Trailing Indigo Bush
Dalea greggii
A native groundcover with silvery foliage and lavender-purple spring blooms, excellent for erosion control on slopes.
A low-desert native hardy in USDA zones 8-11, evergreen and unfazed by heat, tolerating brief frosts to about 10-15°F with only minor foliage bronzing.
AMWUA Notes
One of the lowest-water groundcovers on the AMWUA list and a top choice for slope stabilization in native desert plantings.
Care Guide
Once established this is one of the most drought-tolerant groundcovers available, needing water only every 3-4 weeks in summer and almost none in winter; overwatering causes rot and legginess.
Lightly shear trailing stems in spring to keep the mat dense and within bounds; avoid hard cutting into bare woody centers, which are slow to regrow.
A nitrogen-fixing native that needs no fertilizer; feeding produces floppy, short-lived growth.
Trouble-free except for root and crown rot in heavy, poorly drained, or overwatered soils.
Silvery evergreen foliage carries lavender-purple flowers spring into summer; foliage may bronze slightly in hard cold but rarely dies back.
Soil, Feeding & Propagation
Native to rocky, gravelly, decomposed-granite and calcareous desert soils; demands lean, sharply drained ground and resents rich or clay soils.
Needs sharp, fast-draining soil.
None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.
Scarified seed or semi-hardwood cuttings; also layers naturally where trailing stems touch soil.
4-6 ft on center for slope coverage
Roots knit slope surfaces for erosion control and are not invasive; keep the crown away from turf overspray and lawn edges, which cause rot.
Placement Tips
- •Space 4-6 ft apart on decomposed-granite slopes for excellent erosion control as roots knit the surface.
- •Perfect draping over boulders, retaining walls, and dry-stream banks in native and desert-modern designs.
- •Demands full sun and sharp drainage; avoid turf edges and lawn overspray that will rot the crown.
- •Give it room to spread 6 ft; keep back from walkways so you are not constantly shearing.
Features
Best Uses
Ecological Value
Attracts
Wildlife Value
Companion Plants
Quick Stats
Design Styles
Include in Your Project
Love Trailing Indigo Bush? Our landscape team sources from wholesale nurseries and can incorporate it into your design.
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Use this care guide to maintain your Trailing Indigo Bush. Questions about your landscape? Reach out anytime.
Data from 2024 AMWUA “Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert” guide.