Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blue Palo Verde
Blue Palo Verde is one of the two native palo verdes behind Arizona's state tree, and a go-to shade tree for big desert yards. It grows about 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, with blue-green branches that stay green even when the small leaves drop. In spring the whole canopy turns bright yellow, and the flowers draw bees. Once established it gets by on very little water, and it takes full sun and reflected heat.
Best for: filtered shade in large desert yards, spring color, bees and birds, and desert or wash-style landscapes with full sun and reflected heat.
Blue Palo Verde usually grows 20 to 30 feet tall and about as wide, with a rounded, spreading canopy. It casts light, filtered shade that helps protect patios and the plants under it from full sun and reflected heat. Give it a spot in a large yard or open area where the canopy has room.
In spring the canopy fills with bright yellow flowers, usually early to mid April in the Phoenix area. It blooms about three weeks ahead of foothill palo verde, so the two together stretch the yellow season.
The flowers draw bees and make plenty of nectar, and the canopy gives birds cover year round. In the wild it grows along washes and shelters young cactus under its shade, so it fits naturally in desert and wash-style yards.
It has short thorns on the twigs, which can be a problem next to walkways. Flowers and seed pods can drop heavy litter, so most people keep it back from pools. It does poorly in lawns, since shallow, frequent watering grows shallow roots that can let the tree tip over. Too much water pushes fast, weak wood that breaks in storms. It also needs more pruning than other palo verdes.
- Plant to plant20 ft or more apart
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month, and keep up deep, regular soaks for its first 3 years. Once rooted, it needs very little. An occasional deep soak at the canopy edge in the hot, dry season keeps it fuller.
Take off the nursery stake at planting, and stake only if the tree cannot stand on its own or sits in a windy spot. Use two stakes outside the root ball and soft, wide ties that let the trunk sway. Remove them after about a year.
Shape a young tree slowly over its first few years. Never take more than a quarter of the leaves in a year, and do not strip the inside branches bare. Avoid stripping the lower branches. Finish any thinning before monsoon season starts in mid-June.
Too much water grows fast, brittle branches that fail in monsoon storms. Water deeply but only now and then, so the wood grows strong.
Palo verde root borer grubs feed on the roots underground. Adults come out of large holes in the soil during the summer rains. A healthy, well-watered tree handles them best.
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 big does Blue Palo Verde get?
Usually 20 to 30 feet tall and about as wide, with a spreading canopy. Older trees with extra water can grow larger. It gets wide, so plan the space before you plant.
How fast does it grow?
It grows at a moderate to fast pace. Extra water in the hot season speeds up growth and fills out the canopy, which is why yard trees often get bigger than wild ones.
How far apart should I plant Blue Palo Verde?
Plant trees 20 feet or more apart, center to center. A single tree spreads 20 to 30 feet wide, so leave that much open space for the canopy.
Does Blue Palo Verde have thorns?
Yes. It has short, straight thorns where the twigs branch. They can be a problem near walkways, so set it back from paths and patios.
When does Blue Palo Verde bloom?
In the Phoenix area it usually blooms in early to mid April, and the whole tree turns bright yellow. It blooms about three weeks before foothill palo verde.
How much water does it need?
Very little once it is established. An occasional deep soak in the hot, dry season keeps it fuller. Water deep and slow at the edge of the canopy, not often and shallow. Too much water grows fast, weak wood that can break in storms.
Can I plant it in my lawn?
It is better not to. It can handle lawn watering, but the shallow, frequent watering grass needs grows shallow tree roots, and trees can tip over in storms.
Can I plant it near my pool?
Most people keep it back from the pool. In spring it drops a lot of flowers, then seed pods, and the twigs carry short thorns. A spot away from the water and walkways keeps cleanup easier.
How should I prune it?
It needs more pruning than other palo verdes because it spreads and grows lots of side branches. Remove dead wood and weak branches, and take no more than about a fifth to a quarter of the tree in a year. Avoid stripping all the lower branches.
What are the big beetles and holes around my palo verde?
Those are palo verde root borers. The large grubs feed on roots underground, and adult beetles come out of holes in the soil during the summer rains. Skip the sprays, since they are not recommended, and keep the tree healthy with deep, infrequent watering.
Should I get blue, foothill, or a thornless palo verde?
Blue grows larger and faster, with blue-green bark and bright yellow flowers. Foothill stays about 10 to 20 feet, grows slowly, and blooms pale yellow a few weeks later. The thornless crosses have no thorns, which suits spots near walkways.
Can Blue Palo Verde bother allergies?
Yes, it can. Its pollen can bother people with allergies, mostly while it blooms in spring.
Blue Palo Verde for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Palo Verde is a native Sonoran Desert tree with blue-green bark and a spring bloom that turns the whole canopy yellow. It gives filtered shade on very little water and feeds bees and birds. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size and water to pruning and palo verde comparisons.
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Blue Palo Verde, Arizona's state tree
Palo verde became Arizona's state tree in 1954, and the title is shared by blue palo verde and foothill palo verde. Blue palo verde grows naturally along desert washes and flood plains, and the name means green stick in Spanish.
How big does Blue Palo Verde get in Arizona?
Plan for about 20 to 30 feet tall and about as wide, with a rounded, spreading canopy. Growth is moderate to fast, and extra summer water makes it grow bigger and fuller. Give it a large yard or open area.
How often do you water a Blue Palo Verde?
Once it is established it needs very little, and one or two deep soaks through the hot, dry season help it look fuller. Water deep and slow at the edge of the canopy. Shallow, frequent watering and overwatering both lead to weaker trees.
Blue-green bark and leaves
Young branches are smooth and blue-green, which is where the name comes from. The small leaves drop in drought or cold, and the green bark keeps the tree making food while it is bare. Older trunks turn rough and gray.
Blue Palo Verde bloom, bees and wildlife
The whole tree turns yellow in spring, usually early to mid April around Phoenix. The flowers draw bees and make plenty of nectar. Birds use the canopy for cover, and the seed pods feed wildlife.
Blue Palo Verde vs Foothill Palo Verde
Blue is the bigger, faster tree, with blue-green bark and bright yellow flowers. Foothill stays about 10 to 20 feet, grows slowly, has yellow-green bark and paler flowers. Blue blooms about three weeks earlier.
Blue Palo Verde vs thornless palo verde
The most popular thornless palo verde is a natural cross with blue palo verde as one parent. It grows upright and fast with no thorns. Blue is the native species, with small thorns on the twigs.
How cold hardy is Blue Palo Verde?
It is hardy to about 10 to 20°F. Like other palo verdes, it can drop its leaves in cold, and the green bark keeps the tree going.
Witches broom on Blue Palo Verde
Witches broom shows up as dense clumps of short, thornless twigs, and it is common on blue palo verde in southern Arizona. It is spread by tiny mites and has no cure. You can prune the clumps out, cleaning pruners between trees, though they tend to grow back.
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