My Favorite Tree
Mastic Tree
Pistacia Lentiscus
One of my favorite small trees is simply a unique looking and tough tree. It grows in an irregular shape to about 15 to 25 feet high and as wide and looks very similar to a Brazilian Pepper Tree. The Mastic Tree is very heat and cold tolerant, it can take our 115-degree Phoenix summers or a 20-degree winter morning. It is also most likely the cleanest tree you can plant here, so perfect for around a pool. It’s my “go to” tree for small, clean and hardy.
Ernie Moeck, Owner/President
Native Landscape & Design, Glendale, AZ
(602) 619-2925 • nativelandscape.net
My Favorite Shrub
Blue Bells
Eremophila hygrophana ‘Blue Bells’
This plant definitely delivers. With soft gray green foliage and showy purple flowers that bloom most of the year, Blue Bells grow to about 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Its compact size makes maintenance a breeze; once established it rarely needs pruning. This versatile plant can take many roles in your garden: attracting hummingbirds, creating a striking contrast against darker foliage and providing year-round color and interest to name a few. All this and cold hardy to 20 degrees.
Kim Arevalo, RLA, Owner
Evolve Design Studio, Phoenix, AZ
(602) 490-8044 • evolve-ds.com
My Favorite Ground Cover
Rain Lily
Zephyranthes Spp.
These 12” x 12” beauties contain a stunning surprise. Normally a soft clump of ornamental grass, but, when the humidity increases and sprinkles come, this ornamental explodes with soft pink, white, yellow, or apricot flowers. This cycle starts late spring and finishes at the end of fall. Since they prefer some shade in the low desert, I love to plant them under a desert tree, tucked in and amongst boulders where every sprinkle delivers a fresh, surprising, bouquet of flowers!
Michael Hunton, PLA, ASLA
Langan, New Haven, CT
(952) 474-9500 • langan.com
