Shrub · Sonoran native
Desert lavender
Condea emoryi · Lamiaceae
Also called: Bee sage
Desert lavender (Condea emoryi) is a very low-water shrub native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It grows to 6-10 ft H x 6-8 ft W (upright, open), with a moderate growth rate.
Desert lavender at a glance
- Water use
- Very Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun, including reflected sun and heat.
- Mature size
- 6-10 ft H x 6-8 ft W (upright, open)
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom
- Tiny lavender to violet-blue flowers, Long season, mainly spring (and intermittently nearly year-round with warmth and moisture).
- Cold hardiness
- Tolerates temperatures down to about 25 F; roughly USDA zone 9. Frost-tender at the tips; evergreen to semi-evergreen in mild winters.
- Soil
- Well-drained sandy, gravelly, or rocky desert soils; needs excellent drainage and tolerates lean, native soils.
- Native range
- Sonoran and Mohave Deserts of Arizona, southeastern California, southern Nevada, and northwestern Mexico (Sonora, Baja California); rocky slopes, washes, and canyons below ~3,500 ft.
- Best used as
- Pollinator/bee and hummingbird garden, Fragrant-foliage accent, Informal screen or background shrub, Natural desert and revegetation landscapes, Habitat plantings
- Wildlife
- Outstanding pollinator plant: a magnet for native and honey bees (a key desert honey source), butterflies, and hummingbirds. Provides cover and seeds for birds.
- Toxicity
- Not known to be toxic; aromatic foliage in the mint family.
How to grow Desert lavender in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Very drought tolerant once established; little to no supplemental water needed in Tucson. Water deeply and infrequently while establishing, then only occasionally in the hottest, driest stretches. Overwatering and poor drainage are the main killers.
Fertilizer & nutrients
None needed; this lean-soil native does not require fertilizer.
Pruning & care
Prune lightly to shape and to remove frost-damaged tips in spring after the danger of frost has passed; avoid heavy pruning into old bare wood. Tip-pruning encourages a denser, less leggy habit.
Notes
Botanical name updated from the long-used Hyptis emoryi to the now-accepted Condea emoryi; still widely sold under the old name. Grown for its soft, silvery-gray, intensely lavender-scented (sage-like) foliage and near-continuous tiny purple bloom. Frost can nip the tips in cold Tucson winters; site in a warm, well-drained spot.
Sources: AMWUA 'Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert' (Desert Lavender, Hyptis emoryi); POWO/Kew and Jepson eFlora (accepted name Condea emoryi); Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Tohono Chul / Tucson Botanical Gardens