Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Arizona Yellow Bells Espalier
Arizona Yellow Bells Espalier is yellow bells started flat, so it spreads across a sunny wall or fence instead of growing into a round shrub. Clusters of bright yellow trumpets cover it from spring until the first frost. It thrives in full sun and the reflected heat off walls, where many plants struggle. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit the flowers.
Best for: a hot south or west wall that needs color, hummingbird gardens, and narrow beds where a full shrub would not fit.
It thrives in full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving. Trained flat, it turns a hot south or west wall into a sheet of yellow flowers.
Yellow trumpets bloom from spring until the first frost. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit all season.
As an espalier it stays flat against the wall rather than filling 6 to 10 feet of bed. Space plants about 6 to 8 feet apart along a long wall.
Leaves freeze around 25°F, and a hard freeze can kill it back to the roots. It grows fast, so plan on trimming shoots that grow away from the wall during the season.
- Along a wall or fence6-8 ft apart
- Single espalier panel8 ft from the next plant
Tie the main stems flat along wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall. During the season, cut back shoots that grow straight out from the wall.
Water every 3 to 4 days at first, easing to every 10 to 14 days by the second month. Once rooted, soak it every 1 to 2 weeks in summer and much less in winter.
Leaves freeze around 25°F and it can die back in a cold winter. Wait until late winter to cut frozen stems, then tie the new growth back along the wall.
Long seed pods follow the flowers. Snip them off to keep the espalier tidy and the flowers coming longer.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How do I keep yellow bells flat on a wall?
Tie the main stems along wires or a trellis set a few inches off the wall with soft plant tape. Cut back shoots that grow straight out during the season.
Can it take a west wall?
Yes. It thrives in full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving.
When does it bloom?
It blooms from spring until the first frost, with clusters of yellow trumpets. Snip off the long seed pods to keep flowers coming longer.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, give it a deep soak about every 1 to 2 weeks in summer and much less in winter.
What happens in a freeze?
Leaves freeze around 25°F, and a hard freeze can kill it back. The roots survive, so wait until late winter to cut frozen stems, then tie the new growth back along the wall.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come to the yellow trumpets from spring until frost.
How big does it get?
Grown free it reaches about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide. As an espalier you keep it flat and trim it to your wall.
Does it need fertilizer?
It does fine without fertilizer, and a light feeding in summer helps it put out more flowers.
Does it keep its leaves in winter?
It keeps most of its leaves in a mild Valley winter. A hard freeze can strip them, and new leaves come back in spring.
Is it messy?
It drops a moderate amount of litter, and the long seed pods add to it. Snipping off the pods keeps it tidier.
Arizona Yellow Bells Espalier for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Arizona Yellow Bells Espalier is Tecoma stans started flat for a sunny wall or fence. Below: training, reflected heat, bloom, water, frost and pods.
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Yellow bells espalier on a hot wall
It thrives in full sun and reflected heat, so it can be trained flat on a south or west wall.
Training Tecoma stans flat
Tie the main stems along wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall, and cut back shoots that grow straight out.
When do yellow bells bloom?
From spring until the first frost, with clusters of yellow trumpets.
Watering yellow bells
A deep soak every 1 to 2 weeks in summer once rooted, and much less in winter.
Yellow bells after a freeze
Leaves freeze around 25°F, so wait until late winter to cut frozen stems and retrain the new growth.
Yellow bells for hummingbirds
Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit the yellow trumpets from spring until frost.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.