Native Plants

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Wednesday - February 25, 2009

From: Peoria, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Shrubs for shade in Peoria, Arizona
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

My six-foot block wall is on the west side of my yard. There are two large shade trees in front of the wall. What kind of shrubs can I plant near this wall that only gets sun for about 2 hours in the morning?

ANSWER:

It turns out there are a a number of shrubs native to Arizona that can survive on that much sun a day. We went to our Recommended Species section, clicked on Arizona on the map, and did NARROW YOUR SEARCH, selecting on "Shrub" under Habit, and "Shade" (less than 2 hours a day of sun) and "Part Shade" (2-6 hours a day of sun) under Light Requirements. Follow the plant links to the individual webpage on each plant to find out what height the shrub is expected to be, whether it is evergreen or deciduous and color and time for flowers. The shrubs you select should be planted as soon as possible, since the heat of Arizona will make it difficult for them to survive if they are planted later.

SHRUBS FOR PART SHADE IN ARIZONA

Acacia angustissima (prairie acacia)

Juniperus monosperma (oneseed juniper)

Larrea tridentata (creosote bush)

Mahonia haematocarpa (red barberry)

Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba)

Tecoma stans (yellow trumpetbush)

Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea (blue elder)

Bouvardia ternifolia (firecrackerbush)