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City guide · Zone 9b

What to plant in Tucson, Arizona

A full-sun bed in Tucson: Upright rosemary 'Tuscan Blue', Adam's needle yucca 'Color Guard', Threadleaf coreopsis 'Moonbeam', Butterfly weed, Hardy ice plant. Zone 9b, last frost around Feb 20.

Sonoran Desert with summer monsoon rains. Desert natives thrive.

Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.

Tucson, Arizona at a glance

Hardiness zone (2023 USDA)
9b (ZIP 85701)
Typical last spring frost
Feb 20
Typical first fall frost
Nov 30
Spring planting window
late February to mid-April
Fall planting window
late October to mid-December
Annual rainfall (approx.)
12 in

Frost dates are typical metro values, not forecasts. Extreme summer heat and very low rainfall are the limiting factors; the zone number says nothing about either. Our lists for Tucson use the rules for the Desert Southwest.

Zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 (USDA Agricultural Research Service; data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University). ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), CC BY 4.0.

A full-sun bed in Tucson

6 or more hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.

12 × 6 ft · Zone 9b · 6+ hours of sun · Low-water

Kinds

5

Plants

30

Coverage

92%

Gravel

0.44 cu yd

Gravel or decomposed granite: 0.44 cu yd at 2 in deep (6 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 92% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.

A part-shade bed in Tucson

2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.

Our plant table doesn't have enough plants for this yet: it can't fill a full bed for 2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun in zone 9b.

A shady bed in Tucson

Under 2 hours of direct summer sun, 12 × 6 ft.

Our plant table doesn't have enough plants for this yet: it can't fill a full bed for under 2 hours of direct summer sun in zone 9b.

Guides for zone 9

Questions and answers

What hardiness zone is Tucson, Arizona in?
Central Tucson (ZIP 85701) is in zone 9b on the 2023 USDA map: the coldest night of an average winter falls between 25°F and 30°F. Suburbs can be half a zone colder.
When is the last frost in Tucson?
Typically around Feb 20 in spring and Nov 30 in fall. These are typical dates; any one year can be two weeks earlier or later.
When should I plant shrubs and perennials in Tucson?
In spring, late February to mid-April; in fall, late October to mid-December. Fall planting gives roots a cool, moist season to settle before summer.
How many plants do I need for a 12 × 6 ft bed in Tucson?
Our full-sun bed list for Tucson uses 30 plants of 5 kinds, plus 6 bags of mulch.

How this page was made

This page was generated from FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules: the rules engine composed each list for the city's 2023 USDA zone, its region's summers and its state's invasive lists. The frost dates and rainfall are approximate metro values. No person or chat model chose these plants, and no named expert has reviewed this page.

Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.

Sources

  • Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
  • ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
  • Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
  • State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
  • Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
  • USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Data by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University.
  • ZIP code to state data: GeoNames (geonames.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants