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Sand Verbena is a fragrant annual with large, vibrant purple to rose-pink flowers in dense verbena-like clusters. Blankets the desert with color after winter moisture. Beautiful seed pods. Sandy soil. Difficult to germinate - try scarification. Zones 8-9.

Showy, bright yellow, 2" daisies borne on long stalks well above white, woolly leaves. A 1- 1 1/2 ft. biennial. Desert Marigold blooms profusely all summer - carpets fields and roadsides. Sow anytime. Zones 6-9.

Desert Willow is a graceful, deciduous, shrubby tree 10-25 ft. tall and 10-15 ft. wide. Willow-like leaves and showy pink to purple, trumpet-shaped flowers followed by a multitude of long, thin pods. Tolerates heat and drought but occasional deep watering gives better flowering and faster growth. Sow in a well-drained, warm soil. Zones 6-9.

Sotol or Desert Spoon has ribbon-like leaves to 3 ft. edged with hooked thorns. Creamy white flowers in May and June on a spike that can grow to 12 ft. and looks wonderful all season. Pulling off leaves at the base gives you the "desert spoon." Sow in spring. Zones 6-9.

Mormon Tea is a slow-growing shrub (1-2 ft. x 2-4 ft.) with bright green almost leafless stems, tiny leaves and yellow male cones. Fine landscape plant and for making tea. Not hardy above 7,000 ft. Fall sow or cold stratify 1 month. Zones 5-9.

This biennial is hard to believe. It is an unbranched 6 ft. column of screaming scarlet flowers in the summer. Hummingbirds adore Skyrocket or Standing Cypress. Sow in fall in the south or in late spring in the north. Does not transplant well. Zones 6-9.

One-Seed Juniper grows at 3,500 - 7,000 ft. elevation in N. Arizona and New Mexico often with pinon pine. Tough, deep rooted tree. The main source of early spring pollen allergies but since the sexes are on different trees only half the trees (male) offend. Used by more ingenious, earlier peoples for everything - medicine, gum, dye, blankets, shoes, food and fuel. Fall sow or cold stratify 1-4 months. Zones 5-9.

Creosotebush is an evergreen desert shrub from 4-8 ft. high and wide with bright green, glossy foliage. One of the most abundant plants of the Southwest. Extremely drought tolerant. Useful as a screen or windbreak. Attracts honey bees. Sow in spring. Nick seed coat with a knife or puncture with a needle to allow water in and soak 8 hours. Germination is erratic. Put a handful of leaves in the shower for their fragrance. Zones 7-9.

Desert Holly or Redberry Mahonia is a holly-like evergreen shrub, 12 ft. tall and wide. Very cold hardy. A host of fragrant yellow flowers, then stunning coral red berries in fall for jelly and birds. Fine wildlife habitat. Sow in fall or cold stratify. Zones 4-9.

Snapdragon Vine is a climbing or trailing vine to 3 ft. or more. The 1" flowers are red or purple, turning to white inside the tube. Heart shaped, 1/2" leaves. Use along a fence or arbor. Blooms all season. Beautiful and unusual. Sow anytime. Slow to germinate. Treat as an annual above 6,000 ft. Zones 5-9.

Rough Menodora is a broad ranging perennial of dry mesas, slopes and meadows from low elevations to 7,500 ft. Showy yellow flowers followed by two wee capsules of the double ovary. This little 1 ft. tall plant is easy pleasure. Sow anytime. Zones 5-9.

Constant-flowering, 1 1/2" pink blossoms on a wide spreading perennial ground cover. Mexican Evening Primrose thrives on little or no care on hot, dry slopes - even in parking strips. Dies back in winter. Annual over 6,000 ft. Sow anytime. Zones 5-9.

Perennial to 1 ft. with many bright purple, pea-like flower spikes and grey-green basal leaves. Lambert's Locoweed is common around Flagstaff. A stunning plant for your garden, but use cautiously - locoweeds are cumulative poisons to horses and cattle. Soak seed 6-8 hours in water and sow in spring. Zones 4-9.

Phlox or Sand Penstemon is a perfectly symmetrical 2 ft. bush, laden with flowers in spring. Phlox-like flowers are white to pink. Needs sandy, well-drained soil. Unlike most Penstemons, ambiguus does not need cold stratification. Extremely drought tolerant perennial. Sow anytime. Germination is erratic and may be delayed by midsummer heat. Zones 5-9.

This fragrant penstemon bears a profuse display of large white blooms tinged with pink or lilac. Its many flower stalks reach 5-6 ft. We call Pink Wild Snapdragon the "monster penstemon"! Can bloom the first season from seed. Great cut flower. Sow in fall or cold stratify. Zones 4-9.

Many 2 ft. stalks of pink flowers burst into bloom above basal rosettes on Parry's Penstemon. This charming penstemon is part of the early spring wildflower display in the Sonoran Desert. Tender perennial at higher elevations. Sow anytime. Zones 6-9.

California Bluebells is an exceptionally showy annual with brilliant blue, bell-shaped flowers blooming all summer long. Grows to 1 or 2 ft. This native of the Mojave and Colorado deserts is well-adapted to the entire arid West. Sow in late spring. Zones 7-9.

Same species as Yellow Prairie Coneflower. Mexican Hat has mahogany red petals sometimes outlined with yellow. Crosses easily with Yellow Prairie Coneflower, sometimes resulting in orange-petaled coneflowers. Sow anytime. Zones 3-9.

Yellow daisies with slender, raised, cone-shaped centers. Symmetrical perennials, 1-3 ft., with finely divided leaves. Branches from the base. Yellow Prairie Coneflower blooms summer to fall. Will adapt to extra water. Tolerant of poor soil. Good cut flower. Sow anytime. Zones 3-9.

Spikes of tiny white flowers in early summer turn to 1/4" orange-red fruits with that tangy lemon flavor. Small Leaved Sumac is excellent wildlife habitat and forage. Dark, beautiful evergreen shrub to 10 ft. tall and broader still. Sow in fall or soak seed 8 hours in water and cold stratify 3 months before spring planting. Zones 6-9.

Soap Tree Yucca is the state flower of New Mexico. A tree-like yucca with a definite trunk 6-8 ft. tall. In the late summer it shoots up the tallest flower stalk of the yuccas. Creamy white, lily-like flowers. Sow seed in fall or cold stratify. Zones 4-9.

White flowers with orange centers on a very, very drought-tolerant woody perennial. One foot tall, two feet wide. The flowers dry on the plant or when cut, so they're fun for small arrangements. White Zinnia is handsome grouped or as an accent in rock gardens or borders. Sow anytime. Slow to germinate. Zones 6-9.