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Description
planting honeysuckle in a pot Mexican Honeysuckle Phoenix, AZ | Justicia spicigeraPhoenix's Top Shade Tolerant Orange Bloomer Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) is one of the most versatile and colorful shrubs for Phoenix Valley landscapes. Clusters of bright orange tubular flowers bloom nearly year round, lighting up shady spots and sunny borders alike with warm, tropical color. This tough, drought tolerant shrub handles everything from full sun to heavy shade, shrugs off reflected heat, and requires minimal pruning or
Phoenix's Top Shade-Tolerant Orange Bloomer
Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) is one of the most versatile and colorful shrubs for Phoenix Valley landscapes. Clusters of bright orange tubular flowers bloom nearly year-round, lighting up shady spots and sunny borders alike with warm, tropical color. This tough, drought-tolerant shrub handles everything from full sun to heavy shade, shrugs off reflected heat, and requires minimal pruning or maintenance. Whether you're filling a shady north-facing wall in Scottsdale, adding hummingbird appeal to a Chandler courtyard, or softening a Gilbert fence line with year-round color — Mexican Honeysuckle is the reliable, low-fuss shrub that keeps delivering.
Mexican Honeysuckle Plant Details
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Justicia spicigera |
| Common Names | Mexican Honeysuckle, Orange Justicia, Firecracker Bush |
| Mature Height | 2–4 feet |
| Mature Width | 3–5 feet |
| Growth Rate | Moderate to fast — 1–2 feet per year in Phoenix |
| Sun | Full sun to full shade. One of the few shrubs that blooms in heavy shade. |
| Water | Low to moderate once established. Drought-tolerant. |
| USDA Zones | 8–11 (Phoenix is Zone 9b–10a) |
| Soil | Well-draining. Adapts to Arizona caliche and alkaline soils. |
| Foliage | Evergreen — lush green foliage stays full year-round in Phoenix |
| Bloom Color | Bright orange |
| Bloom Season | Year-round in Phoenix (heaviest spring and fall) |
Mexican Honeysuckle Uses in Phoenix Landscapes
Shade Garden Star
Mexican Honeysuckle is one of the very few shrubs that produces vibrant flowers in heavy shade. Plant it under trees, along north-facing walls, or in courtyard gardens that get minimal direct sun. It thrives where most other flowering shrubs struggle — making it essential for shady spots in Tempe, Mesa, and Paradise Valley.
Hummingbird & Pollinator Attraction
The bright orange tubular flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds year-round. Plant 3–5 shrubs along a fence line or around a patio seating area for constant hummingbird activity. Pair with Chuparosa, Firecracker Penstemon, and Yellow Bells for a complete hummingbird habitat.
Informal Hedge & Screen
Mexican Honeysuckle's dense, mounding growth habit makes it an excellent informal hedge or privacy screen at 3–4 feet. Plant 3 feet apart for a continuous green screen with orange blooms. It's especially effective along property lines, pool fences, and courtyard walls in Peoria, Glendale, or Goodyear.
Best Time to Plant Mexican Honeysuckle in Phoenix
Fall (October–November) is ideal — warm soil and cool air promote fast root establishment. Spring (February–April) is the second-best window. Mexican Honeysuckle establishes quickly and usually begins blooming within its first season.
How to Plant Mexican Honeysuckle
- Dig wide, not deep — 2–3x the root ball width, same depth
- Check for caliche — break through any hardpan layer for drainage
- Backfill with native soil — a light 20% organic blend is fine
- Spacing — 3 ft apart for hedge; 4–5 ft for individual specimens
- Water basin — build a 3–4 inch ring to direct water to roots
- Mulch — 2–3 inches of bark or gravel mulch to retain moisture
Watering Mexican Honeysuckle in Phoenix
First Year Watering Schedule
- Weeks 1–2: Every 2–3 days, deep and slow (20–30 min)
- Month 1–2: Every 3–4 days
- Month 3–6: Every 5–7 days
- After Year 1: Every 7–14 days summer; every 2–3 weeks winter
Drip Irrigation
Place one 2 GPH emitter 12–18 inches from the trunk. Mexican Honeysuckle appreciates slightly more water than ultra-xeric natives but is still very drought-tolerant once established.
Does Mexican Honeysuckle bloom in shade?
Yes — it's one of the few shrubs that flowers prolifically in full shade. Blooms may be slightly less dense in deep shade vs. part sun, but it still outperforms nearly every other option for shady spots.
Is Mexican Honeysuckle frost tolerant?
It can handle light frosts down to about 25°F. In unusually cold Phoenix winters, it may lose some foliage but recovers quickly in spring. Established plants are much more frost-hardy than young ones.
Does Mexican Honeysuckle attract hummingbirds?
Absolutely. The tubular orange flowers are a year-round hummingbird favorite — one of the best plants for keeping hummingbirds in your yard through winter when few other plants are blooming.
How big does Mexican Honeysuckle get?
Typically 3–4 feet tall and 3–5 feet wide. It responds well to periodic shaping but looks best when allowed to grow into its natural mounding form.
You May Also Like
- Yellow Bells — Bright yellow trumpet flowers. Stunning warm-color pairing with Mexican Honeysuckle's orange.
- Chuparosa — Another tubular orange bloomer for hummingbirds. Great desert native companion.
- Red Verbena — Low red groundcover to plant in front of Mexican Honeysuckle for layered color.
- Russian Sage — Cool lavender-blue contrast behind Mexican Honeysuckle's warm orange tones.
How Many Mexican Honeysuckle Do I Need?
With a mature width of 3 to 5 feet, space plants about 3.5 feet on center for a continuous informal hedge or shaded screen. Use the table below to estimate plant counts by run length.
| Hedge Run Length | Plants Needed (3.5 ft spacing) |
|---|---|
| 10 ft | 3 plants |
| 20 ft | 6 plants |
| 30 ft | 9 plants |
| 40 ft | 12 plants |
| 50 ft | 15 plants |
For a shade-garden mass or hummingbird drift, plant in odd-numbered groups of 3 to 5, spaced 3 to 4 feet apart. As a single accent in a courtyard or against a north wall, give each plant a 4 to 5 foot clear footprint.
Mexican Honeysuckle Season-by-Season in Phoenix
- Spring (Feb–Apr): Heaviest bloom flush of the year as days warm. Prime second planting window and the best time for a light shaping if needed.
- Summer (May–Sep): Keeps blooming through extreme heat, including in reflected-heat spots most flowering shrubs cannot take. In deep shade it stays lush and cool. Monsoon humidity (Jul–Sep) often triggers a fresh flush of orange.
- Fall (Oct–Nov): Prime planting season and a second strong bloom peak as temperatures ease. Roots establish fast in warm fall soil.
- Winter (Dec–Jan): Stays evergreen and often keeps blooming, feeding hummingbirds when little else flowers. It handles light frost to about 25°F but can drop foliage in a hard Valley freeze. Cover young plants on nights below 28°F; established plants recover quickly in spring.
At a Glance
✔ Hummingbird-Friendly ✔ Pollinator-Friendly ✔ Heat-Loving (Reflected-Heat Tolerant) ✔ Drought-Tolerant ✔ Evergreen ✔ Low-Maintenance ✔ Shade-Providing ✔ Cold-Hardy to 25°F
Plant It With
- Chuparosa: another tubular orange bloomer that keeps hummingbirds working both plants.
- Arizona Yellow Bells: bright yellow trumpets for a warm orange-and-gold color pairing.
- Firecracker Bush: red-orange tubular flowers that extend the hummingbird habitat.
- Desert Ruellia: cool purple flowers that contrast the warm orange tones in a low border.
Is Mexican Honeysuckle Right for Your Yard?
Mexican Honeysuckle is one of the rare shrubs that thrives in everything from full reflected-heat sun to deep shade, making it ideal for north walls, under-tree beds, and shaded courtyards in caliche soil that drains. Give it room for a 3 to 5 foot spread and it rewards you with near year-round orange color and steady hummingbird traffic. It is not the best fit if you want a crisp, tightly sheared formal hedge or need a plant that takes a hard Valley freeze with zero foliage loss.
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4.7 ★★★★★
Based on 16 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Best value/sound Sony Atmos Receiver especially w/2 Sony SW3 subs!!
Upgrading from 5.1 speakers on CNET's top AV 2014 receiver, the Sony STR-DN840, I was curious to see how far home theater sound had improved since buying my Sony receiver and Energy 5.1 speaker set up back in 2015. I first upgraded by adding 2 more speakers, the ELAC B6.2 Debut speakers as my front main speakers and moved my Energy speakers into a 7.1 height speaker configuration. This improved the sound, but only minimally. This is when I ordered this bad boy AN1000 as I also wanted to take advantage of Sony's S-Center Acoustic Speaker connection with my 77" Sony A80J OLED TV.
The sound was marketedly better - so much so that my usually nonchalant wife noticed the trickles of streams and birds watching an old anime movie, Ponyo, and was impressed! Basically, the upgraded Sony STR-AN1000 coupled with two additional quality speakers enabled a 7.1 systems that leveraged DTS:X Virtual surround sound as well as A.F.D. Movie mode that comes as close to Dolby Atmos without placing speakers in the ceiling directly above your primary seating position. Watch the first battle/landing boat scene in "Saving Private Ryan", and prepare to be immersed with bullets whizzing all around you!
Ignore sound bars and upfiring Atmos speakers that bounce off the ceiling as a quick online search will pull up numerous articles that state 1) Soundbars are inferior to AV systems (I can verify as I demoed a top of line Sony HT-A7000 at home) 2) upfiring Atmos speakers are hit or miss at best 3) Dolby's DTS:X combined with Sony's processor gives you the most immersive sound possible without installing downward firing ceiling Atmos speakers in a 5.1.2 Atmost configuration.
Having my Sony Bravia A80J S-Center synch along with my center speaker made understanding dialogue much more clear, and also enabled me not to have to crank up the overall volume as the STR-AN1000 makes adjusting each individual speaker volume as well as sound profile (equalizer) super easy.
I would also be remiss in not calling out the ability to either auto calibrate using the included microphone or manually calibrate as both are extremely easy to perform. I opted to do the manual calibration using a tape measure for greater precision, but the auto calibrate was quite good.
Get this STR-AN1000 especially when on sale or open box, and not only will you be rewarded - even your wife will comment on how much immersive sound improvement there is on even non Dolby Atmos movies!!
UPDATE: Purchased two Sony SW3 subs, here's an addenddum.
Head to head, the Sony SW5 is superior to the SW3 thanks to the SW5's both active and passive subs which are also larger than the SW3. HOWEVER, especially when purchasing open box, I was able to purchase TWO SW3's for less than either stand alone SW5 or on sale single SW3, and 2 subs definitely not only smooth out the bass, but makes your home stereo/cinema sound omni directional so there's no dead spots. My Sony STR-AN1000 easily synced with both SW3 subs (note - you cannot mix two different subs on the AN1000), and now my bass is smooth/even throughout my living room as I watch Dolby Atmos movies or listen to my favorite music genre on my PS5 Playstation CDs, Pandora, and Sirius XM.
Thus, if you only want one sub and best quality, go for the SW5 or a more reasonably priced wired sub. However, if you can get two subs, two SW3 are a no brainer especially when buying two heavily discounted open box speakers that can be readily tucked away.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024
★★★★★ 4
Superb, Crisp Surround Sound. A few issues.
INSTALLATION AND CALIBRATION
My previous Denon AVR which was older than 10 years did feature multi-channel sound separation but unfortunately may have had a capacitor fail because one of rear sound channels was no longer working and the AVR would go into a power-down/safe mode with flashing red power LED after a few minutes of use. Not really inclined to open the unit and attempt a self-repair involving soldering, I opted to upgrade the AVR to a newer Dolby Atmos-capable receiver, the Sony STR AN1000.
Installing the AN1000 into my existing home theater set up was relatively easy, if you don’t account for crawling and stretching out on the living room wood floor and reconnecting existing speaker wire and subwoofer connections. Once the speakers were all connected, I used the calibration microphone and stand that comes with the AN1000 to establish the relative sound fields for each of the speakers. The graphical user interface from the Sony receiver to my Sony 4k TV was quite helpful in double-checking the accuracy of the calibration settings, which were slightly off in a few cases – particularly the distance of the subwoofers to the TV which for some reason added about 12 feet when they were only about 2 feet from the TV. When calibrating the unit, it is important to have a measuring device to verify the distance and height of all of your speakers, the height of your TV screen and the height of your ceiling. My home theater set up is in my living room and adjacent dining room that together have a 19-ft cathedral ceiling, so the acoustics can be quite pleasing.
The other disconcerting thing about the graphical interface for the speaker setup was that it doesn’t give the user and option for smaller (bookshelf-sized) rear surrounds and only displays large speakers if your left and right surrounds are large. My front and side surrounds are large Sony tower speakers and given how my dining room is set up it doesn’t make sense to add additional tower speakers.
CONNECTING AN APPLE TV 4K – Lack of the Dolby Vision Support
I initially connected my AppleTV 4k set top box directly to the Sony AN1000 using an 8k-rated HDMI cable only to discover that the receiver would not pass through a Dolby Vision signal to the AppleTV 4k which display 4k SDR only. When I went online to see if this was a unique issue or whether other users had encountered this, I discovered that unfortunately this is a known issue that as far as I could tell that neither Sony nor Apple have yet to resolve. So, I was forced to reconnect the Apple TV 4k directly to the Sony TV once again. Sony claims to support Dolby Vision through the AN1000 but this is simply not the case unless there is a solution or work-around that they have published as of this writing that I have missed.
DISPLAYING THE SOUND FIELD BEING USED
The Sony AN1000 does have a nifty 360 Spatial Sound setting which comes in handy when watching older films whether they are streamed or from a Blu-ray player. That said whatever the current sound field being used is displayed on the front display panel of the receiver but is so small as to be unreadable especially considering that the user may be sitting some 10 feet away from the receiver and TV screen and not inclined to keep getting out of their chair to kneel down and get within a few inches of the receiver’s front display to see what the settings are.
Attempting to verify the sound field by using the included Sony remote for the receiver is not much help since it hardly ever displays the information. Using the Sony TV’s remote isn’t much better since the option in the audio setting it displays is “Dolby Audio” not “Dolby Atmos” or “Dolby Digital Plus” or other sound fields/codecs like “DTS”.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE - SOUND CLARITY AND SURROUND EFFECTS
Despite some of the aforementioned annoying user interface issues, the surround sound effects of the AN1000 when in Dolby Atmos or using the Sony 360 Spatial Sound setting is quite impressive and to my ear sounds much crisper than my previous Denon multi-channel AVR. Initially my subwoofers were putting out probably a bit too much thundering low frequency bass; so, I actually had to reset the levels on them down a bit. This was quite noticeable when playing the 4k UHD Dolby Atmos stream of Blade Runner, for example and some other action films with explosions and other pyrotechnics.
When playing the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz, you really do get the sense that wind is whipping around you from every corner of the room. Other films that have been adept at incorporating Dolby Atmos will sometimes startle the viewer with offscreen sound effects that was made by another character that soon makes an appearance. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are very good examples of this.
I also tested the AN1000 with different genres (classical, opera, jazz, rock) of music on Amazon Music and was quite pleased with the crisp, clear sound of instruments and vocals.
FINAL WORD
To say that the AN1000 has horsepower and can create a dynamic and immersive theater sound experience in an averaged-sized living room is an understatement. This is a feature-rich and powerful home theater receiver and for most living room/family room/bonus room situations, the Sony STR AN1000 will be more than suitable for what you will need to create an entertaining surround sound environment.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2024
★★★★★ 5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can see the stars and hear everything — this gazebo is now my favorite hangout spot! 😂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I can see the stars and hear everything — this gazebo is now my favorite hangout spot! 😂
We set this outdoor gazebo up in the backyard and instantly it became the place to be. Whether we’re grilling, chilling, or hosting friends, this thing gives major outdoor-living vibes — like a backyard living room but without the weird couches. It’s spacious, sturdy, and feels like we basically just added a new room to the house… outdoors.
The weather protection and shade are awesome — it keeps the sun off without making it feel like a cave, and when the breeze kicks in under the roof it’s chef’s-kiss perfect for summer evenings. We’ve got lights and music tucked under here, the whole patio feels like it finally has personality, and I swear we spend more time out here than in the living room now.
If you want a backyard setup that says “party, relaxation, and maybe a nap later,” this gazebo delivers. Big enough for company, easy to decorate, and it makes every outdoor moment feel way more intentional — like you meant to create an oasis out there.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Glad I pulled the trigger on this.
I was researching many similar A/V Receivers and reviews for all were about the same I felt. Some would keep the first one they bought (around 1k range or less) and others would return them and buy a different brand that was in the price same range.
I was able to buy this model for the cheaper price that has popped up at $565.94 (before tax). I read a review at Cnet Best AV Receivers for 2024. I normally use a grain of salt when reading reviews at sites like Cnet but since I couldn't find what I felt was a real end user consensus of go with this one not that one I then based my purchase off this line from the Cnet review "If you're spending under $1,000, there are four main receivers to choose from -- the Sony STR-AN1000, the Yamaha RX-V6A, the Onkyo TX-NR6100 and the Denon AVR-970H. All offer excellent performance, so the short answer about which to buy is whichever is available for the lowest price." That stuck with me since I did get this for cheaper than the Onkyo TX-NR6100 (a brand I would consider first).
If I had more in my budget I might have gone with the more expensive Onkyo TX-RZ50 due to it's great reviews as well but this Sony STR-AN1000 does have a bunch of future proof features that I wanted.
So far I am impressed with the Sony STR-AN1000 and have not seen any downside. I did pair this system with Klipsch Reference Series 5.2 Home Theater Pack with 2X R-625FA Floorstanding Speakers, R-52C Center Channel Speaker, 2X R-41M Bookshelf Speakers (as found on Amazon). That also comes with 1xReference R-12SW 12" Subwoofer. So far it has been great!
Based on my research I would recommend you buy Oxygen Free Pure Copper wire instead of slightly cheaper 2 Core Parallel (Stranded CCA) Copper Clad Aluminum Wire Strands (for example). The cheaper ones that aren't pure Copper that may not deliver as well. That is going to be based on your own personal experience but I suggest spend once for something and not twice.
I did not buy any banana clips to use with this receiver but I also forgot how much of a pain it can be unscrewing the caps and having to thread the speaker wire. SO I might suggest that if are on the fence about such a purchase.
We only use Blu-ray or internet based streaming options with our setup through a Chromecast Ultra. I tested my Blu-ray of Ghostbusters Frozen Empire. The intro with the thunder and lightning could be felt and heard just like what I would expect in real life using this receiver and speaker setup. The system has no issue sending 2160p 4K HDR content through to the TV and of course the 5.1, Dolby Atoms, etc through as stated for support in documentation.
I have not taken the system beyond a volume for 40 for testing different audio sources as I am breaking in the new speakers but the delivery really starts jumping up at about 34.
I decided to switch from using sound bar systems to a full A/V Receiver and proper speaker setup due to sound bar systems underdelivering (even at the higher prices) or killing themselves due to trapped heat (I am talking about my personal experience with LG). Yes the initial cost is more but there is a difference between hearing what you are watching and experiencing it and longevity of product.
I plan to keep this setup of mine for as long as possible and do not currently anticipate any need to replace short of conditions out of my control. I would recommend based on pricing or your personal preference of brands.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024
★★★★★ 3
TERRIBLE Home Theater AVR, Difficult to Use
TERRIBLE Home Theater AVR. I bought this based on the many very high level reviews and recommendations available on multiple sites. What a mistake. This unit is very difficult to use, and that is made even worse by Sony's BS proprietary insistence to not let their remotes work with any other brands of equipment except their own!
After setup, I find there is no default input selection after startup of the AVR, not even the commonly seen default to the last used input. What this means is that EVERY TIME I want to use any audio or video unit with this AVR, I must first use the AVR remote to select the input, THEN put it down and find a different remote to use for whatever unit I want to watch. What a PAIN in the rear!
The next totally unacceptable issue is that every time an input is changed, there are about 5 odd low-frequency thumps from the speakers - this has NEVER happened before with other AVRs and the same equipment, so this problem is very specif to this horrible amplifier.
Other irritants are that the AVR display shows many almost meaningless things that are of no particular value, but they have removed ALL indications of what speakers are currently active for whatever input is being received. In addition to that, this AVR does not properly decode some input types that it is supposed to support (based on using format-specific test files).
Another issue is that the input setting on my smart TV for this AVR does not stay Active while the TV is using a different input, despite the fact that the amplifier is always on, and the TV audio output IS constantly using the AVR for the speakers. This is somewhat related to the first problem I noted - since the TV does not think that the AVR is turned on, I cannot use the TV to select that input; I have to GO BACK to the nasty Sony remote just long enough to change inputs AGAIN, then put down that remote and switch to another. Again, I repeat that this behavior has NOT occurred with other AVRs tested in this Home Theater, only this one, and it makes life miserable. Even when I turn on a different connected device that uses HDMI Control to turn on the AVR, this brain-dead unit will NOT switch to that input after it powers on - I still have to manually make that switch with the Sony remote!
Another issue is the inability to use a normal coax or balanced FM antenna input on this receiver - they give you a little single wire antenna that uses a strange miniature plug that is totally worthless in my area - cannot pick up a single station! And there is no way to connect my outdoor antenna like I have been able to do with every other receiver!!!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2025