Arizona, noted for its diverse plant life, has a wide range of plant species, from the needle-covered, exotic-flower-producing cacti to drought-resistant shrubs, which green up the landscape with a minimal amount of rainwater. Many of Arizona's green plants require little water to survive.
The leather-leaf acacia, or Acacia craspedocarpa, is an evergreen tree that will grow 10 to 15 feet high at maturity. It has a rounded shape and is suitable for container gardening or small spaces. It is native to Australia, but grown in Arizona due to its low water use. It enjoys reflected or full sun and produces yellow flowers that bloom from spring to summer.
The palo blanco, or Acacia willardiana, is a semi-evergreen tree native to the southern Sonoran Desert. It grows about 20 feet high and produces off-white flower spikes during the spring. Its foliage is fine textured and medium green, and produces a minimal amount of litter.
Triangle Leaf Bursage
The triangleleaf bursage, or Ambrosia deltoidea, is a small evergreen shrub with silver-green foliage. A native to the Sonora Desert, it is extremely drought resistant and enjoys reflected or full sun. Its green flowers, which bloom from mid-winter to mid-spring, tend to blend into the foliage.
The desert hackberry, or Celtis pallida, is a large evergreen shrub that's native to deserts of the southwest. The plant will reach about 8 feet tall by 10 feet wide at maturity and enjoys full sun. Like the triangle leaf bursage, its yellow-green flowers are discrete. The plant's orange berries attract wildlife.
Trailing Desert Broom
The trailing desert broom, or Baccharis hybrid, is a fine-textured, bright-green, evergreen groundcover. It grows quickly and reaches about 3 feet high by 4 feet wide at maturity. The groundcover enjoys full sun and produces a minimal amount of litter. During the fall, its non-showy flowers bloom.
The trailing dalea, or Dalea greggii, is a silvery-green, evergreen ground cover that's native to the Chihuahuan Desert. At maturity, it grows to about 2 feet high by 6 feet wide, and its purple flower clusters bloom from spring to summer. It's a hardy plant and enjoys reflected or full sun.
The senita, or Lophocereus schottii, is a cactus that's native to the Sonoran Desert. It is light-green, and grows to about 10 feet tall by 10 feet wide. From late spring to summer, its pink flowers bloom and it does well in full or reflected sun. It has medium, gray-colored prickly thorns or spines.
Echinocereus engelmannii is a medium-green cactus that boasts a dramatic magenta display of flowers during the spring. Its thorns are long and brown, and the cactus is low growing, reaching only about 1 foot high at maturity. A native of the Sonoran Desert, it enjoys full sun.