Best Plants for Reflected Heat in Arizona
The hottest spots in my yard are the ones nothing wants to grow in. The strip next to the driveway. The west-facing wall that bakes all afternoon. The area around the pool where sun bounces off water and decking. If you’ve planted something in one of these spots and watched it die, this post is for you.
These areas get more than full sun. They get reflected heat, and that difference is why so many “full sun” plants fail there.
Key Takeaways: Plants for Reflected Heat
- Reflected heat plants Arizona face unique challenges due to intensified sunlight and heat from surfaces like walls and driveways.
- Full sun plants often fail in reflected heat areas; specific plants tolerate these conditions effectively.
- The article lists several tough plants suitable for low desert yards, emphasizing those that handle reflected heat well.
- Successful planting involves proper drainage, choosing the right size plant, and timing plantings for the fall.
- Seek native plant sales at local gardens for the best selections of drought-tolerant and reflected heat plants.
What You’ll Learn:
- What Reflected Heat Is (and Why Full Sun Plants Die in It)
- Where This List Comes From
- Quick Comparison: Reflected Heat Plants
- Where I’d Start
- Shrubs That Take Reflected Heat
- Groundcovers for Hot, Exposed Ground
- Cactus for Reflected Heat
- Succulents and Accents
- Perennials for the Hottest Spots
- Where to Find the Natives
- How to Help These Plants Succeed
- Plants for Reflected Heat FAQs
- Source
What Reflected Heat Is (and Why Full Sun Plants Die in It)
Full sun means eight or more hours of direct sun a day. Reflected heat is a step beyond that. Walls, sidewalks, driveways, and pool decking absorb the sun’s heat all day and radiate it back at the plants next to them. Against a south or west wall, the sun’s heat and light are intensified, and the spot stays hot long after the sun goes down.
A plant tag that says full sun wasn’t written with a low desert west wall in mind. Plenty of plants that handle full sun in an open bed will scorch next to a block wall. The plants in this post are the exception. Once established, these plants usually tolerate extreme exposures in a low desert yard.
Check out the end of the post for my best tips to help these plants get established and grow well in these hot exposures.
Where This List Comes From
I’ve seen some of these plants proven in my own yard, but there are certainly more than I’ve grown. The Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA) publishes Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert, a detailed guide to low-water-use plants developed by horticulture and water conservation professionals from cities across the Valley. In that guide, the toughest plants carry a full/reflected sun designation, meaning they tolerate the intensified heat and light against a south or west wall.
Every plant in this post carries that designation. The size, water, and litter details below come from AMWUA’s guide, and I’ve added my own experience where I’ve grown them. You can download the full booklet as a free PDF or pick up a printed copy from your city’s conservation office. It’s one of the most-used references on my shelf.
Quick Comparison: Reflected Heat Plants
Use this table to narrow down candidates by type and size, then read the full entries below for bloom details and my notes. For vines I recommend on hot walls, see my guide to which vine to plant where in your low desert yard.
| Plant | Type | Size (height by width in ft) |
| Triangleleaf Bursage | Shrub | 1×2 |
| Fourwing Saltbush | Shrub | 5×8 |
| Golden Eye | Shrub | 3×3 |
| Woolly Butterfly Bush | Shrub | 5×5 |
| Little Leaf Cordia | Shrub | 6×6 |
| Brittlebush | Shrub | 3×4 |
| Blue Bells | Shrub | 2×3 |
| Desert Lavender | Shrub | 10×8 |
| Creosote Bush | Shrub | 6×6 |
| Violet Silverleaf | Shrub | 3×3 |
| Texas Sage | Shrub | 6×6 |
| Chihuahuan Sage | Shrub | 4×5 |
| Langman’s Sage | Shrub | 5×5 |
| Oleander | Shrub | 5×4 dwarf; 20+ standard |
| Feathery Senna | Shrub | 6×6 |
| Jojoba | Shrub | 6×6 |
| Trailing Acacia | Groundcover | 2×10 |
| Bush Morning Glory | Groundcover | 2×3 |
| Trailing Indigo Bush | Groundcover | 2×6 |
| Saguaro | Cactus | 40×10 |
| Mexican Fencepost | Cactus | 10×6 |
| Organ Pipe | Cactus | 10×10 |
| Desert Milkweed | Succulent/accent | 4×4 |
| Candelilla | Succulent/accent | 1.5×4 |
| Giant Hesperaloe | Succulent/accent | 5×5 |
| Red Yucca | Succulent/accent | 3×5 |
| Desert Marigold | Perennial | 1×1 |
| Damianita | Perennial | 2×2 |
Where I’d Start
Thirty plants is a lot to choose from. If I were starting, I’d plant these first.
- Creosote bush is at the top of my list for any low desert yard.
- Damianita and desert marigold are the easiest adds: small, low-growing, and good for pollinators.
- Blue bells are an underused workhorse that won’t outgrow their spot and give you beautiful blooms.
- Texas sage, allowed to keep its natural shape, is one of the most beautiful things in an Arizona yard.
As you add the right plant in the right spot in your yard, you can begin to change the microclimate in your yard. Those hot places can become more bearable. Many of these are large enough to shade the wall itself, which cools the whole area over time.
Remember mature size when you choose. A shrub that wants to be 6 feet wide will struggle if you shear it into a 3-foot space, even in the right exposure. I cover this more in my post on pruning desert shrubs.
Shrubs That Take Reflected Heat
Triangleleaf Bursage
- Ambrosia deltoidea
- Size: 1×2 ft. Growth: moderate to fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 22°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- A small, mounding, silver-green shrub native to the Sonoran Desert. Highly drought-tolerant and good for naturalistic landscapes. Flowers are green and nonshowy, and it’s allergenic, so skip it if pollen is a problem for you.
Fourwing Saltbush
- Atriplex canescens
- Size: 5×8 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 0°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- A rounded, dense, gray-green native that AMWUA notes tolerates tough conditions. Provides forage and shelter for wildlife. Flowers are nonshowy and it’s allergenic.
Golden Eye
- Bahiopsis parishii
- Size: 3×3 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 25°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Yellow daisy-like flowers spring to summer on a rounded shrub native to the Mohave and Sonoran Deserts. Attracts butterflies and fits naturalistic plantings.
Woolly Butterfly Bush
- Buddleja marrubiifolia
- Size: 5×5 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 15°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Silvery foliage with small orange marble-shaped blooms from spring to midsummer. Attracts butterflies, as the name suggests. One of my favorites on this list.
Little Leaf Cordia
- Cordia parvifolia
- Size: 6×6 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 18°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- White flower clusters spring through fall on gray-green foliage. Effective as a screen or informal hedge in a hot spot. Another one I love.
Brittlebush
- Encelia farinosa
- Size: 3×4 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 25°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Silvery-gray mounding native covered in yellow daisy-like flowers winter to spring. Provides food and shelter for birds and attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The silvery leaves reflect sunlight, which is part of why it handles these spots.
Blue Bells
- Eremophila hygrophana
- Size: 2×3 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- An underused workhorse in the garden. Blue bells are an easy add that doesn’t get too large, with violet-blue flowers fall through spring, when little else blooms. Attracts hummingbirds. A good choice where you want winter color in a tight hot spot.
Desert Lavender
- Hyptis emoryi
- Size: 10×8 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 25°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- A large, upright native with woolly gray fragrant foliage and tiny lavender flowers in spring. Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Give it room. This one gets big. Learn more about the best lavender varieties to grow in the desert.
Creosote Bush
- Larrea tridentata
- Size: 6×6 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 5°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Creosote is at the top of my list, and I think every low desert yard should grow one. Partly for the low maintenance, mostly for the smell of the desert after rain. The classic survivor, native to all three of our deserts, with small yellow flowers spring to fall. I grow creosote along the sidewalk, and it handles that baking strip without complaint. My experience is it grows well here. Find the right spot and don’t give it too much love. Provides food and shelter for wildlife and attracts pollinators. Allergenic.
Violet Silverleaf
- Leucophyllum candidum
- Size: 3×3 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Deep violet flowers against silver foliage, blooming summer to fall in response to monsoon rains. AMWUA notes it does not tolerate poorly draining soil, so test drainage before planting this one. Allergenic.
Oleander
- Nerium oleander
- Size: 5×4 ft (dwarf); standard varieties reach 20 ft or more. Growth: fast. Water: low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: moderate, no thorns.
- I grow oleander next to my driveway in full sun and use it as a screen, and I wish I hadn’t planted it. It handles the spot and does the screening job, but all plant parts are poisonous, the sap can irritate skin, and standard varieties want to be 20 feet tall. If you need a tough evergreen screen, jojoba and little leaf cordia above will do it without the drawbacks.
Texas Sage
- Leucophyllum frutescens
- Size: 6×6 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- One of the most beautiful plants in an Arizona yard when it’s allowed to keep its natural shape. Texas sage responds to moisture by blooming, with white, pink, or purple flowers summer to fall. These plants grow large, so look for newer, smaller varieties like the ‘Cloud’ series and plant for the space you have. Do that and your Texas sage will bloom more, you’ll prune less, and you’ll love this plant. Shear it into a ball like the ones around every neighborhood and you’ll get a stressed plant that rarely flowers. Allergenic.
Chihuahuan Sage
- Leucophyllum laevigatum
- Size: 4×5 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Lavender fragrant flowers summer to fall with an open, airy form. Accepts poor soils, which makes it forgiving in tough spots. Allergenic.
Langman’s Sage
- Leucophyllum langmaniae
- Size: 5×5 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Bright green foliage, unusual for a Leucophyllum, with lavender blooms that provide significant summer color. Allergenic.
Feathery Senna
- Senna artemisioides ssp. artemisioides
- Size: 6×6 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: moderate, no thorns.
- Fragrant yellow flower clusters late winter to spring, when the garden needs color most. Airy, fine-textured form. Expect some litter when flowers and pods drop.
Jojoba
- Simmondsia chinensis
- Size: 6×6 ft. Growth: slow. Water: very low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- A dense, gray-green Sonoran native that works as screening or an informal hedge. Flowers are nonshowy. Slow, steady, and nearly indestructible once established. Allergenic.
Groundcovers for Hot, Exposed Ground
These fill the wide, baking spaces along driveways and sidewalks where turf and thirsty groundcovers fail.
Trailing Acacia
- Acacia redolens
- Size: 2×10 ft. Growth: fast. Water: low. Hardy to: 15°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Gray-green groundcover with small yellow flowers in early spring. Good for banks and erosion control. Buy the prostrate form. Upright forms can reach 4 to 5 feet or more.
Bush Morning Glory
- Convolvulus cneorum
- Size: 2×3 ft. Growth: fast. Water: low. Hardy to: 15°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Showy white flowers over silvery foliage in spring. Requires well-drained soil, so test the spot first.
Trailing Indigo Bush
- Dalea greggii
- Size: 2×6 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 15°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Silvery-green with lavender-purple flower clusters spring to summer. AMWUA notes it tolerates tough conditions and works for banks and erosion control.
Cactus for Reflected Heat
Low litter and sculptural forms make cactus a strong choice near pools and in narrow hot strips, as long as you respect the spines and the mature size.
Saguaro
- Carnegiea gigantea
- Size: 40×10 ft. Growth: very slow. Water: very low. Hardy to: 18°F. Litter: low; long spines.
- The signature cactus of the Sonoran Desert, with showy white blooms in late spring. A saguaro may not be a realistic choice for some desert yards. It’s very slow-growing and a long-term commitment. If you can grow one, though, it adds that iconic desert look nothing else matches. Red fruits feed birds, and it shelters cavity-nesting birds. Consider the mature size before planting, even though it takes decades to get there.
Mexican Fencepost
- Pachycereus marginatus
- Size: 10×6 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: low; medium spines.
- Columnar stems with white spine stripes make a bold, dramatic accent against a hot wall. Pink flowers in spring.
Organ Pipe
- Stenocereus thurberi
- Size: 10×10 ft. Growth: slow. Water: very low. Hardy to: 22°F. Litter: low; medium spines.
- A striking focal point with time, with pale pink flowers that open at night, spring to summer, and are pollinated primarily by nectar-feeding bats.
Succulents and Accents
Desert Milkweed
- Asclepias subulata
- Size: 4×4 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 20°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Upright gray-green stems make a strong vertical accent, with white flower clusters spring to fall. An important butterfly host plant that also attracts bees. If you’re building a butterfly garden in Arizona, this one earns a hot spot. I grow desert milkweed throughout my front yard and in the low-water area next to my driveway, planted with a vitex tree, agave, and creosote. Now that they’re established, these plants get minimal water.
Candelilla
- Euphorbia antisyphilitica
- Size: 1.5×4 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 15°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- A cluster of slender, upright, leafless pale green stems with small pink and white flowers spring to summer. The sap can irritate skin.
Giant Hesperaloe
- Hesperaloe funifera
- Size: 5×5 ft. Growth: moderate. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- An unusual upright rosette that adds drama, with greenish white flowers on tall stalks late spring to summer. Attracts bees, hummingbirds, and nocturnal pollinators.
Red Yucca
- Hesperaloe parviflora
- Size: 3×5 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Coral-red flower spikes spring to summer over dark green rosettes, and hummingbirds love them. Red yucca starts small and grows very large, so give it enough room from the start. Please don’t shear or prune it into a shape; you lose the flower spikes that make it worth growing. Selections with yellow flowers are available. Yucca is one of the plants I use along the sidewalk, where reflected heat comes off the concrete from both sides.
Perennials for the Hottest Spots
Desert Marigold
- Baileya multiradiata
- Size: 1×1 ft. Growth: fast. Water: very low. Hardy to: 10°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- Yellow daisy-like flowers over silver-gray foliage nearly year-round. An easy add to any yard: small, low-growing, and good for pollinators. Reseeds easily, so it fills in gaps on its own. Seeds attract birds, and the flowers attract native bees.
Damianita
- Chrysactinia mexicana
- Size: 2×2 ft. Growth: slow. Water: low. Hardy to: 0°F. Litter: low, no thorns.
- An easy add to any yard, like desert marigold. A tidy mound of fragrant dark green foliage covered in golden yellow daisies spring and fall. Attracts butterflies, and birds eat the seeds. Good for courtyards and small spaces.
Where to Find the Natives
Many of the true natives on this list, like triangleleaf bursage, fourwing saltbush, golden eye, and desert lavender, can be hard to find at a typical nursery. The best places I’ve found are the plant sales at the Desert Botanical Garden and Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Mark your calendar and attend early, because the best selection goes fast.
It’s worth the effort to include native options in your yard. Natives are the plants most at home in these extreme spots, and I’m working on adding more of them to mine.
How to Help These Plants Succeed
Even the toughest plant on this list will fail if it’s not planted correctly.
Get them established
- Test your drainage before you plant. Tough desert plants need soil that drains, or their roots rot. If there’s caliche, concrete debris, or a mat of tree roots in the ground, the plant will struggle no matter how heat-proof it is. Dig the hole, fill it with water, and see how fast it drains before you commit.
- Plant in the fall. I have better success with fall-planted landscape plants than spring-planted ones, every time. Fall planting gives more time to establish before the plant faces its first summer against a hot wall.
- Drought-tolerant plants still need water, especially for the first two years and especially in years when the monsoon doesn’t deliver. Plan on running drip to these plants or hand-watering them. Once established, some plants on this list survive on very little, but they will need regular water until they do.
Lower the stress on the plant
- Lower the temperature where you can. Mulch instead of rock makes a real difference next to hot surfaces. Rock absorbs heat and radiates it back all night. Mulch shades the soil and holds moisture. I cover more heat-protection strategies in my post on gardening in high heat.
- Choose the right size plant for the spot. If a plant wants to grow large and you’re constantly shearing it back to fit, it’s going to struggle, even if it’s rated for full and reflected sun. Check the mature sizes above and give plants room to grow into their natural form.
When a plant fails anyway
- Know what heat damage looks like. Plant damage from reflected heat shows up as scorched leaves, dieback, and crispy plants. If something dies in the summer, wait until fall to replant. Don’t rush to get another plant in the ground during the worst of the heat.
- Give yourself a break. Even the toughest plants can struggle during our record-breaking summers. A loss in a reflected heat spot is not a verdict on your gardening.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. If something isn’t working, you can transplant it in the fall to a better location. It takes time to build up microclimates in your yard, and planting vegetation in these super hot areas is exactly how that happens. Every plant that survives makes the next one’s job a little easier.
Plants for Reflected Heat FAQs
Reflected heat happens when surfaces like walls, sidewalks, driveways, and pool decking absorb the sun’s heat and radiate it back at nearby plants. It intensifies the sun’s heat and light, most often against south and west walls, creating conditions hotter than full sun alone.
Full sun means eight or more hours of direct sun a day. Reflected sun adds heat and light bouncing off nearby hard surfaces, so plants experience more intense conditions than open full sun. Only the toughest plants tolerate it, marked with a full/reflected sun designation in AMWUA’s plant guide.
Fall. Fall planting gives roots time to establish through the mild months before facing summer. Plants set out in fall consistently outperform spring-planted ones in the hottest spots.
Yes. Drought-tolerant describes an established plant. New plants need regular water, usually for about two years, from drip irrigation or hand watering. In years without monsoon moisture, even established desert plants benefit from occasional deep watering.
Some natives are available at local nurseries, but the best selection is at the plant sales held by the Desert Botanical Garden and Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Check their event calendars and arrive early, since popular natives sell out quickly.
A west wall gets the full force of afternoon sun, then radiates stored heat well into the night. Most plants labeled full sun can’t handle that combination. Choose plants rated for reflected heat, plant them in fall, water them until established, and check that the soil drains well.
Source
- Arizona Municipal Water Users Association (AMWUA). Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert.
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