Are there any plants with lush foliage I can plant in the Southwest?
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I’m a transplant to the Southwest, having lived in Connecticut for nearly 20 years. I know this sounds silly—but can you recommend any Southwestern plants that have a bold, lush appearance? I have embraced cacti and succulents…but I do truly miss the texture that hostas, bergenia, and bigleaf hydrangeas provide.
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Welcome to the southwest! There are many plants that grow here that are showy and have a "tropical vibe." Red bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) is a large exotic-looking shrub with stalks of dramatic, vibrant flowers. Yellow bells (Tecoma stans) is an attractive shrub with large clusters of yellow flowers and bright green leaves. It looks tropical, but is native to the desert southwest. Cape honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis) has showy clusters of red-orange flowers and glossy dark green leaves that give this scrambling shrub a tropical vibe. Bougainvillea are woody vines that need little care and bloom profusely from spring through the first frost. There are many more but these should get you off to a good start!
Love the southwest! I share my time between the PNW - land of hydrangeas and lushness- and Northwest Arizona. We are a zone 7 so many plants are available that aren't cactus and succulents. It has been fun to learn new plants. Many types of Salvias, including leucophyllum fruitescens- shrubby Texas sage. I also love the wonderful Fairy duster - Calliandra eriophylla in my new garden. Have fun experimenting. I also have a section of my garden with shade most of the day and irrigation where I sneak in a hydrangea paniculata, sarcococca and astilbe.
Anyone still looking for suggestions? There are many more plants to consider that will thrive, look lush, and still not burden you with high water demands. (You will likely have a more tropical vibe than is customary in Connecticut, but that comes with the territory.) Consider also that it often comes down to how you pair your plants and where you position them. A proven technique is to gather the lush plants closer to the house, or where you might spend a lot of your time on a porch or patio, so the lush plants enhance each other. In such a setting, you could use Mexican fan palm or Mexican blue palm for enduring structure. Combine with Texas mountain laurel (Sophora secundiflora), Tecoma stans cultivars, a select dwarf citrus variety, thornless honey mesquite for light shade, bougainvillea for bright color, or dwarf callistemon like 'Captain Cook'. Drought tolerant climbers like cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) can also add a distinctly lush feeling. Mexican petunia is tough as nails but sports lush foliage and clear purple flowers in wet or dry settings, and the list goes on. A few containers with annuals or specimen plants nearby will further enhance the oasis effect, and you can still enjoy the succulent plantings a bit further out where they will require less care. Consider using some of the smaller eucalyptus in the background as well, like E. victrix with its stunning white trunks or E. torquata with its fluffy pink to coral flowers that lure in pollinators and hummingbirds!