Tropical looking plants for hot areas

[96720]

I have a tropical jungle in Phoenix and would like some suggestions for ground cover tropical looking plants would be great if they had blooms I use Natal plums Arabian jasmine and some hybicus some ferns, pothos, philodendron, nephthytis. Would like some that would take more sun and heat for sunnier areas.

[mnorell]

Antigonon leptopus can make a beautiful ground-cover, it is very well adapted to southwestern desert areas. It is frost-tender but returns quickly in spring if burned back from its tuber-like roots. It looks like a miniature Bougainvillea, more or less. It is quite beautiful in its native Mexico. I have seen it growing wild along the roadside around Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco state), where it has a somewhat lacy effect; and closer to the U.S., it is also native in the southern regions of Baja and Sonora. It loves, loves, loves heat. But be careful not to water it too much as it wants to climb anything it is near. It is very well-behaved if starved of water but in even slightly wetter situations (such as in my garden in the Florida Keys) it can easily get out of hand, self-sow, and so you may regret it after overwatering. Another you can use is Wedelia trilobata. It handles the desert heat and sun very well indeed, but also is quite frost-tender. So best under the overhang of trees and eaves where it still receives strong sun for part of the day. As far as shrubs go, you can use a number of Ixora species and cultivars, but they are also frost-tender so best under Mesquites or other feathery legume trees, I assume these are common around Phoenix now, as they are now ubiquitous in the Palm Springs-Rancho Mirage-Palm Desert-La Quinta region, used everywhere to great effect in either full sun or partial sun/dappled shade. A more obscure ground-cover I love that grows wild in my garden in the Florida Keys is Phylla nodosa. It is a tough and low-growing plant in the Verbena family, with tiny flowers, so not showy, but it loves heat and sun, tolerates dryness, and has a very pretty overall effect. I'm not sure how easy it is to find it in the southwest, but it is something you might want to research and think about. And a very pretty low-growing shrublet that can work as a ground cover is the Bahama Buttercup, Turnera ulmifolia. You can probably find it on eBay or other online vendors, and I assume it would love the heat in the southwest low desert, though it might require some shade as it has a somewhat herbaceous character. I've never tried it in Rancho Mirage but have certainly thought about getting a couple to test them out, as I have a hunch they would do well there.

[Silas_Sancona]

Tough call for full sun areas.. Phylla definitely doesn't like it, needs more constant moisture / some filtered shade thru the day, esp in summer until it rains. Mine disappears almost completely, even in an ideal corner of the front yard.  Wedelia will take more sun, but needs constant moisture, can be very aggressive. Lantana? eh, pass.. Verbena, native sp. esp. are better, but not perfect in a lot of sun..

Coral Vine ( Antigonon ) is another that needs more shade in summer here. ( killed two in more sun, even well watered ) White Flowered version is less aggressive than the typical red/ pink.  Distimake aueus * Formally Merremia aurea * = Yucca Vine / Yellow Morning Glory,   and Yellow Orchid Vine work better in more sun.  Some other more tropical vines Shemus O'lery might sell may work too.

 Would look for things like Kallstroemia grandiflora, Devil's claw ( Proboscidea sp.. < P. althaeifolia is perennial > ) Jatropha macrorhiza, Yellowshow, < Cochlospermum palmatifidum,& gonzalezii, and other things from S. AZ that pop up during Monsoon season for covering bare ground in full sun areas in summer.. ( See the " Monsoon Flowers / Monsoon Magic Plants / Alluring Devilish Blondes " Threads i'd started )

In winter, numerous native annuals / spring flowering perennials work well for filling the cool season gap..   Most stuff listed isn't sold here ( Phoenix gets an F- minus minus for Native Plant availability ) so you'll likely have to head south to some of the native plant nurseries/ Botanical Garden plant sales in Tucson.

Moister / shadier areas?  Phylla nodosa, Bacopa monnieri, Yerba Mansa are better perennial ground covers alternatives than Wedelia.  Gregg's Mist Flower and several other 1-3ft tall perennial things also work in such spots as well.

Never seen Ixora or Turnera used anywhere here. Know Ixora won't tolerate our sun ( killed a couple )

[96720]

I actually guess I didn’t mention everything I grow I do use ALOT of lantana some wedelia also quite a bit of Ixora.

[mnorell]

Wow Nathan, that is some great info you have to impart on these unusual plants. And sorry, I see I wrote and spelled the name wrong, the plant is Phyla nodiflora (could have sworn it was nodosa and I see some online sources have listed it with that incorrect name)... I am amazed anybody even knows that plant, as I thought it was an obscure native of the south/southeast and Caribbean region...I just now am seeing that it is also a native in the west, and in fact Calflora shows it has been recorded (in addition to many coastal-adjacent locations in California) at the Thousand Palms oasis in the Coachella Valley. I would never have thought it.

As far as Ixora goes, I know it doesn't look as good in full sun but I'm surprised to hear you say it doesn't do well around Phoenix, where you have lower temps, far more cloud-cover and monsoonal rains than the Coachella Valley gets  (damnit!)...and yet in the Palm Springs region Ixora keeps a pretty good year-round appearance and blooms its head off. There's a lot of it used in medians, shopping-center beds, etc. there. 

You list so many interesting plants...I am fascinated by Proboscidea althaeifolia, the asymmetrical flowers with flaring lower corolla-lobe in photos reminded me slightly of either some Thunbergia or of Uncarina, and now I see that it was previously classed in the sesame family (which would make it relative to Uncarina). Hopefully it doesn't have those same horrible stabbing hooks all over the fruit, though the name "Devils' Claw" makes me think it does! Very neat plant, there are so many, many cool things native to the Sonoran desert.

[Xenon]

Euphorbia geroldii - "thornless crown of thorns", sprawling low growing shrub with constant coral red blooms and shiny dark green leaves. very easy to propagate from cuttings

Jatropha integerrima - trooper in the heat, constant and showy scarlet blooms against a backdrop of forest green

Tabernaemontana divaricata - care is like gardenia but takes way more abuse. there is a double flowering cultivar

Calliandra emarginata - "dwarf powderpuff", seems to be constantly covered in watermelon-pink powderpuffs 

Rotheca myricoides - BLUE delicate looking "butterfly" flowers, the only downside is the mildly stinky foliage

For more blue: Salvia sinaloensis, plumbago, blue daze

Salvia blepharophylla - scarlet flowers and hunter green leaves, looks more "tropical" than "tropical sage" (Salvia coccinea) 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15, 2021 by Xenon

[Silas_Sancona]

15 minutes ago, mnorell said:

Wow Nathan, that is some great info you have to impart on these unusual plants. And sorry, I see I wrote and spelled the name wrong, the plant is Phyla nodiflora (could have sworn it was nodosa and I see some online sources have listed it with that incorrect name)... I am amazed anybody even knows that plant, as I thought it was an obscure native of the south/southeast and Caribbean region...I just now am seeing that it is also a native in the west, and in fact Calflora shows it has been recorded (in addition to many coastal-adjacent locations in California) at the Thousand Palms oasis in the Coachella Valley. I would never have thought it.

As far as Ixora goes, I know it doesn't look as good in full sun but I'm surprised to hear you say it doesn't do well around Phoenix, where you have lower temps, far more cloud-cover and monsoonal rains than the Coachella Valley gets  (damnit!)...and yet in the Palm Springs region Ixora keeps a pretty good year-round appearance and blooms its head off. There's a lot of it used in medians, shopping-center beds, etc. there. 

You list so many interesting plants...I am fascinated by Proboscidea althaeifolia, the asymmetrical flowers with flaring lower corolla-lobe in photos reminded me slightly of either some Thunbergia or of Uncarina, and now I see that it was previously classed in the sesame family (which would make it relative to Uncarina). Hopefully it doesn't have those same horrible stabbing hooks all over the fruit, though the name "Devils' Claw" makes me think it does! Very neat plant, there are so many, many cool things native to the Sonoran desert.

Would think Ixora would work here.. Wonder if it just hasn't been tried much, if at all, esp. in the more upscale parts of say Scottsdale.. Wouldn't think our " Cool " winter temps. would be an issue, esp. since Mango,  Delonix r. and Cassia fistula survive w/ out much trouble - most years. Might be one of those landscape options that just hasn't caught on here -yet-. Would be neat to see them used though.  Far better than Lantana and Mex. Petunia used everywhere and impossible to get rid of ( the Petunia esp. )

I honestly haven't seen much Frog fruit ( Phyla n. ) in any local parks where i'd expect it in lawn areas - at least-  but that's not to say it isn't around, esp. down south or places w/ big lawns i haven't been to.  There's some Cultivar? / Hybrid??  i've seen is being promoted as a lawn alternative there in CA. called " Kurapia ' ..or something like that.. Anyway,  Had planted frog fruit in hopes of it covering the gravel " walkway "  i'd created between a brick planter against the house, and the rest of the yard out front ( faces east / no afternoon sun ).. Spread a bit but gets burnt back as soon as summer hits.. Comes back once it rains (Well,  if, -in the case of last year / 2019 ), toward the fall though. Flowers are small yes, but numerous enough to make it interesting, especially when it grows thick. Sunshine Mimosa ( M. strigulosa ) is another unusual ground cover that would be interesting to try here/ in CA.

Devil's Claw do have two curved / hooked " claws " at the end of an open seedpod, but are otherwise spine / hook less, unlike the seed pods of Uncarina, -or some of the other viney plants in the same family. Was a bit perplexed when i'd read about the re- shuffling of the families since so many things between them are similar but, DNA is DNA. Assume this is another case of co- evolution, much like Cacti vs. Euphorbia that look like Cactus.. Both play a similar role in their environment, but are quite different, in that case anyway.

[mnorell]

I would keep trying with the Ixora if I were you. 'Maui Red' is the main one used in the Coachella Valley (to a lesser extent, 'Maui Yellow' and 'Maui Sunset'); and there is variability. 'Nora Grant' has a hard time in the low desert, the flowers fade terribly so best to go with a darker cultivar and keep it in a good amount of shade. One that will grow well (I have one in Rancho Mirage) is I. casei 'Super King,' though it grows quite tall and can be trained as a small tree (at least in Florida). Also the small-leaf dwarf cultivars/hybrids do pretty well but in Arizona I would suppose it better to strategically plant them under larger shrubs where frost can be kept off of them.

That Sunshine Mimosa looks quite pretty from internet photos. Also I wonder how many people might be using peanuts as a ground-cover? And I think they have been grown in the desert in the past? The yellow blossoms are attractive and great because of the nitrogen-fixing as well.

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, mnorell said:

I would keep trying with the Ixora if I were you. 'Maui Red' is the main one used in the Coachella Valley (to a lesser extent, 'Maui Yellow' and 'Maui Sunset'); and there is variability. 'Nora Grant' has a hard time in the low desert, the flowers fade terribly so best to go with a darker cultivar and keep it in a good amount of shade. One that will grow well (I have one in Rancho Mirage) is I. casei 'Super King,' though it grows quite tall and can be trained as a small tree (at least in Florida). Also the small-leaf dwarf cultivars/hybrids do pretty well but in Arizona I would suppose it better to strategically plant them under larger shrubs where frost can be kept off of them.

That Sunshine Mimosa looks quite pretty from internet photos. Also I wonder how many people might be using peanuts as a ground-cover? And I think they have been grown in the desert in the past? The yellow blossoms are attractive and great because of the nitrogen-fixing as well.

Peanut would be an interesting thing to try here as well.. Agree it looks nice when happy.. Would look kind of gnarly in winter, esp if cool / wet though.  Had a couple Mimosa when i'd first moved here but they ( and seed i started ) fried in our sun. Would likely do well under trees though.

Agree, Maui Red / Yellow ..and Super King would be the best options for people to try here.. Never was a fan of the dwarf / tiny leaved cultivars.  Really like Nora Grant. Hoping it will survive in Vista once out there ( if i can find that var. for sale there ). 

[mnorell]

Tom Piergrossi in Hawai'i (Vintage Green Farms online) sells a number of Ixoras including a darker form of 'Nora Grant,' if you can't find it in the San Diego/North County area. Maybe Kartuz would have it. Or Walter Anderson. I bought a 'Nora Grant' at Moller's in Palm Desert, it was one plant out of about 100 'Maui Red' or 'Maui Yellow' and unfortunately it was a pale pink form which really blanches in the desert. Would probably hold its color better in Sunset Zone 23 areas, but it might also balk at the cooler nights, you'll just have to test it I guess.