Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Palo Brea
Palo Brea is a palo verde with smooth, lime-green bark and a twisting, umbrella-shaped canopy that reads like living sculpture. It grows 15 to 30 feet tall and usually spreads wider than it is tall. In mid to late April the whole tree turns yellow with fragrant flowers. Once established it needs little to no extra water, and the green bark keeps it looking alive even when the leaves drop.
Best for: a sculptural focal tree, spring color with year-round green bark, and filtered shade in large desert yards.
Its smooth green trunk and branches twist and change direction as it grows, giving it a more picturesque form than other palo verdes. It spreads 15 to 30 feet, usually wider than it is tall. Give it open space where the silhouette shows and the crown will not need cutting back.
The bark photosynthesizes and stays green, so the tree looks alive even after it drops its leaves in cold or drought. In mid to late April the whole tree, and the ground beneath it, turns yellow.
Older trees make good filtered shade, and the flowers feed native bees and butterflies while the canopy gives birds nesting cover.
It is not a street, parking lot or tight-yard tree, since its wide, drooping crown needs heavy pruning when space is limited. Young stems carry small spines, so keep it back from walks and play areas. Overwatering causes weak, fast growth that can fail, and flowers and pods drop a lot of litter. Foliage can be damaged below about 25°F.
- Tree to tree20 ft or more apart
Right after planting, soak it every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in the cooler months. By the second month, aim for about once a week in summer, and keep regular deep soaks going for about 3 years. Once rooted, it needs little extra water. At most, give it a soak 2 to 3 feet deep at the canopy edge about once a month in summer and in winter.
The nursery stake comes off at planting, and stakes go in only if the tree cannot hold itself up or wind is a problem. Two stakes outside the root ball, soft ties, and a little sway build a stronger trunk. Remove them in about a year.
Shape a young tree slowly over its first few years. Remove no more than a quarter of the canopy in a year, and never strip the inner branches so leaves are left only at the tips. Thin it now and then so it does not get too dense. Finish any thinning before monsoon season starts in mid-June.
Heavy watering grows fast, rank wood that can fail in storms, so hold back once it has rooted in. After the first few years it needs little extra water.
Palo verde root borer grubs feed on the roots underground. Adults come out of large holes in the soil during the summer rains. A healthy, well-watered tree handles them 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.
How big does Palo Brea get?
About 15 to 30 feet tall in Arizona landscapes, and usually wider than it is tall, with an umbrella-shaped crown.
Does Palo Brea have thorns?
Yes. Young stems carry small spines, so plant it away from walkways, patios, and play areas.
How much water does Palo Brea need?
Water deeply while it establishes. After that it needs little to no extra water in a desert garden, at most a deep monthly soak in summer. Overwatering pushes fast, weak growth that is prone to limb and trunk failure.
How should I prune Palo Brea?
Train the structure while it is young and thin it lightly over time instead of making heavy cuts. Its wide, drooping crown can need a lot of pruning in tight spaces, so the best fix is planting it where it has room to spread.
When does Palo Brea bloom?
In the Phoenix area, masses of fragrant yellow flowers cover the tree in mid to late April. It is one of the earliest trees to bloom in the Sonoran Desert.
Is Palo Brea messy?
Yes, in bloom season. Spent flowers and the light brown seed pods drop heavily, so plan for some cleanup beneath it.
How cold hardy is Palo Brea?
It is rated to about 20°F, though some trees show damage below about 25°F. Hardiness varies by where the seed came from, and many nursery trees are crosses, so locally grown stock is the safest bet.
What are the big beetles and holes around my palo verde?
Those are most likely palo verde beetles. Their large grubs feed on roots underground and come out as adults in early to mid summer, leaving round holes about the size of a broom handle. The grubs mostly feed on dead or declining wood, so keep the tree healthy and treat the soil only as a last resort.
How is Palo Brea different from blue palo verde?
Palo Brea keeps its smooth green trunk as it ages, while blue palo verde loses its green trunk color with age. Blue palo verde also grows larger, 30 to 50 feet, and handles more cold, to about 15 to 20°F.
Does Palo Brea lose its leaves?
Yes, it drops its small blue-green leaves in cold or drought. The green bark keeps photosynthesizing, so the tree still looks green when it is bare.
Is Palo Brea safe around pets?
Its toxicity is listed as benign. It is also listed as allergenic, so if anyone in the home has pollen allergies, plant it away from windows and seating areas.
Is it good for wildlife?
Yes. The flowers feed native bees and butterflies, and the canopy gives native birds cover and nesting habitat.
Palo Brea for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Palo Brea is the most sculptural of the palo verdes, with smooth lime-green bark and a wide, twisting canopy. It covers itself in yellow flowers each spring and thrives on very little water. Below are the questions Arizona gardeners ask most.
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How big Palo Brea gets in Arizona
Plan for 15 to 30 feet tall, with a crown that usually spreads wider than it is tall. It grows moderately fast, and faster with more water. Leave it open space so it never needs heavy cuts.
Watering Palo Brea
Establish it with deep watering, then give little to no extra water, at most a deep monthly soak in summer. Too much water makes fast, weak wood that can fail in storms.
Pruning Palo Brea
Train it while young and thin lightly over time. Give it room so it never needs heavy cuts to clear walks or drives. Finish any thinning before the summer storms.
Palo Brea bloom season
Masses of fragrant yellow flowers cover the tree in mid to late April in the Phoenix area. It is one of the earliest Sonoran Desert trees to bloom, and native bees come to the flowers.
Palo Brea vs blue palo verde
Palo Brea keeps its green trunk with age and stays smaller, 15 to 30 feet. Blue palo verde grows 30 to 50 feet and loses its green trunk color as it ages.
Palo Brea in winter
It is rated to about 20°F, and some trees show damage below about 25°F. It can drop its leaves in cold, but the green bark keeps it looking alive.
Palo verde beetles
Large grubs feed on roots and come out as beetles in early summer. They mostly feed on dead or declining wood, so a healthy tree is the best defense and a soil drench is a last resort.
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