Skyflower is a delicately beautiful shrub that will grow in the desert, provided it’s planted in the right place and gets the right care. Here’s everything you need to know about growing this native of Central and South America.
Skyflower (Duranta erecta) is a beautiful shrub with a somewhat weeping form. With bright green leaves, sprays of lavender flowers, and yellow-orange berries, these colorful plants have an airy tropical look.
Skyflower looks delicate and, compared to most desert landscape plants, it is less forgiving. It isn’t hard to grow, provided you plant it in the right place and take its preferences into account.
It doesn’t tolerate extreme cold or reflected sun, and prefers moist, fertile soil. But it’s such a beautiful plant, many gardeners feel the extra care is worth it!
Why I Like This Plant
- Evergreen plant with bright green leaves
- Showy, cascading purple flowers
- Colorful orange berries
- Berries attract birds, flowers attract butterflies
Things to Watch Out For
The leaves and flowers of skyflower are highly toxic and have been known to poison people, pets, and livestock. (Birds, however, consume the berries with no problem.)
Young plants start out unarmed, but develop thorns with age.
Skyflower requires a moderate (rather than low) amount of water, so plan on watering it more often than your native or desert-adapted plants.
Optimal Growing Conditions
If you’re thinking of adding a skyflower to your garden, you need to find a suitable place that will keep it healthy and looking good… while minimizing maintenance for you.
Here are the key factors to keep in mind.
Temperature
Skyflower should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11. It can take the desert heat but is somewhat limited by its cold tolerance. It can survive temperatures as low as 25℉, but typically experiences some cold damage in Tucson and places with similarly cold winters.
Sun Exposure
Skyflower can be grown in full sun to part shade. It doesn’t like the reflected heat off a hot, sunny wall and appreciates some afternoon shade.
Size and Growth Rate
It’s a moderately fast grower that generally reaches a size of 8 to 10 feet high by 6 to 8 feet wide, but it can get bigger. Its ultimate size depends in part on whether it freezes back in the winter.
Soil
Skyflower prefers moist, rich, well-draining soil but will tolerate typical desert soil. For best results, amend the soil when planting.
Other Location Considerations
Because this plant has toxic leaves and berries, it should not be planted where it might come in contact with curious kids or pets.
Since skyflower likes moist, fertile soil, consider growing one in a large container. This also allows you to move it to a protected area during cold spells.
Skyflower:
The Essentials
| Common Names | Skyflower |
| Scientific Name | Duranta erecta |
| Origin | Mexico, Central & South America |
| Plant Type | Evergreen shrub |
| USDA Zones | Zones 9 – 11 |
| Cold Hardiness | To 25℉ |
| Flower Color | Purple |
| Flower Season | Spring, summer, fall |
| Mature Size | 6-10’ high x 6-8’ wide |
| Growth Rate | Moderate |
| Sun Tolerance | Full, part sun |
| Water Needs | Moderate |
| Pests & Diseases | None |
| Caution | Toxic, thorns |
| Wildlife | Supports birds, butterflies |
How to Plant
When planting skyflower in the desert, dig a hole three times as wide as the root ball but no deeper.
Since it prefers fertile soil, consider amending your hole with compost or a commercial soil mix. Top with organic mulch rather than gravel, which helps to retain moisture and increase soil fertility.
When to Plant
The best time to plant skyflower is in the fall. This gives it three seasons to grow roots and get established before the following summer.
The second best time is in spring, the earlier the better. This still gives it time to get established before the intense heat of June arrives.
How to Care for Skyflower
Whether you’ve recently planted a skyflower or have an existing plant in your yard, here’s how to take care of it to keep it healthy and looking its best.
How to Water New Plants
Once you’ve got your skyflower in the ground, watering is your most immediate concern. Here’s the recommended watering schedule for new plants.
| Weeks 1 & 2 | Every 3 – 4 days |
| Weeks 3 & 4 | Every 6 – 7 days |
| Weeks 5 & 6 | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Weeks 7 & 8 | Every 10 – 14 days |
After week 8, gradually revise your watering schedule, depending on the season.
How to Water Established Plants
Skyflower is considered a moderate water use plant that prefers consistently moist soil. Therefore, it will need more frequent watering than your native or desert-adapted plants. Here’s a suggested watering schedule.
| Spring & Fall | Every 7 – 10 days |
| Summer | Every 5 – 7 days |
| Winter | Every 10 – 14 days |
In the summer, water whenever the top 3 inches of soil are dry.
Should You Fertilize?
Since skyflower did not evolve to grow in our desert southwest soil and is a prolific bloomer, it benefits from an application of fertilizer in the spring and again in the fall.
How to Prune
It’s not unusual for skyflower to incur frost damage. Once the danger of frost is over, you can lightly prune it to rejuvenate, control size, and remove frost damage.
But since this shrub has such a beautiful, cascading natural form, it’s best to let it grow as naturally as possible. This is not a shrub to hedge or prune into a ball or cube.
Skyflower Cultivars
Here are a few skyflower cultivars that you may come across when plant shopping:
- ‘Alba‘ – white flowers
- ‘Gold Edge‘ and ‘Variegata‘ – variegated leaves
- ‘Sapphire Showers‘ – blue flowers
Here’s a picture of ‘Sapphire Showers‘ — isn’t it gorgeous?
Plant Lover Facts
Skyflower (Duranta erecta) also goes by the common names golden dewdrop and pigeon berry. (I’m assuming pigeons eat the berries, and that it’s called golden dewdrop for its gold berries.)
Skyflower’s native habitat includes Mexico, Central America, northern South America, and possibly Florida (there’s some dispute over this).
It has now naturalized around the world — throughout South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. In the US, it has naturalized in California, Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana.
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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 over 15 years.
Photo Credits
J. M. Garg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ajtjohnsingh, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mokkie, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons