Fast-Growing Shrubs in the Desert

If you're landscaping your desert yard and looking for some fast-growing shrubs, the first step is to check with your local nursery or cooperative extension service to find out your climate zone. This is important because not all plants in your local nursery will will be hardy where you live. For example, Tucson, Ariz., is in Sunset Zone 12, whereas Phoenix is in Sunset Zone 13, and just 20 miles south of Tucson is Sunset Zone 10. The difference between zones isn't the average high temperature, but how many days and how far, on average, temperatures go below freezing. Medium to large shrubs will usually reach full height in approximately 5 to 10 years, but precisely how fast they grow is dependent on soil type, the particular variety and the care they receive. Smaller shrubs can reach full size in just 2 years.

Fast-Growing Large Shrubs

Oleander (Nerium oleander) will grow in zones 12 and 13, and some varieties are hardy in Zone 10. There are many varieties to choose from in terms of mature height and flower color. 'Mrs. Roeding' has double salmon-pink flowers, and reaches a height of around 6 feet. 'Sister Agnes' has white flowers, and can attain a height of nearly 20 feet. Other colors available include red and yellow, and available heights vary from 3 feet to 20. Some varieties are fragrant. Oleanders are drought-tolerant but look better with moderate irrigation. A word of caution: all parts of the oleander are poisonous. Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa) is a medium to large shrub that gets its common name for its ability to "hop" and seed itself profusely. The flowers are inconspicuous, so its primary attribute is its fast growth from 6 to 10 feet and its drought tolerance. Hop bush can be pruned as a hedge or left natural.

Fast-Growing Medium Shrubs

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) is a semi-evergreen shrub hardy in Sunset Zones 12 and 13. Depending on soil type, this shrub can reach up to 10 feet tall, but more often stays around 3 to 4 feet. It's planted for its fragrant summer lilac flowers and is aptly named, as it does attract butterflies. Red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is hardy in Sunset Zones 12 and 13. This tropical-looking plant with dark-green leaves has bright-red to orange flowers with red stamens for a dramatic show during summer heat. It will freeze to the ground in cold winters, but recovers by summer.

Fast-Growing Low Shrubs

Lantana (Lantana camara 'Radiation') will reach maturity in just a couple of years. This variety is one of the most popular, with its heat-loving red to orange flowers that bloom throughout the hot summer. 'Radiation' reaches 2 to 3 feet tall, sometimes more. In mild climates, such as Sunset Zone 13, it may bloom all year. In Sunset Zones 10 and 12, temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit will send it into dormancy, but it greens up fast in the spring.

A Fast-Growing Shrub that Doubles as Ground Cover

Dwarf coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) is a great low-growing shrub for Sunset Zone 10. The leaves are dark green and dense. This plant can be used as a low shrub (reaching about 2 feet tall) or as a ground cover, since it can spread to 6 feet. It tolerates poor soils and hot temperatures.

References

• "Sunset Western Garden Book"; Kathleen Norris Brenzel, ed.; 2001