Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Sky Flower Espalier
Sky Flower Espalier is purple sky flower started flat, so its long, arching branches spread across a wall or trellis. Sprays of purple flowers bloom from spring into fall, and hummingbirds and butterflies visit all day. Golden berries follow the flowers. It does not climb on its own, so you tie the branches onto the support as they grow.
Best for: purple color on a wall or trellis, hummingbird and butterfly gardens, and walls with some afternoon shade.
Trained flat, its arching branches carry sprays of purple flowers across a wall or trellis from spring into fall. Plant espaliers about 8 feet apart along a long wall.
Hummingbirds and butterflies visit the purple flowers all day while it blooms. Birds eat the golden berries that follow.
It grows in full sun to part shade and looks best with shelter from the harshest afternoon light. Avoid a hot west wall with reflected heat.
The golden berries and the leaves are poisonous if eaten, so keep it away from where kids and pets play. Frost burns it back starting around 25 to 28°F.
- Along a wall or fence8 ft apart
- Single trellis panels10-12 ft apart
It will not climb on its own. Set wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall, tie the branches on as they grow, and cut back the ones that stray out.
Water a young plant every few days while it roots. Once established, a deep soak about weekly in summer and about monthly in the coldest months is enough.
Do heavier pruning in early spring or in fall. Trim the ends of flowering branches during the season to keep it flat and tidy.
Frost burns the tips in a cold winter, and it regrows once you trim the damage in spring. Pick up fallen berries, which are poisonous if eaten.
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 do I train sky flower on a wall?
It does not climb on its own, so set wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall. Tie the arching branches on as they grow and cut back the ones that stray.
When does it bloom?
It blooms from spring into fall, with sprays of purple flowers.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun to part shade and looks best with shelter from the harshest afternoon sun. Avoid a hot west wall.
Are the berries poisonous?
Yes. The golden berries and the leaves are poisonous to people and pets if eaten. Plant it away from play areas and pick up fallen berries.
How often should I water it?
Water a young plant more often while it roots. Once established, give it a deep soak about once a week in summer and about once a month in the coldest months.
Is it frost hardy?
Frost burns it back in a cold winter, starting around 25 to 28°F. It recovers quickly, so trim the damage once frost danger passes.
How do I prune it?
Do heavier pruning in early spring or in fall, and trim the ends of flowering branches during the season to keep it flat.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds and butterflies visit all day while it blooms, and birds eat the berries.
Sky Flower Espalier for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Sky Flower Espalier is Duranta erecta started flat for a wall or trellis. Below: training, sun, bloom, water, frost and the poisonous berries.
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.
Sky flower espalier on a wall
Tie the arching branches onto wires or a trellis a few inches off the wall, since it does not climb on its own.
When does sky flower bloom?
From spring into fall, with sprays of purple flowers.
Sky flower sun in Phoenix
Full sun to part shade, with shelter from the harshest afternoon sun.
Are sky flower berries poisonous?
Yes. The berries and leaves are poisonous if eaten, so plant it away from play areas.
Watering sky flower
About once a week in summer once established, and about monthly in the coldest months.
Sky flower frost damage
Frost burns it back from about 25 to 28°F, and it recovers quickly in spring.
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.