Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Green Desert Spoon
Green Desert Spoon forms a full, round rosette of long, narrow, bright green leaves, each ending in a small tuft of fibers. It grows slowly to about 5 to 6 feet tall. Mature plants send up flower stalks 8 to 15 feet tall with creamy white flowers that bees visit. It takes full sun and reflected heat and needs little water once rooted. It works as a specimen or accent plant, in the ground or in a large pot.
Best for: a bright green specimen or accent, hot beds with reflected heat, large containers, and barrier plantings.
The bright green rosette reaches about 5 to 6 feet and holds a full, round shape without trimming. It works as a specimen or accent plant in a desert yard.
It takes full sun and reflected heat. Once rooted, it gets by on a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and little or none in winter.
It grows well in a large pot, where it makes a bold accent plant. Use a pot and soil that drain freely.
The leaf edges carry hooked teeth, so keep it back from walkways and seating. Roots can rot in soil that stays wet.
- Closer planting8 ft apart, center to center
- Wider planting12 ft apart, center to center
Once rooted, give it a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer, and water sparingly, if at all, in winter.
It should never be sheared. Old leaves can stay as a skirt or be removed, and spent flower stalks can be cut off.
It is rated to about 15 to 20°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth that reaches the ground on hard freeze nights.
The leaf edges carry hooked teeth. Wear gloves and long sleeves when you plant it or clean up old leaves.
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 Green Desert Spoon get?
It grows slowly to about 5 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, forming a short trunk over time. Flower stalks rise 8 to 15 feet.
How far apart should I plant Green Desert Spoon?
About 8 to 12 feet apart center to center, with 4 to 6 feet of room for each plant. The Spacing tab shows both numbers.
What are the fibers on the leaf tips?
Each long, narrow leaf ends in a small tuft of fibers.
Are the leaves sharp?
The leaf edges carry hooked teeth. Keep it back from walkways, where the teeth can catch skin and clothing.
When does Green Desert Spoon bloom?
Late spring to summer, once the plant is about 7 to 10 years old. Creamy white flowers open on stalks 8 to 15 feet tall, and bees visit them. The plant does not die after blooming.
How often should I water Green Desert Spoon?
Once rooted, give it a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and little or no water in winter. Soil that drains well matters most.
How cold hardy is Green Desert Spoon?
It is rated hardy to about 15 to 20°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth on hard freeze nights.
How do I trim it?
It should never be sheared. Old dead leaves can stay as a skirt or be removed, and spent flower stalks can be cut off, which is all the trimming it needs.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It does well in a large pot with soil that drains freely.
Why do some plants flower differently?
Green Desert Spoon has separate male and female plants, and each plant carries only one kind of flower.
How is it different from Desert Spoon?
Green Desert Spoon has bright green leaves with fiber-tufted tips. Desert Spoon has silver-blue leaves and is rated hardy to about 0°F. Both have hooked teeth on the leaf edges.
Green Desert Spoon for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Green Desert Spoon is a sotol from the Chihuahuan Desert and central Mexico. It grows a round rosette of bright green leaves tipped with fibers, takes full sun and reflected heat, and gets by on little water. This page covers its size, spacing, bloom, watering and trimming, and how it differs from the silver-blue Desert Spoon.
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 Green Desert Spoon get in Arizona?
It grows slowly to about 5 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Flower stalks reach 8 to 15 feet on mature plants.
How far apart do you plant Green Desert Spoon?
Plant them about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center. Each rosette needs 4 to 6 feet of room.
Green Desert Spoon vs Desert Spoon
Green Desert Spoon has bright green leaves that end in tufts of fibers. Desert Spoon has silver-blue leaves and takes colder winters, to about 0°F. Both are slow, low-water sotols with hooked teeth on the leaves.
How often do you water Green Desert Spoon in Phoenix?
Once rooted, give it a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer and little or no water in winter. Roots can rot in soil that stays wet.
When does Green Desert Spoon bloom?
Plants start blooming at about 7 to 10 years old, in late spring to summer. Creamy white flowers open on tall stalks, and bees visit them. The plant keeps growing after it blooms.
How to trim Green Desert Spoon
It should never be sheared. Old dead leaves can stay as a skirt or be removed for a cleaner look, and spent flower stalks can be cut at the base.
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