Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Sunday - March 25, 2012
From: Gilbert, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Drought Tolerant, Privacy Screening, Shrubs
Title: Hedge in Desert Full Sun
Answered by: Becky Ruppel
QUESTION:
We want a short hedge, 2-3 ft tall, small leaves that fill in to full looking hedge. It is in Phoenix Arizona area and gets full sun all afternoonANSWER:
Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) will work perfectly for a hedge in the hot Arizona sun. The bush is desert adapted (from the Mojave and Sonoran deserts) and will need little water after becoming established. It will need to be trimmed to accomplish a desired height because it has a tendency to get quite tall otherwise. Fortunately, the trimming will also cause it to fill in a bit and make dense hedge. Jojoba is extremely resistant to the desert heat and will thrive in full sun. It is also spineless, so should be a very friendly bush to have around a yard.
If you would like to look at more options you can look at the Wildflower Center’s Native Plant Database. Under Combinanton Search select ‘Arizona’ from the State or Provence menu, select ‘Shrub’ from the Habit menu. From the check boxes, select ‘full sun’, ‘evergreen’, and ‘semi-evergreen’. This search will return all plants that will work for a full hedge and the other requirements you listed.
More Privacy Screening Questions
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Impenetrable privacy hedge in Wimberly, TX.
July 26, 2011 - I live near Wimberly, TX. I'd like to grow an impenetrable privacy hedge about 200' long and at least 10' tall and 10' deep (or more) using native plants. I'd like it to be evergreen, drought t...
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Need shrubs for a privacy screen in Glendale CA
October 30, 2014 - Dear. Mr. Smarty Plants
I need to grow a tall hedge 15-20 feet minimum to block a condo complex which overlooks my back yard. I need a fast growing hedge which is non toxic to dogs and one which roo...
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Shrubs/ Trees for Privacy Screening on Cape Cod
April 17, 2012 - Hi, I need a recommendation for a row of trees/shrubs that I can put on my boundary line to block my neighbor. It's in a wooded area that I could thin somewhat. I would need them to be fast growing...
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