Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

This is pretty easy. Go to our Native Plant Database and, using the Combination Search on that page, select Arizona under "states." Click on the Submit combination search box; when we did that, we got 1,950 results, most of them with thumbnail pictures. Follow any plant link by clicking on it and you will get information on where it grows, what moisture it needs, light, soils, etc.

Native plants survive in the heat just as plants in Alaska survive in the cold, by being totally adapted to the prevailing climate. Over thousands of years, those plants have been through the climactic conditions, developing adaptations to protect them from heat or cold, get along on more or less water, and propagate themselves to keep the string going. That is why the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, home of Mr. Smarty Plants, always recommends the use of plants native not only to North America (if you are gardening in North America) but also to the areas where those plants grow normally. It is also why there are few plants that we can recommend that would grow well in both Alaska and Arizona.