble size “flower” is actually a cluster of tiny orange flowers. For their size, they produce a lot of nectar that pollinators can’t resist. This evergreen shrub is a hardy Chihuahuan Desert native that makes a low-maintenance addition to your garden.

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Photo Credits

Vitaium, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Desert Botanical Garden

Water Use It Wisely

“Palmer’s Indian Mallow” by KM is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Challiyan, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mountain States Wholesale Nursery

Arizona State University’s Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants

Guzman’s Garden Centers