Best Winter Plants for Phoenix to Get Color

Best Winter Plants for Phoenix to Get Color

Winter in Phoenix doesn’t have to be dull. While other plants lose leaves and lose color, we have a variety of plant suggestions that you can use in your landscape design that will give you color during the winter.



Trees

Between the fall and early spring, these are the best trees for producing color in Phoenix.

Acacia Farnesiana – Sweet Acacia

This tree is sweetly fragrant and produces golden yellow, puffball flowers. It is originally a tree from Australia but acclimates to the desert well. Similar looking to a Palo Verde, but it doesn’t go dormant in the winter.

Acacia farnesiana.jpg

Pistacia Red Push – Red Push

This is a deciduous tree with spectacular fall foliage. It’s divided foliage turns from brilliant orange-crimson to scarlet as autumn arrives. This tree is great for people who really want to feel the changing of leaves from red, orange, and yellow.

Pistacia Red Push Fall.jpg

Citrus Trees – Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime & Tangelo

Citrus trees are evergreen trees (which means they are always green and never change color). These trees produce fruit in late winter to early springtime and provide a fun way to enjoy your backyard during the wintertime.

grapefruit-tree.jpg

Shrubs, Groundcovers & Accents

Here is our list of all the best shrubs, groundcovers & accents that show color during the winter months.

Dalea Frutescens – Black Dalea

The Black Dalea is a desert shrub that blooms into purple flowers with short spikes. The bright, attractive purple color attracts bees and adds color to the desert during the dry winter months.

Dalea frutescens.jpg

Eremophila glabra – Emu Bush (Valentine Bush)

The Emu Bush, otherwise known at the Valentine Bush, is a shrub with red, tubular flowers. It’s nicknamed the Valentine’s Bush because the flowers turn red in February, around Valentine’s Day!

Valentine Bush Emu.jpg

Gelsemium sempervirens – Carolina Jasmine

The Carolina Jasmine is a vine that blooms starting in January through April. It spreads up to 12 feet along a trellis and is a yellow, flowery vine.

Gelsemium sempervirens.jpg

Penstemon eatonii – Firecracker Penstemon

The Firecracker Penstemon is a bright red, tubular flower that is arranged on stalks. It will last for about three years before you need a replacement, and it’s a great plant to attract hummingbirds.

Penstemon-eatoni.jpg

Aloe Vera

Chances are, you might already be familiar with the aloe vera plant. Aloe vera is a succulent that originates from the Arabian Peninsula, but grows will in tropical, semi-tropical, and arid climates around the world. 

Aloe vera is used for medicinal purposes, like treating burns and sunburns. They bloom in the wintertime and need plenty of space to grow!

Aloe-vera.jpg

Muhlenbergia Capillaris – Regal Mist

Regal mist is small plumes of pink flowers in the late summer and early fall. This grass-like bush is often used on golf courses because it begins to look very beautiful in October.

Regal Mist.jpg

Choose Wildflower Desert Design as Your Backyard Design Professional

These are the recommendations that we would give you if you work with us. Want to talk plants?. If you want to bring your landscaping dreams to life, we can help by creating a professional landscape design and install plan.  

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For more questions about your landscaping needs, contact us at Wildflower Desert Design. Call us today for a FREE consultation!