Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — white roses, pink plumes flowers and 3–6 ft tall, flowering as it blooms Apr through Sep.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Arizona · Zones 5–10
Native Flowering Shrubs in Arizona
Native shrubs that flower for pollinators, fruit for birds, and give the garden its year-round backbone and structure. For Arizona, the right natives are shaped by Sonoran & Chihuahuan deserts, Mogollon Rim and a arid, hot low desert to cool high country climate. Every species below, from Apache Plume and Autumn Sage to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arizona and the wider flora of the desert Southwest and hardy through zones 5–10. Shrubs are the bones of a garden — they hold their shape through winter, screen what you would rather not see, and pack flowers, berries, and fall color into a single long-lived plant. Give them room to reach full size rather than shearing them into boxes, plant in fall for the best root establishment, and choose species suited to your light and moisture so they thrive on near-zero care.
The plants
6 native species for Arizona
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–10 · see this collection in other states.
Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
A woody native that holds its shape through winter and flowers in season, spreading 2–3 ft and 2–3 ft tall — it blooms Apr through Oct.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
Flame Acanthus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii
A shrub that gives the border its bones, 3–4 ft wide and orange-red flowers; it blooms Jun through Oct.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Oct
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — yellow catkins flowers and spreading 5–10 ft, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Shrub-scale presence for screening and structure, with seasonal bloom — spreading 6–10 ft and for clay and loam ground; it flowers in May and Jun.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–9 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Oregon Grape
Berberis aquifolium
Long-lived woody structure with flowers for pollinators and fruit for birds, spreading 3–5 ft and hardy in zones 5–9, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Sourcing
Where to find these in Arizona
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.