Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Little Leaf Cordia
Little leaf cordia is an airy desert shrub with small gray-green leaves and bright white flowers from spring through fall, heaviest in late summer. It grows about 6 to 8 feet tall and a little wider.
It thrives in full sun and reflected heat off walls, and it needs little water once rooted. It can drop some leaves in hard cold or long drought, and it handles cold to about 15°F.
Best for: hot walls with reflected heat, informal screens and hedges, background shrubs, and low-water beds.
It thrives in full sun and handles reflected heat off walls and buildings. Plant it 8 to 12 feet apart along a hot wall.
It makes an effective informal screen or hedge that flowers white from spring through fall. Let it keep its natural shape.
It looks best planted in groups as a background or filler shrub in a desert yard. Birds, bees and butterflies visit.
Heavy pruning cuts down the flowers, and shearing ruins its loose shape. It can drop some leaves in hard cold or long drought.
- Informal screen8 ft apart
- Spaced shrubs12 ft apart
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks, then every 6 to 7 days, then every 7 to 10 days. By weeks 7 and 8, water about every 10 to 14 days.
Once rooted, water at least monthly in summer to keep it vigorous. It rarely needs water in winter.
Prune as little as possible, since heavy pruning cuts the flowers. A light head-back in late winter thickens it, but never shear 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.
How big does little leaf cordia get?
It grows about 6 to 8 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Plant it 8 to 12 feet apart.
When does little leaf cordia bloom?
It blooms white from spring through fall, most heavily in late summer. Prune as little as possible to keep the flowers coming.
Can little leaf cordia take reflected heat?
Yes. It thrives in full sun and handles reflected heat off walls and buildings.
How often should I water little leaf cordia?
Water new plants every few days at first, then stretch it out over about two months. Once rooted, water at least monthly in summer, and it rarely needs winter water.
Should I prune little leaf cordia?
Prune as little as possible, since more pruning means fewer flowers. A light trim in late winter thickens it, but never shear it.
Is little leaf cordia evergreen?
It keeps most of its leaves, but it can drop some in hard cold near 20°F or in long drought. It leafs out again when conditions improve.
How cold hardy is it?
It is rated to about 18°F. Leaves can drop near 20°F, so expect a thinner look after a cold snap.
Does it attract wildlife?
Yes. Birds, bees and butterflies visit, so it suits a wildlife-friendly desert bed.
Is little leaf cordia messy?
No. It drops very little litter, so it stays tidy as a screen or near a patio.
Little Leaf Cordia for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Little leaf cordia is a tough, flowering desert shrub for the hottest spots in the yard. This page covers size, spacing, watering, pruning and cold.
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.
Little leaf cordia in Phoenix
Little leaf cordia is a desert shrub with small gray-green leaves and white flowers from spring through fall.
Little leaf cordia for hot walls
It thrives in full sun and handles reflected heat off walls and buildings.
How far apart to plant little leaf cordia
Plant it 8 feet apart for an informal screen and 12 feet apart for spaced shrubs.
Watering little leaf cordia
Once rooted, water at least monthly in summer. It rarely needs winter water.
Pruning little leaf cordia
Prune as little as possible, since more pruning means fewer flowers.
Little leaf cordia in winter
It can drop some leaves near 20°F and is rated to about 18°F.
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.