Plant Hardiness Zones + A List of Our Favorite Trees & Plants
When talking about landscapes, why doesn’t Greater Prescott look like Los Angeles, Minneapolis, or Las Vegas? To the naked eye, it’s obvious. Nowhere in Greater Prescott will you find palm trees, ferns or sand dunes, but do you know why? It’s because we live in different plant hardiness zones than those places. And it’s those climate zones that specifically dictate what landscapes will and will not grow & thrive. Greater Prescott falls into climate zones 7b & 8a, but that probably means nothing to you at this point. Therefore, we’ll give the background on climate zones and give you the in’s & out’s on what you should be aware of with respect to your landscape.
In 1927, Dr. Alfred Rehder created the earliest plant hardiness zone map, using 40 years of data from the US Weather Bureau. Fast forward to today, the zone map has been improved by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Sunset & others. The Plant Hardiness Zone Map from the USDA and the Sunset Climate Zones from Sunset are two most often cited sources for maps with zones of the entire United States. To create zone maps, the USDA and Sunset each took different approaches.
The USDA took the average annual minimum winter temperature and divided it into 10-degree F zones and 5-degree F half zones. Greater Prescott is in the 7b & 8a USDA zones. The Sunset Climate Zones took into account length of growing season, timing & amount of rainfall, winter lows, summer highs, wind, and humidity. Per Sunset, Greater Prescott is in Zone 2. An interesting side note is that Arizona is quite the weather contradiction, in that we’re predominantly Zones 1 & 2 (cold mountain areas) and Zones 10, 11, 12 & 13 (mostly desert areas). Now that we know what zones we’re in, we can make proper plant selections.
When it comes to choosing the proper plants, the best place to start is Watter’s Garden Center or Mortimer Nursery. The people who work there are experts, passionate and very helpful. They’ll receive your questions and provide you knowledgeable answers. And the best part is that their inventory is stocked with items that thrive in Greater Prescott, which can’t necessarily be said about the big box retailers.
Another important aspect of proper plant selection is whether said plant will be in the sun and/or shade. Therefore, before you go, make a mental note of how much sun will be in said area so that you can tell the experts, then they’ll make the proper recommendations. Some plants can tolerate full sun, others need partial sun & partial shade, and other plants want full shade. In addition to sun/shade, consider said plant’s watering needs. Maybe you’ll need to change the emitter(s) for different gallons per hour or even add or plug an emitter(s). Below we’re going to list shrubs and trees that we like and do well in Greater Prescott. Thank you for reading and have a great day!
Trees
Why settle for boring landscape trees when you can have awesome trees instead?! Here is a list of our top 10 favorite trees. Not only do these trees thrive in Greater Prescott, but they also supply color, unique characteristics, and more.
Autumn Blaze Maple – The Autumn Blaze Maple gets its name from its stunning, bright orange-red color produced in the fall. Outside of Fall, this tree has a thick, full canopy that supplies significant shade. This tree does require a large space, as it grows 40 feet tall and 20 feet wide.
Raywood Ash – The Raywood Ash has dark green leaves that in the Fall turn vibrant red. This tree is a vigorous grower, and will require a large area, as it grows 40 feet tall and 25 feet wide.
Modesto Ash – The Modesto Ash is a cultivar of the Arizona Ash, and in comparison, grows more compact and narrower. The leaves are bright green and in Fall turn a beautiful golden-yellow. This tree does require a large space, as it grows up to 50 feet tall and 50 feet wide.
Arizona Ash – The Arizona Ash is fast growing, supplies a beautiful shade canopy, and the leaves have a grey-green hue, which is unique. If coverage is important to you, then the Arizona Ash is a great choice. This tree does require a large space, as it grows up to 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide.
Purple Leaf Plum – The Purple Leaf Plum is a fantastic choice if you want something other than green in your yard. The leaves are deep purple and supply a great contrast to your other plants & trees. Also, Spring brings gorgeous light pink flowers. This tree can be planted in tighter spaces, as it reaches 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide.
Eastern Redbud – The Eastern Redbud is an excellent tree for areas where you want to add some flare. Spring brings lovely pink flowers that have a unique cluster pattern. The heart-shaped leaves are dark green in the summer and turn canary yellow in Fall. This tree can be planted in tighter spaces, as it grows 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide.
Colorado Blue Spruce – The Colorado Blue Spruce is an excellent choice because of its silver-blue-green color. Its shape is also pleasant, which adds to its desirability. This tree requires a large space, as it grows up to 75 feet tall and it has a narrow spread of 20 feet.
Cedar Deodar – The Deodar Cedar is a beautiful tree perfect for adding uniqueness to your landscape. As it ages, its branches spread apart, giving it a layered appearance, which is quite striking. It also works well for creating a natural-looking privacy screen, when planted in clusters. This tree does require a large space, as it grows 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide.
Arizona Cypress – The Arizona Cypress is a thick, compact tree that is great as a barrier. Many of our clients use this tree for privacy, as you cannot see through them, and the foliage grows from the ground-up. This tree can be planted in tighter places due to its compactness and grows 25 feet tall and 15 feet wide.
Quaking Aspen – The Quaking Aspen is an absolute must-have if your landscape allows. Its white trunk with dark spots is stunning, and with its green leaves, makes for a great contrast. To top it off, there are multiple trunks (which are awesome looking) and the leaves turn sunshine gold in Fall. This tree does require a large space, as it grows 40 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
When you ask a landscape professional about what the top 10 most popular plants are in Greater Prescott, it is challenging to narrow it down to only 10, which is why we have 12. In addition to these being popular plants, we also give our opinion about alternative plants that we prefer instead, because not all “popular” plants are the best choice. We have included links for each plant so that you can do more research. Thank you very much for reading!
Photinia – The Photinia is a great bush because it grows quickly, and the new growth is burgundy-red. We believe it is best used as a hedge, in areas that have room for the Photinia to spread. The Photinia is not well suited for tight areas or low maintenance yards due to its quick growth. It grows up to 10 feet tall and 7 feet wide. We love the Photinia and do not recommend an alternative. We simply recommend it goes in a location where you don’t feel the need to shear it back constantly. Excessive shearing leads to disease, which the Photinia has a difficult time fighting off.
Juniper – The Juniper comes in many sizes, shapes and varieties, making them extremely versatile and useful. You can choose the Icee Blue variety for ground cover with silver-blue winter color. You can choose the Mint Julip for a small-medium sized variety with brilliant mint green foliage. You can choose the Wichita Blue variety for a medium size bush with year-round bright silver-blue foliage. We love the Juniper and do not recommend an alternative.
Euonymus – The Euonymus is a medium-sized bush with colorful varieties. The Emerald-N-Gold variety turns from bright green to pinkish-red in the Fall and Winter. The Moonshadow variety has green leaves with gold edges and turns pinkish-red in cold weather. These are fantastic hedges, but please refrain from trimming these with a hedge trimmer, as hand-pruning makes them much more aesthetically pleasing. Euonymus grow up to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. We love the Euonymus and do not recommend an alternative.
Butterfly Bush – The Butterfly Bush gets its name because its nectar-rich flowers attract butterflies & hummingbirds. The Hot Raspberry variety has deep Magenta flowers while the Buzz Midnight has deep purple flowers. The Butterfly Bush grows up to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. While the Butterfly Bush is popular, in our opinion we recommend the Chaste Tree instead (scroll down for information).
Russian Sage – The Russian Sage has fantastic lavender-blue color shooting from its unique clusters. It is hardy and resistant to heat & cold, as well as deer and pests. The Russian Sage should be planted in areas where it can grow without being trimmed. It grows up to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. While the Russian Sage is popular, in our opinion we recommend the Dark Knight Spirea instead (scroll down for information).
Red Yucca – The Red Yucca has deep rose-pink flowers that bloom for a short time in Fall. This plant fits best with rock gardens and with other desert-like plants. The Red Yucca grows up to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. While the Red Yucca is popular, in our opinion we recommend the Red Hot Poker instead (scroll down for information).
Salvia Sage – The Salvia Sage has many varieties with equally many colors. The Radio Red Autumn Sage has impressive crimson-red blooms for much of the growing season. The Salvia Sparkle has deep pink flowers with a touch of white. Salvia do well in full sun, they are drought tolerant, and they are evergreen. They grow up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. While the Salvia Sage is popular, in our opinion we recommend the Rock Rose instead (scroll down for information).
Mugo Pine – The Mugo Pine is a dwarf conifer with a unique shape. Its spindly branches and dark green needles offer a great contrast to other plants in your landscape. They grow up to 5 feet tall and 10 feet wide, but keep in mind that they are slow growing. We love the Mugo Pine, and in our opinion the Globe Blue Spruce is an even better choice (scroll down for information).
Alberta Spruce – The Alberta Spruce is a dwarf conifer that is great for a contrast in your landscape because of its unique size and shape, as well as its fine, delicate needles. These have been described as miniature Christmas trees. They do very well in containers and grow up to 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide. We love the Alberta Spruce and do not recommend an alternative.
Smoke Tree Bush – The Smoke Tree Bush receives its name from its smoke-like airy seed clusters. The airy seed clusters turn Golden or Purple or Green depending on the variety. The Smoke Tree can be used as a large shrub or small tree. They grow up to 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide. We love the Smoke Tree Bush and do not recommend an alternative.
Nandina – The Nandina is great because it is colorful and easy to maintain. The Gulf Stream variety has scarlet red new growth and the Domestica has purple new growth, both with leaves turning blue-green as they mature. These are best characterized as strong, sturdy, and easy to maintain. The Gulf Stream and Domestica are wonderful in Greater Prescott. They grow up to 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide depending on which variety.
Crape Myrtle – The Crape Myrtle is versatile because it grows as either a shrub or short tree. The flower panicles are gorgeous pink, purple or red (depending on variety) and can bloom from late Spring into Fall. Maintenance is minimal and once established, watering is minimal too. The Crape Myrtle tree grows 12 to 25 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. The semi-dwarf grows up to 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide, while the dwarf varieties are even shorter and narrower. We love the Crape Myrtle and do not recommend an alternative.
Barberry – The Barberry checks off so many boxes. Deep rose-red, golden with an orange cast, purple-red, coral-orange, and ruby-red are some of the amazing color options. It is extremely hardy and is a fantastic hedge due to its dense foliage & small thorns. It also works well in full or partial sun. The Barberry needs little water and is low maintenance when planted in the proper place. They grow up to 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide depending on the variety. We love the Barberry and do not recommend an alternative
Guardian Landscape Recommendations
Chaste Tree – While people love the Butterfly Bush (we like it too), in our opinion we prefer the Chaste Tree. The Chaste Tree is much ritzier, elegant and cleaner looking. It has fresh growth every year and it is beautiful. The pink, lilac and white flowers bloom longer, there is less maintenance, there is less need to dead-head the flowers or cut back yearly, and it is great in Greater Prescott. It grows up to 20 feet high and 15 feet wide.
Dark Knight Spirea – While people love the Russian Sage (we don’t mind it), in our opinion we prefer the Dark Knight Spirea. The Russian Sage grows wildly, which requires maintenance, while the Spirea stays under control. It also has a more elegant and cleaner appearance. The Spirea has a beautiful, compact, mounding shape, which is easy to confine. The deep-purple-blue flowers are gorgeous, and it flowers from late Summer into Fall, which is much longer that the Russian Sage. They grow 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
Red Hot Poker – While people like the Red Yucca, in our opinion we prefer the Red Hot Poker. The Red Yucca has color for a very short amount of the season, while the Red Hot Poker blooms brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges from late Spring to early Fall. The dense, erect spikes are very unique, and the wispy grass-like-leaves are pretty. They are easy to grow & maintain, and they grow 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Rock Rose – While people like the Salvia Sage, in our opinion we prefer the Rock Rose. The season long blooms are fantastic. It has a more elegant appearance that supplies the same mounding effect as the Sage. The varieties of color are amazing and include pink, rose, yellow, and white. It is less susceptible to pests, fungus and disease. There is no need for a hard cut-back, which tends to damage the Sage, and it is hardier as well.
Globe Blue Spruce – The Globe Blue Spruce, in our opinion, is an even better choice than the Mugo Pine. Because landscape plants tend to be green in color, we love plants that offer contrasting colors to break up the monotony. The Globe Blue Spruce has wonderful, bright blue needles that give your yard some pop! Additionally, its cute, soft appearance makes you want to hug it (but don’t because the needles will prick you). They grow up to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide.