Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Desert Willow
Desert Willow is the classic seed-grown tree of Southwest desert washes, loved for its frilly trumpet flowers from spring into fall. Because each tree comes from seed, flower color runs from white and pale lavender to pink and deep maroon. Hummingbirds and big native bees visit the blooms all season. It grows fast on low water into a light, airy tree with long narrow leaves.
Best for: a native flowering tree for a hummingbird and bee garden, or light summer shade on a hot west or south side that opens up to winter sun.
Flowers open soon after the leaves come out in late March or April and keep going into fall. Once it is rooted in, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer carries it.
Hummingbirds work the trumpet flowers, and carpenter bees and bumblebees are the main pollinators. Butterflies stop by too, and the flowers keep coming from spring into fall.
The long narrow leaves give light, filtered shade. It handles heat and reflected heat, so it can go on a west or south side. The leaves drop in winter and let the sun back in.
It hangs brown seed pods 4 to 10 inches long that can cling through winter. It can stand bare for up to six months. Root suckers need regular trimming, and soggy soil leads to weak growth.
- Row with branches meetingAbout 20 ft apart
- Trees with room to spread25 ft 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, soak it 2 to 3 feet deep at the canopy edge about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter.
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.
Left alone it grows as a large shrub. For a tree shape, remove base suckers and the lowest limbs in spring. Never take more than a quarter of the leaves in a year, and do not strip the inside branches bare. 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.
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 color are desert willow flowers?
It depends on the tree. Seed-grown desert willows run from white to pink, lavender and deep maroon, with pale lavender or pink the most common. If you want a set color, choose a named variety like Sweet Bubba.
Does desert willow make seed pods?
Yes. After the flowers it sets long, thin brown pods about 4 to 10 inches long. Many stay on the branches through winter. You can clip them off whenever you like.
How is this different from Sweet Bubba or Bubbalicious?
This is the regular seed-grown desert willow, so flower color varies and it makes pods. Sweet Bubba is a seedless variety with magenta flowers. Bubbalicious is another named selection of the same tree.
How fast does desert willow grow?
It grows fast when it gets water, and with regular summer water it can put on 2 to 3 feet a year. Water it less and both growth and flowering slow down.
How big does a desert willow get?
Most reach about 15 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide, and water makes the biggest difference. Left alone it grows as a large shrub with several stems. Pruning turns it into a tree.
How often should I water a desert willow?
Soak it deeply every 5 to 7 days for the first year. After that, deep water every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and about once a month in winter. More summer water gives more leaves and flowers.
When does desert willow bloom?
New leaves come out in late March or April, and flowers follow soon after. It keeps blooming through summer and into fall, and deep summer soaks keep the flowers coming.
My desert willow has no leaves. Is it dead?
A bare desert willow in winter is normal. It drops its leaves in late fall and can stay bare for up to six months, roughly November to April. Wait for new leaves in spring before you prune anything.
How cold hardy is desert willow?
It is rated hardy to about 0°F, and it grows wild in washes up to about 5,000 feet. Valley winters are no problem, so it needs no frost cover.
Does desert willow attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds come for the trumpet flowers, carpenter bees and bumblebees do most of the pollinating, and butterflies visit as well. Deep summer soaks keep the flowers, and the visitors, coming into fall.
How do I prune a desert willow into a tree?
Each spring, take off the lowest limbs and the suckers from the base until the trunk is as tall as you want. One trunk or several both work. Keep pulling suckers, or it heads back toward a shrub.
Does it need fertilizer or special soil?
No. Feeding is usually not needed, and it can mean fewer flowers. Sand, loam or clay all work as long as water drains. Avoid spots where water sits.
Desert Willow for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is a fast native tree of Southwest desert washes, grown from seed. Its trumpet flowers open from spring into fall in colors that vary from tree to tree. This page covers size, spacing, watering, pruning and winter looks for a Valley yard. It also shows how it compares with Sweet Bubba and Bubbalicious.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does a desert willow get in Arizona?
Plan on about 15 to 30 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet wide. Trees with more water grow bigger, and dry ones stay smaller. Without pruning it grows as a big multi-stem shrub.
What color are desert willow flowers?
Seed-grown trees vary in color. Flowers can be white, pink, lavender or deep maroon, and pale lavender or pink is the most common. The color stays the same on each tree from year to year.
Desert willow vs Sweet Bubba and Bubbalicious
The regular desert willow is grown from seed, so color varies and it hangs pods 4 to 10 inches long. Sweet Bubba makes no seed and has magenta flowers. Bubbalicious has burgundy flowers and very few pods.
How far apart do you plant desert willow?
For a row with branches meeting, space trees about 20 feet apart center to center. For trees with room to spread fully, give each one 25 feet. The spacing calculator on this page works out the count.
How often should you water a desert willow in the Valley?
Water deeply every 5 to 7 days the first year. Once it is rooted in, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is enough. Too much water gives weak growth and fewer flowers.
When does desert willow bloom in Phoenix?
It leafs out in late March or April, and the first flowers follow soon after. Blooming carries on through the summer and into fall. It then drops its leaves in late fall and rests bare for the winter.
Is desert willow a real willow?
No. It belongs to the catalpa and trumpet vine family. The name comes from its long, narrow leaves. In the wild it lines desert washes from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico.
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.