Christmas ChollaThe Desert's Most Festive Cactus Bright Red Winter Berries That Light Up Your Phoenix Landscape Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) is the most colorful winter accent cactus you can plant in the Phoenix Valley. This slender, pencil stemmed cholla produces clusters of brilliant red berries from fall through winter earning its holiday name. Native to the Sonoran Desert and completely adapted to extreme Arizona heat, Christmas Cholla thrives on

in caliche or any well-draining soil

This semi-evergreen climber is heat-tolerant

adding texture to a Mesa rock garden

it can be planted nearby as a backdrop accent if positioned upwind of the pool

Heavenly Bamboo is a classic choice for foundation plantings alongside homes and commercial buildings in Phoenix

Tough Native Wildlife Shrub With Year-Round Berries for Phoenix Birds

spineless agave that pairs well in mixed agave plantings

Foothill Palo Brea CCF — a desert-native flowering shade tree with brilliant yellow spring blooms and beautiful green bark

Edible Desert Garden

Alexandra Bougainvillea — Deep purple blooms on a vigorous vine

In Phoenix's long warm season this vine is one of the fastest coverage options available

monsoon rains (Jul–Sep) are welcome