Native Gardening : The Arizona Native Plant Society

Our mission as the Arizona Native Plant Society is to help inform and educate local residents about the importance, and in our opinion, ease of planting native growing gardens whenever possible. This resource is meant to help you better understand native gardening techniques, information and other resources.

Hardiness Zones

What are Hardiness Zones, Gardening Zones, Growing Zones and Plant Zones?

Hardiness Zones, Gardening Zones, Growing Zones and Plant Zones refer to defined geographic regions that can support specific plants, flowers and trees. The zones define a minimum range of temperatures that a plant or tree can survive safely in that zone. Plant Maps provides the only interactive version of the USDA hardiness zone map available on the internet.

For a detailed zone maps for Arizona, click here.

City of Flagstaff

Low Water Landscape Program

Resources and information for sun loving, low-water gardens in Northern Arizona. Flagstaff Fabulous Fifty Plants brochure, and many links to additional groups and publications.

Native Plants for Pima County Landscaping

This link will let you download an extensively annotated list (14 pages) of plants includes trees, shrubs, vines, perennial and annual forbs, wildflowers, and grasses, and cacti and succulents growing in the major watersheds of Pima County. Plant habitats range from hydro- to xeroriparian.

Most of the plants with low or moderate water use can be used successfully in gardens, and many are available at native plant nurseries and botanical gardens.

The list includes plant names, growth forms, and water use and also a wealth of information on natural habitat, phenology and plant and animal associations. It is the product of years of work by a number of Tucson-area naturalists.

Native Trees: Guide to Landscaping

An AZNPS Committee created this booklet in 2006 to encourage the planting of native trees in low-maintenance desert landscapes. The growth rate, water usage and life span are described for seventeen Sonoran desert trees.
By clicking on the image to the above, you can download the booklet.

Desert Grasses

Increased use of native grasses may increase biodiversity of our natural communities by providing a greater variety of species for use by wildlife. The low-maintenance plants can also add unique, aesthetic diversity and integrity to a Southwestern landscape. Native grasses have an important role in the restoration and reclamation of our native plant communities in urban as well as in rural landscapes.

Native Plants for Sonoran Desert Tortoise

The Conservation Committee completed a new brochure and demonstration garden of native plants for the Sonoran Desert Tortoise. Because native plants are the best food for this native creature, and because many people adopt tortoises to keep as pets, we worked with numerous experts to develop a list of recommended plants.

The Committee raised funds and planted a demonstration garden at the Tucson office of Arizona Department of Game and Fish. AZ Game and Fish have also produced a list of plants for captive tortoises.

Stop by some time and check it out! Download the brochure Native Plants for Desert Tortoises (updated in 2022). Please feel free to distribute!

Habitat for Lizards

Creating habitat for lizards in your yard is easy. The AZNPS Conservation Committee wrote and designed a brochure to help you plant a habitat for Tucson’s lizards. Click on the link for the brochure A Guide to Creating Backyard Habitat for Tucson’s Urban Adapted Lizards. Learn more about lizards and their potential habitats in your yard at the UA Lizard Walk.

Go On Tucson’s Urban Wildlife Walk

Learn how landscaping with native plants enhances the habitat for native critters. You can create natural habitats in your own yard which will attract wildlife. A charming website!

Growing Sonoran Desert Wildflowers

Learn how to collect wildflower seeds and then plant them in your garden. Plant lists for the spring season and for the monsoons included. Download brochure here. Plant more milkweed for the survival of the monarch butterflies.

Selecting Plants for Pollinators

This 24-page guide assembled by the Pollinator Partnership includes suggestions for native plants to attract native bees, moths and bats.

Small Trees for Arizona Landscapes

Trees are usually the largest and most important components of a landscape, so getting the “right trees for the right places” is essential for a design that will function well and look good. Click here for descriptions of small trees (20 feet or smaller) from the western US and northern Mexico that grow well in the desert areas of southern Arizona. The Sonoran Desert Natives are labeled.

Attracting Backyard Birds

Attracting backyard birds has become a national pastime and is very popular in the Southwest. This publication is a collaborative effort between the Arizona Native Plant Society and Tucson Audubon Society. Desert Bird Gardening

Grow Native!

Grow Native, Don’t Plant a Pest! is AZNPS’s own public education campaign. Since August of 2006 we have distributed over 50,000 brochures in English and Spanish to local governments, home owner’s associations, schools, nurseries, and conservation organizations throughout southern Arizona. Click here for the brochure.

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