When you live in a hot and sunny climate that rarely sees rainfall, such as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, or California, you have to be careful with the plants you choose to landscape your home. While you may not be able to successfully grow some species of trees common in the eastern United States, you can choose trees that are more suited to a desert-like climate. Here is a list of six trees you can find at any tree nursery. 

Museum Palo Verde

This hybrid is perfect if you want some fast shade. It grows quickly, and will eventually have multiple trunks, making the tree cast a wide shaded area. In the spring, it will be in full bloom with tiny yellow flowers. Both the foliage and the bark is a vibrant green. Unlike the original Palo Verde species, this hybrid doesn't have thorns to contend with.

Sissoo

This is an evergreen tree that is well-suited to areas that are hot and dry. It grows extremely quickly, resembling a Quaking Aspen tree in its form and shape. It has no problem handling extended periods of drought.

Tipu

The Tipu tree is able to withstand both very hot and cold temperatures, making it perfect for higher altitudes or desert areas that become very cold at night. They grow so fast you can almost watch them grow! In late spring, they will bloom with golden-colored flowers. They also require little water.

Willow Acacia

The tree is a native species from Australia. It resembles a weeping willow, with its long foliage draping down. The leaves a unique silvery blue appearance. It's very drought tolerant and quickly grows in hot climates.

Texas Mountain Laurel

This small tree may not grow as fast as the others, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in beauty. The tree never loses its leaves, and in the spring, it explodes with bright blue or purple showy flowers that last forever and smell heavenly. It is the perfect ornamental tree for desert areas.

Chitalpa

The tree is the child of the catalpa and desert willow. As a hybrid, it provides the best of its parents. As it has multiple trunks, it works very well as a wind break or living fence when planted close together in rows. Come spring, it produces large pink blooms that persist until autumn. It can withstand both drought and high temperatures. 

For more information, consider contacting a tree or plant nursery like Penngrove Nursery.

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