Trailing indigo bush

Dalea greggii

Description

The trailing indigo bush is a low growing evergreen shrub, 12-18 in. high, spreading 5-10 ft. wide. Dense silvery green foliage is comprised of pinnately divided leaves; numerous heads of purple flowers provide modest accent value in early spring to summer.

This species is native to southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Mexico where it grows in rocky limestone soils, in sunny exposed areas and tolerates heat, sun, aridity and drought. It is one of the best long-lived ground covers for southwestern style gardens for use on banks, cascading over walls and in combination with mesquite and palo verde trees. It grows quickly while retaining a dense foliage character and spreading habit.

Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Spreading, Dense
Growth Rate: Long-lived, Fast
Foliage Color: Blue green, Gray green
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Season: Summer, Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Calcareous soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Attracts butterflies
Height: 12 in. – 18 in.
Width: 5 ft. – 10 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 2

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 2 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another two weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
To save water, in many cases you can go longer in between waterings during the winter, often up to 3-4 weeks between watering for well-established plants. Two weeks after watering, check the soil approximately 4” below the surface. If it is still significantly moist, you can wait longer before watering again.
In most cases, if you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, you may use these features to save some water in in the fall and winter. If you are using automatic weather adjusting functions, continue to allow the timer to run every two weeks. It will adjust the number of minutes it runs to account for the cooler weather.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Requires very minimal maintenance is spaced properly. Trim or edge back as desired in late winter or early spring before flowers open (D). This plant gets very wide and will ramble over other nearby plants if allowed to. Plant in a space that can accommodate its mature size or plan to prune it back consistently. If multiple trailing indigo bush plants are planted closer together than their full size, they will ramble over each other and grow to a taller height (S). References

Plant Lists

Flowering Shrubs

View list

Trailing indigo bush

Description

Watering Schedule: Low 2

Important Notes

Plant Lists

Flowering Shrubs

Plant Finder

Garden Designs

Helpful Lists