Skip to content
Shrub · Zygophyllaceae Draft — unreviewed

Creosote bush

Larrea tridentata

Also called creosote bush, gobernadora.

Signature shrub of the warm deserts, with resinous olive leaves whose scent fills the air after rain. Needs no irrigation once established.

Size over time

Typical landscape size 1.2–2.4 m (4–8 ft) tall and 1.2–2.4 m (4–8 ft) wide; slow growth, about 10 years to maturity. Intermediate sizes use the planner’s growth curve (k = 0.12) from the #3 install size.

012mPlanting0.5 × 0.5 mYear 30.9 × 0.9 mYear 101.4 × 1.4 mMature1.8 × 1.8 m

Bloom

Yellow flowers, Mar–May (northern-hemisphere months; timing shifts with region and season).

Bloom calendar: months each plant is in bloom
PlantJFMAMJJASOND
Creosote bush : Mar–May

Design notes

  • Extra water makes it dense and green; withholding water keeps it open and sculptural.
  • Thin rather than shear.

Regions

Native range: Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.

Native to these OpenLandscape3D pilot regions:

Southwest

Native status describes where the species occurs naturally. It is not a promise that it suits a particular garden; site conditions decide that.

Related plants

Four-wing saltbush
Atriplex canescens · Shrub · 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft)
Fairy duster
Calliandra eriophylla · Shrub · 0.6–1 m (2–3 ft)
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis · Shrub · 1.8–3.6 m (6–12 ft)
Red twig dogwood
Cornus sericea · Shrub · 1.8–2.7 m (6–9 ft)
Texas mountain laurel
Dermatophyllum secundiflorum · Shrub · 3–4.5 m (10–15 ft)
Hop bush
Dodonaea viscosa · Shrub · 2.4–3.6 m (8–12 ft)

Plan with Creosote bush

Place it in a design, check it against your zone, light and moisture, and see it at year three and year ten.

Start designing Try a sample garden