Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Palo Rojo
Palo Rojo is a palo verde cross, an upright desert tree that grows fast and fills in with fine leaves and yellow spring flowers. It grows about 25 to 30 feet tall and about as wide, so it makes a real shade tree for a Valley yard. Once established it gets by on low water, and it takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving. Bees and butterflies come to the flowers in spring.
Best for: filtered shade over a yard or patio, yellow spring flowers for bees and butterflies, and hot, sunny spots with reflected heat.
It grows fast into an upright tree about 25 to 30 feet tall and about as wide. The fine leaves give light, filtered shade. Plant it about 20 feet or more from the next tree so the canopy has room.
Yellow flowers cover the tree in spring. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators come to them through the bloom.
It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls, driveways and paving. Once established it gets by on low water, with deep soaks spaced out through summer. Sandy, gravelly or rocky soil that drains well suits it.
Too much water pushes fast, soft growth, and overwatered palo verde crosses can break limbs or blow over in storms. It does not like soggy ground where water stands. It needs room to spread 25 to 30 feet.
- Trees in a row or group20 ft apart
- Single shade tree20 ft or more from other trees
A new tree needs water every 1 to 2 days in summer for its first two weeks, or every 3 to 4 days when it is cool. Stretch that to about weekly by the second month, and keep watering deeply and regularly for about 3 years. After that, a deep soak out at the canopy edge about every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is plenty.
Remove the nursery stake when you plant. If the tree leans or the spot is windy, set two stakes outside the root ball, with soft, wide ties that leave a little room to sway. Take the stakes out after about a year.
Shape a young tree slowly over its first few years. Keep it to no more than a quarter of the canopy a year, and never thin out the middle so only branch tips are left. Finish any thinning before monsoon season starts in mid-June.
Palo verde crosses given too much water grow fast and soft, and they can break limbs or lean in storms. Water deeply, then let the soil dry before the next soak.
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.
What is Palo Rojo?
Palo Rojo is a cross of palo verde species. Like other palo verdes it has fine leaves, yellow spring flowers and needs little water once established. Plant it in full sun where it has room to spread.
How big does Palo Rojo get?
It can reach about 25 to 30 feet tall and about as wide. Give it that much open space when you pick the spot, away from the house and other trees.
How fast does it grow?
It grows fast with good water while it gets rooted, and slower when it is kept very dry. Once it has rooted in, water deep and not often instead of pushing it with extra water.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant palo verde shade trees about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The canopy spreads 25 to 30 feet, so leave open room around each tree.
How much water does it need?
Low once it is established. Water deeply, then let the soil dry before the next soak. A deep soak every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is plenty for an established tree, and new trees need water more often.
When does Palo Rojo bloom?
It blooms mostly in spring. Yellow flowers cover the tree, and bees, butterflies and other pollinators come to them.
Does it lose its leaves in winter?
It keeps most of its small leaves in mild weather. It can drop some or all of them in a cold snap or a long drought, and a bare tree in winter is normal.
How cold hardy is it?
Palo verde crosses like this one are rated to about 15°F. In hard cold it can drop its leaves, which is normal for these trees.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls, driveways and paving.
What soil does it need?
It needs soil that drains well. Sandy, gravelly or rocky desert soil suits it, and it handles alkaline ground. Avoid low spots where water stands, and break through caliche before you plant.
Is Palo Rojo messy?
It drops spent flowers and small leaves in season. Plant it where a little litter is fine, and sweep or blow the flowers off paving after bloom.
What are the big beetles and holes around my palo verde?
Those are most likely palo verde root borers. The large grubs feed on roots underground, and the adult beetles come out of quarter-size holes in the soil during the summer rains. Keep the tree healthy with deep, spaced-out watering, since healthy trees handle them best.
Palo Rojo for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Palo Rojo is a palo verde cross that grows into an upright shade tree about 25 to 30 feet tall, with yellow flowers in spring. It does well on low water once established. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, spacing and water to soil, storms and planting time.
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.
Palo Rojo, a palo verde cross for Valley yards
Palo Rojo is a cross of palo verde species. It grows into an upright tree with fine leaves and yellow spring flowers. People plant it for fast, filtered shade on low water.
How big does Palo Rojo get in Arizona?
Plan for about 25 to 30 feet tall and about as wide. It grows fast, especially with steady water while it gets rooted. Give it open room away from the house and the next tree.
How far apart do you plant palo verde trees?
Plant them about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The canopy spreads 25 to 30 feet. Use the Spacing tab to plan a row.
How often do you water a palo verde in Phoenix?
Water a new tree often for its first few weeks, then stretch it out. Once established, a deep soak every 2 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly in winter is plenty. Let the soil dry between soaks.
Why do palo verde trees break or blow over?
Too much water grows fast, soft wood that a palo verde cross cannot hold up. Overwatered trees can break limbs or lean and topple in storms. Water deep and not often, and thin the canopy lightly before monsoon season.
When is the best time to plant a palo verde in the Valley?
Fall is the best time, in October and November. Winter and early spring also work. Avoid planting in the summer heat of June through August.
Does Palo Rojo attract pollinators?
Yes. The yellow spring flowers draw bees, butterflies and other pollinators. It is a good tree for a desert yard planted for wildlife.
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.