A Rainbow Of Color In The Desert Garden

Globe Mallow

Journey with me through the garden to see the rainbow of color that awaits…. inspired by my fellow blogger, Rebecca of Prefer To Be In The Garden.

Globe Mallow

  Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua)

RED blossoms cover my Globe Mallow in January.  Bees happily collect pollen from their cup-shaped flowers.  The bees are grateful that blooms will continue until the summer months arrive.

Red Yucca

 Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)

RED plumes of flowers with their yellow throats decorate the Red Yucca in my father-in-law’s garden.  Flowering will continue until fall for this succulent plant.

Desert Garden, Orange Jubilee

Desert Garden, Orange Jubilee (Tecoma x Jubilee)

ORANGE tubular flowers entice hummingbirds throughout the year on my Orange Jubilee shrub that grows over 6 ft. tall.  Although flowers slow in the winter, I was able to find some protected from the frost under the eaves of my house.

Desert Garden, Red Bird-of-Paradise

Desert Garden, Red Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

ORANGE, red and yellow flowers cover this beautiful shrub throughout the summer and fall months.  I view them through my kitchen window and appreciate their beauty.  Butterflies love them as well.

Desert Garden, Arizona Yellow Bells

Desert Garden, Arizona Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans stans)

YELLOW flowers adorn my large Yellow Bells shrub, attracting both bees and hummingbirds.  I enjoy their blooms beginning March and lasting through November.

Desert Garden

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)

YELLOW, daisy-like flowers bloom throughout the winter and spring on this low-growing ground cover.  Bright winter color, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance makes this perennial a favorite of mine. 

Desert Garden

Smooth Leaf Agave (Agave desmettiana)

GREEN leaves of my Agave are wet with raindrops after a November rain.

Floss Silk Tree

Floss Silk Tree (Ceiba speciosa / formerly Chorisia speciosa)

GREEN colors the trunk of the Floss Silk tree, decorated with circular thorns. 

Blue Viola

Blue Viola

BLUE Violas with their yellow throats brighten a winter’s day.

Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

BLUE, tiny flowers bloom among the leaves, proving that Rosemary is not just a popular herb, but is also beautiful.

Baja Ruellia

 Baja Ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis) 

PURPLE flowers decorated with white and yellow, decorate this lovely shrub with beautiful blossoms throughout the entire year.

Goodding's Verbena

Goodding’s Verbena (Glandularia gooddingii)

PURPLE clusters of flowers nestle between boulders on this Verbena plant.

What kind of plants and flowers make up the rainbow in your garden? 

Using Plants In Place of Curtains

Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
29 replies
  1. Melissa
    Melissa says:

    I LOVE the orange jubliee and agave photos – they show a "good eye" and nice use of color and selective focus. Thanks for stopping by my blog and I'll take your comments there as encouragement to pull out some of my English garden tour photos for a post at some point. Happy gardening!

  2. Kyna
    Kyna says:

    I love all the bright colours of your flowers! That 'Floss Silk Tree' is so neat…in the picture it looks like it's sprouting chocolate chips instead of thorns lol.

  3. Kathleen
    Kathleen says:

    Wowza Noelle. You have a spectacular rainbow in your garden. I am officially in love with the "Red-Bird-of-Paradise" plant. I've never seen it before but it's such a showy, vibrant plant. Looks like it gets pretty tall too? Truthfully, all your color choices are fabulous and that Floss Silk Tree photo is FANTASTIC!!!! I would blow that up and frame it!

  4. debsgarden
    debsgarden says:

    You have a terrific view out of your kitchen window! The Orange Jubilee shrub is amazing. All of these plants are beautiful. It reminds me of the first time I was in Arizona. It was March, and we drove from Phoenix through the desert up to Sedona. I was astonished at all the gorgeous blooming flowers. I had thought Arizona desert was a wasteland – how wrong i was!

  5. fairegarden
    fairegarden says:

    All so lovely and festive, Noelle, but my mouth dropped open all the way to the keyboard at the sight of the red bird of paradise! What astonishing brilliance on this wintry day. Thanks. 🙂
    Frances

  6. Carol
    Carol says:

    Beautiful rainbow blooms from your desert garden Noelle! They are all so lovely and vibrant but I am drawn to your green Floss Silk Tree … surreal … a cross between chocolate kisses and tepees in a landscape. I have not done anything to make me see funny! This image is so amazing! You wonder what it produces up top that it is protecting… I would not want to climb this tree. ;>)

  7. Skeeter
    Skeeter says:

    The Red Bird of Paradise is a rainbow in itself! I enjoyed seeing your hummer visitor! I cant wait for my humming friends to arrive this spring…

  8. Floridagirl
    Floridagirl says:

    Beautiful colors! You are right, Noelle, we do grow many of the same plants. Your floss-silk tree does have the strangest shape to the thorns. The ones on my tree on long–up to 3 inches. I wonder if it is a different cultivar or maybe it's the desert environ that makes it different.

  9. Kate
    Kate says:

    Hi, Noelle;
    That floss silk tree is incredible. What a nice collection. It's really been fun roaming around the blogosphere viewing everyone's rainbow posts. 🙂

  10. Kelly@LifeOutOfDoors
    Kelly@LifeOutOfDoors says:

    Who knew there could be so much color in the desert! Thanks for sharing, and for checking out lifeoutofdoors.com. I am forwarding your link immediately to my friend in Phoenix, an avid gardener transplanted from St. Louis who's still trying to get used to a land with no trees. Take care,

    Kelly

  11. Bernie
    Bernie says:

    Beautiful colours … you have some terrific plants. We do have some plants in common. Love the bark on the ceiba … we have a native silk cotton tree – Bombax ceiba leiocarpum – that has interesting bark as well.

    Thanks for visiting my blog … and I'm happy to say I had a great Australia Day!

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