Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Desert Museum Palo Verde
Desert Museum Palo Verde is a popular thornless shade tree for desert yards. It grows fast and upright to about 20 to 30 feet tall and wide, with smooth green bark and a light, filtered canopy. From March to May it covers itself in large yellow flowers, and with some summer water it can keep blooming off and on into summer. Once established it gets by on low water, and it takes full sun and reflected heat.
Best for: filtered shade over patios and yards, thornless shade near walkways and driveways, a long spring bloom for bees and butterflies, and hot yards with reflected heat.
It has no thorns, so it is easier to plant near walkways, driveways and patios than blue or foothill palo verde. It grows about 20 to 30 feet tall and wide and gives light, filtered shade over a patio or porch.
Large yellow flowers cover the tree from about March to May, and it blooms longer than the palo verdes it came from. With some summer water it can keep flowering off and on into summer. The flowers draw bees and butterflies.
It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls and pavement, and it is a common pick for parking lots and streetscapes. Plant it in well-drained soil. Once established it gets by on low water, with deep soaks spaced out through summer.
Fast growth can make weak wood and a top-heavy canopy, so storms can break limbs or topple trees. Overwatering makes the problem worse. The spring bloom drops a carpet of yellow flowers, so it is not a tree to hang over a pool. It needs regular pruning to stay strong in wind.
- Tree to tree20 ft or more apart
Once it is rooted in, give it a deep soak about 2 to 3 times a month in summer and about once a month in winter. Run the water out at the edge of the canopy, not at the trunk. Deep, spaced-out watering grows the deep roots that hold the tree up in wind.
Too much water pushes fast, weak wood and a top-heavy canopy. Those are the trees that lose limbs or blow over in summer storms. If the tree is growing very fast, cut back on water.
Prune before the summer storms start in mid-June. Thin out heavy or weakly attached branches so wind can pass through the canopy. Avoid heavy cuts in peak summer heat, which can sunburn the bark. Many people hire a certified arborist for this.
A young tree in a windy spot can use two loose stakes for its first season or so. Take them off once the trunk can stand on its own, and let deep watering build the roots that anchor it.
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.
Does Desert Museum Palo Verde have thorns?
No. It is thornless, which is a big reason people plant it near walkways, patios and driveways instead of blue or foothill palo verde.
How big does it get?
Usually about 20 to 30 feet tall and about as wide. Some trees spread even wider, so plan the space before you plant.
How fast does it grow?
Fast, especially with regular water in its first few years. Too much water pushes fast, weak growth, so water deep and not often once it is established.
How far apart should I plant Desert Museum Palo Verde?
Plant trees about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. Each tree spreads 20 to 30 feet wide, so leave that much open space for the canopy.
When does it bloom?
It blooms mainly from March to May, with large yellow flowers. It blooms longer than the palo verdes it came from, and with some summer water it can flower off and on into summer.
How much water does it need?
It needs low water once it is rooted in. A deep soak about 2 to 3 times a month in summer and about once a month in winter is common. Water out at the edge of the canopy, not at the trunk.
Why do Desert Museum Palo Verdes break or blow over in storms?
Its fast growth can make weak wood and a top-heavy canopy, and overwatering makes that worse. Deep, less frequent watering and thinning the canopy before the summer storms help it stand up to wind.
How and when should I prune it?
Prune before the summer storms start in mid-June. Thin out heavy or weakly attached branches so wind can pass through. Skip heavy cuts in peak summer heat, which can sunburn the bark. Many people hire a certified arborist.
Does it need staking?
Young trees can use stakes in windy spots. After that, deep watering helps it grow deeper roots that anchor it against wind.
Can I plant it near my pool?
Most people keep it back from the pool. The spring bloom drops a lot of yellow flowers. It has no thorns and drops few seed pods, so the cleanup is mostly flowers.
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 quarter-size holes in the soil during the summer rains. Keep the tree healthy with deep, infrequent watering, since healthy trees handle them better.
How does it compare with blue palo verde, foothill palo verde and palo brea?
Blue, foothill and Mexican palo verde are its three parents. Blue, foothill and palo brea all have thorns and drop more seed pods. Foothill stays about 10 to 20 feet and grows slowly. Desert Museum Palo Verde is thornless, grows fast and blooms longer.
Desert Museum Palo Verde for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Desert Museum Palo Verde is a thornless palo verde cross with smooth green bark, fast upright growth and a long spring bloom of large yellow flowers. It gives filtered shade on low water once established. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, water and pruning to how it compares with blue palo verde, foothill palo verde and palo brea.
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Desert Museum Palo Verde, a thornless palo verde cross
Desert Museum Palo Verde is a cross of three palo verdes: blue, foothill and Mexican. It first came from Tucson, and it is not grown from seed, so every tree keeps the same traits. It grows upright with smooth green bark and no thorns.
How big does Desert Museum Palo Verde get in Arizona?
Plan for about 20 to 30 feet tall and about as wide. Some trees spread wider than that. Space trees about 20 feet or more apart, and leave open space for a canopy 20 to 30 feet wide.
How fast does Desert Museum Palo Verde grow?
It is a fast grower, quickest with regular water in the first few years. Too much water pushes weak growth, so back off once the tree is established.
How often do you water a Desert Museum Palo Verde?
Once established, a deep soak about 2 to 3 times a month in summer and about once a month in winter is common. Water out at the edge of the canopy, not at the trunk. Deep, spaced-out watering grows roots that anchor the tree.
Why Desert Museum Palo Verdes break in monsoon storms
Fast growth can make weak wood and a top-heavy canopy, and overwatering makes it worse. Thinning heavy or weak branches after the spring bloom and before the summer storms lets wind pass through. Many people hire a certified arborist for it.
Desert Museum Palo Verde bloom, bees and butterflies
Large yellow flowers cover the tree from about March to May, and the bloom lasts longer than on its parent palo verdes. With some summer water it can flower off and on into summer. The flowers draw bees and butterflies.
Desert Museum Palo Verde vs Blue and Foothill Palo Verde
Blue and foothill palo verde are native, thorny, and drop heavy seed pods. Foothill stays about 10 to 20 feet and grows slowly. Desert Museum Palo Verde is thornless, grows fast, drops few seed pods and blooms longer than either one.
Desert Museum Palo Verde vs Palo Brea
Palo brea grows about 15 to 30 feet tall and wide, with thorns and seed pods that can make a mess when they drop. Desert Museum Palo Verde is thornless and drops few seed pods, which suits spots near walkways.
How cold hardy is Desert Museum Palo Verde?
It is rated hardy to about 10 to 15°F. Like other palo verdes, it can drop its small leaves in cold or drought, and the green bark keeps the tree going while it is bare.
Witches broom on Desert Museum Palo Verde
Witches broom shows up as dense clumps of short twigs on palo verdes. It is caused by a virus spread by tiny mites, and the virus has been found in this tree too. Nothing cures it, but you can prune out the clumps, though they tend to grow back.
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