Native Plants for Full Sun in Arizona

Sun-loving native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs for the hot, bright, open parts of the yard that bake all afternoon. For Arizona, the right natives are shaped by Sonoran & Chihuahuan deserts, Mogollon Rim and a arid, hot low desert to cool high country climate. Every species below, from Desert Marigold and Pasque Flower to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to Arizona and the wider flora of the desert Southwest and hardy through zones 5–10. A spot with six or more hours of direct sun is prime real estate for the prairie and meadow natives that evolved in the open — most want exactly that much light to bloom hard and stand up straight. Give them lean, well-drained soil rather than rich and pampered, skip the fertilizer, and they will reward the tough love with more flowers and sturdier stems.

25 native species for Arizona

Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–10 · see this collection in other states.