Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Thrives on neglect once placed right: spreading 1.5–2 ft and for sand, clay, rocky, and loam ground — it blooms May through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Arizona · Zones 5–10
Easy Native Plants in Arizona
Forgiving, hard-to-kill natives for first-time gardeners and anyone who wants a beautiful yard without the upkeep. 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 Common Yarrow and Rocky Mountain Penstemon 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. The easiest natives are the ones already adapted to your local soil and rainfall, so they need no fertilizer, no irrigation after year one, and no winter coddling. Start with these, plant them where their light and moisture needs are genuinely met, mulch the first year, and the maintenance shrinks to a single late-winter cleanup. Right plant, right place does ninety percent of the work.
The plants
8 native species for Arizona
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–10 · see this collection in other states.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Penstemon strictus
A beginner's native — 12–18 in wide and good through zone 9, content with whatever you give it, flowering as it blooms May through Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
About as hard to kill as a native gets — cold-hardy to zone 3 and reaching 8–20 in, and forgives neglect, flowering as it blooms Jun through Aug.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 8–20 in
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Showy Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa
A beginner's native — star-shaped pink flowers and 1.5–3 ft wide, content with whatever you give it, and it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
About as hard to kill as a native gets — happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and good through zone 9, and forgives neglect; it flowers in Jun and Jul.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Plant it and forget it: yellow catkins flowers and spreading 5–10 ft, no fuss, and it flowers in Mar and Apr.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Red-Twig Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Thrives on neglect once placed right: 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
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Plant it and forget it: happy in sand, clay, rocky, and loam soil and 1.5–2 ft wide, no fuss.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Fall color
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.