Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Bubbalicious Desert Willow
Bubbalicious is a named selection of desert willow, the trumpet-flowered tree of Southwest desert washes. Desert willow blooms from spring into fall, and hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come for the nectar. It grows fast in full sun, handles the reflected heat off a hot wall, and gets by on little water once rooted. In winter it drops its leaves and lets the sun through.
Best for: summer color on a low-water tree, a hot west or south wall with reflected heat, or a garden for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
Desert willow carries trumpet flowers from spring into fall, a long run of color on a tree that gets by on little water. Plant it where it gets at least 6 hours of direct sun.
Plant it where it gets at least 6 hours of direct sun. It handles reflected heat, so a west or south wall works. The summer leaves shade that side, and the bare winter branches let the sun through.
Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come to the trumpet flowers. On desert willow the main pollinators are carpenter bees and bumblebees, and the bloom keeps going from spring into fall.
It drops its leaves and can stand bare for up to six months, roughly November to April. Too much water or soggy soil gives weak growth and fewer flowers, so water deeply and let it dry out in between.
- Row along a property lineAbout 20 ft apart
- Single tree, room to spread20+ ft from other trees
A new tree needs water every 1 to 2 days in summer for its first two weeks, or every 3 to 4 days when it is cool. Stretch that to about weekly by the second month, and keep watering deeply and regularly for about 3 years. After that, a deep soak out at the canopy edge about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is plenty.
Remove the nursery stake when you plant. If the tree leans or the spot is windy, set two stakes outside the root ball, with soft, wide ties that leave a little room to sway. Take the stakes out after about a year.
Clear suckers from the base to keep a clean trunk. Keep pruning to no more than a quarter of the canopy a year, and never thin out the middle so only branch tips are left. Finish any thinning before monsoon season starts in mid-June.
Too much water or soggy soil gives weak growth, fewer flowers and root rot. Deep soaks with dry spells in between suit it best.
Drops its leaves in winter and leafs out again in spring.
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.
What is Bubbalicious desert willow?
It is a named selection of desert willow, the native tree of Southwest desert washes. It has the same long, narrow leaves and trumpet flowers, so care for it the way you would any desert willow.
How big does a desert willow get?
Desert willow usually grows 15 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide, and water makes the biggest difference. Give it room, and plant a row about 20 feet apart.
How fast does it grow?
Desert willow grows fast when it gets water. Regular deep soaks in summer speed it up, and less water slows both growth and flowering.
Does it need much pruning?
Desert willows push suckers from the base, so clip those off to keep a clean trunk. To train it into a tree, remove the lowest limbs each spring until the trunk is as tall as you want.
How much water does Bubbalicious need?
Water deeply every 5 to 7 days the first year. Once rooted in, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter is enough. Extra summer water means more flowers.
Can it go against a hot west or south wall?
Yes. It handles reflected heat and needs at least 6 hours of direct sun. Leaves shade the wall in summer, and bare branches let the sun reach it in winter.
When does desert willow bloom?
It blooms from spring into fall. New leaves come out in late March or April, and the trumpet flowers follow soon after. Deep summer soaks keep the flowers coming.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies all come to the nectar. Carpenter bees and bumblebees do most of the pollinating on desert willow, so plant it where you can watch the flowers.
How cold hardy is it?
Desert willow is rated hardy to about 0°F, so Valley winters do not hurt it. It drops its leaves in late fall, so a bare tree through winter is normal and needs no care.
When does it leaf out in spring?
New leaves come in late March or April, and flowers follow soon after. Until then the tree is bare, often from about November, so wait for spring before you prune anything.
Should I fertilize my desert willow?
It usually does not need any. Feeding a desert willow can mean fewer flowers and weaker growth, so skip the fertilizer and water deeply instead.
What kind of soil does it like?
Sand, loam or clay all work if the soil drains well. Skip low spots where water sits, since soggy roots can rot.
Bubbalicious Desert Willow for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Bubbalicious Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis 'Bubbalicious') is a named selection of the desert willow, a tree of Southwest and northern Mexico desert washes. Desert willow blooms from spring into fall and handles full sun and reflected heat. This page covers watering, spacing, pruning, winter looks and cold.
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What does Bubbalicious desert willow look like?
It is a desert willow, with long, narrow, willow-like leaves and trumpet flowers from spring into fall. Desert willow usually grows 15 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide. Left alone it grows as a large shrub, and pruning turns it into a tree.
Named desert willow selections vs seed-grown trees
A seed-grown desert willow can flower anywhere from white to pink, lavender or deep maroon, and each tree is different. Bubbalicious is a named selection of the same tree. Both take the same sun, water and pruning.
Can desert willow take reflected heat in Phoenix?
Yes. Desert willow handles heat and reflected heat, and it fits a west or south side where you want summer shade. Give Bubbalicious at least 6 hours of direct sun for the best flowers.
How far apart to plant Bubbalicious desert willow
For a row along a property line, plant about 20 feet apart center to center so the canopies meet. For a single tree, leave 20 feet or more to the next tree. The spacing calculator can count trees for a row.
Watering a desert willow in the Valley
Soak it every 5 to 7 days the first year. After that, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter is enough. More summer water gives more flowers, but do not let the soil stay soggy.
Is desert willow a true willow?
No. It belongs to the catalpa and trumpet vine family. The name comes from its long, narrow, willow-like leaves. In the wild it grows along dry washes from about 1,500 to 5,000 feet.
Desert willow in winter: what to expect
Desert willow drops its leaves as nights near 30°F and can stay bare for up to six months. Leaves return in late March or April, with flowers soon after. It is rated hardy to about 0°F.
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