What if you could have a landscape filled with beautiful, flowering plants that needed pruning only once a year?
Better yet, what if these beautiful plants needed little to no fertilizer and thrived in our desert climate?
Would you want to include some of these plants in your garden?
A couple of weeks ago, I was asked by the producers of Sonoran Living, a locally produced lifestyle show, to show some ‘fuss free’ plants suitable for fall planting.
I shared a few of my favorites in my previous post, “Fuss Free Plants for Fall Planting”.
Today, I would like to show you the plants that I profiled on the show…
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Coral Fountain |
Coral Fountain (Russelia equisetiformis) has a lovely cascading form and produces vibrant red flowers spring through fall.
Maintenance: Prune back in March, removing frost-damaged growth.
Hardy to 15 degrees.
Plant in full sun or in light shade.
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Desert Ruellia |
Desert Ruellia (Ruellia peninsularis) is a medium-sized shrub with light green foliage and purple flowers that appear spring through fall. This shrub is a great alternative for Texas Sage because it does not grow as large.
Maintenance: Prune back to 1 1/2 ft. in early March. Avoid repeated pruning during the year. Allow it to grow into its natural shape.
Hardy to 25 degrees.
Plant in full sun and allow room for it to grow to its mature size of 4 feet wide.
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‘Phoenix’ Bird-of-Paradise |
Phoenix Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima ‘Phoenix Bird’) is the yellow form of Red or Mexican Bird-of-Paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). Gorgeous yellow flowers appear all summer long on these tropical shrubs.
Maintenance: Prune back to 1 ft. in winter.
Hardy to 15 degrees.
Plant in full sun, along a bare wall.

Hi Noelle, I just saw your no fuss plants on sonoran living and found my way to this post. I love the blue bells you mention. Is that one easy to find around the valley since it is fairly new? I don't see it in the handy dandy Landscape Plants for AZ Desert handbook. Do you know if it's slow, moderate, or fast growing?
Also, I had a question about the valentines. I had 3, and over the course of 5 years, they have all seemed to die on me. They were all about 3-4' x 3-4' shrub size. One under an oleander tree. (That one died last.) What seemed to have happened is after it flowered, a few months after, it just looked like it would slowly dry up and eventually die. Maybe I didn't water it enough? I guess I ask because I want to replant them, but don't really want them to die on me again. They didn't seem super hardy to me, but you are the expert, so I though I would ask.
It sounds like you're pretty busy, so if you ever get a chance to respond, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks for all your tips and stories!
Hello Traveling Seeds,
Great questions! The Blue Bells can be found at Whitfill or Treeland Nurseries (in Mesa). They are an Australian native and are a fairly new introduction to the plant palette. You can find more info about this plant here: http://www.mswn.com/plants/database/plant/eremophila-hygrophana-blue-bells-tm/
My guess is that your valentine did not get enough water, but it could also have been too much. Keep them away from Oleanders whose roots can make it hard for a new shrub to become established. For watering guidelines, check out http://www.amwua.org/watering.html
Good Luck!
Noelle
Thanks, Noelle! 🙂