Warm Climate Flowering Shrubs
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Warm day time and night time temperatures make southern areas of North America suited for growing dozens of arid climate and humid climate regional flowering shrubs.
All of the following half-dozen plants meet those conditions and remain popular commercial choices in local nurseries.
Bottlebrush or Callistemonis, an eye catching, non-native, evergreen tree or shrub adapts readily to USDA zone 9 areas of the United States.
The feathery red flowers bloom spring, summer and fall.
Cenizo or Barometer Bush is the name for a common flowering shrub (Leucophyllum Bonpl.) in the figwort family.
Three native species grow in the arid regions of Texas and New Mexico.
The plant displays many qualities that make it a popular native flowering shrub, including drought and heat tolerance.
The beautiful blooming flowers, which appear only after the summer and fall rains, compliment the light green to gray leaves.
Recognizing that the name chuparosa (family Acanthaceae) means hummingbird in the Spanish language leads to the correct conclusion that Chuparosa (Justicia californica) make ideal desert Southwest hummingbird shrubs.
The red flowers bloom from late fall through early spring. The woody bush is drought tolerant and serves to anchor soil.
The edible petals add a nice dash of color to any salad.
Desert homeowners interested in native plant landscaping often choose chuparosa.
The Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), a member of the Caltrop Family (Zygophyllaceae), grows in the Southwest from Texas, west to California.
The small yellow flowers bloom annually in spring and the bush retains its leaves throughout the year.
Its drought resistant qualities also make it a good landscaping choice.
A beautiful, spring blooming plant, the Fairy Duster grows to about two feet tall, and is a popular ornamental shrub in the Southwest.
Three native species compete for the gardener's attention:
- False Mesquite (C. eriophylla) - light pink to rose colored flowers
- Baja Fairy Duster (C. californica) - bright scarlet red flowers.
- La Paz Fairy Duster (C. penninsularis) - red flowers
Landscape and garden stores also provide different heat and drought tolerant varieties. The puffball flowers attract hummingbirds.
Lantana, a genus (Lantana L.) of flowering shrubs in the Verbena family (Verbenaceae), are popular because of the easy care, drought resistant nature.
Their flowers attract a wide variety of butterfly species looking for nectar.
About six native Lantana species grow in the Southern areas of the United States from California, east to Florida.
Lantana camara, or Common Lantana, grows throughout its southern range without being aggressively invasive.
Lantana urticoides, sometimes called Texas Lantana or Calico Bush (bottom picture, grows in the same range as Lantana camara.
Unripe berries can be toxic when ingested and the leaves can cause minor skin irritations.
© 2010-2012 Patricia A. Michaels