A soft, airy native shrub from southeastern Arizona with fine, silvery leaves and clusters of purple flowers through late winter and spring. It brings color when most of the garden is resting and gets by on little water.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub schedule in our Landscape Care guide; as a true desert native, it should be kept lean. Water sparingly in summer. Too much water makes it drop leaves, and poorly drained soil leads to root rot.
Pruning
Shape it with hand pruners after bloom rather than shearing, which spoils its loose, natural form. If it must be sheared, do it rarely and lightly.
Soil
It needs good drainage. Rocky or gravelly soil suits it best.
How our designers use it
Winter color
Its purple bloom fills the gap between fall and the spring rush of desert color.
Silver texture
Its fine, silvery foliage softens agaves, barrels and boulders, and it contrasts well with the gray leaves and yellow flowers of brittlebush.
Room to spread
It is sized for medium to large beds where it can grow into its natural, rounded shape.
Good to know
Around the pool
Low litter and no thorns. Bees visit while it blooms, so give it a few feet of space from the water.
