Hello:

I live in the desert (Tucson) and wanted to plant large privacy shrubs in my yard. I ended up buying photinias for $20 at Lowes. They're on the north (direct sun exposure) and south sides (partial shade) of my yard. The plants on the south side are growing beautifully and partially shaded by the wooden fence. The ones on the north side are anemic looking, have severe burns on the leaves, etc. I was wondering whether there was a way to increase their resistance to sun burn besides putting something in front of them. I thought about planting something in front of them to give them some shade, but I am wondering if they would always have to be shaded or if they'd grow more tolerant as they got larger. They're about two feet tall and been in the ground about a year. I did fertilize them, which was probably a mistake.

I have to water them every day.