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Friday - March 19, 2010
From: Phoenix, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening
Title: Privacy hedge plant for Phoenix, Arizona.
Answered by: Jackie OKeefe and Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Hi, Can you tell me what would be a good plant or shrub to block one side of an unsightly 6ft high wrought iron pool fence, and create some privacy. It would be full sun and the hot temperature of Phoenix, AZ.ANSWER:
Because Maricopa County is in USDA Hardiness Zones 9a to 9b, with apparently higher elevations and lower temperature zones to the north and east of you, we are going to choose not just plants native to Arizona, but plants native to your area of Arizona. A plant native to northeastern Arizona would fry in your situation in southwestern Arizona. We tried to find evergreen plants, for year-round privacy, but not all of these plants are evergreen.
From our Native Plant Database:
Anisacanthus thurberi (Thurber's desert honeysuckle) - deciduous, 6 to 12 ft., sun, low water use, pictures
Cercocarpus montanus (alderleaf mountain mahogany) - semi-evergreen, 8 to 20 ft., low water use, sun
Dodonaea viscosa (Florida hopbush) - evergreen, to 12 ft., blooms yellow August to November, low water use, sun
Mahonia haematocarpa (red barberry) - 3 to 8 ft., evergreen, low water use, sun
Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) - deciduous with persistent leaves, to 6 ft. tall, low water use, sun to part shade
Tecoma stans (yellow trumpetbush) - to 9 ft. tall, deciduous, blooms yellow April to November, low water use, sun or part shade
From our Native Plant Image Gallery:
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