Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Sonoran Emerald
Sonoran Emerald is a popular thornless palo verde for desert yards. It has bright emerald green bark, fine leaves and a denser canopy than most palo verdes, which gives airy, filtered shade. In spring the canopy fills with yellow flowers that draw bees and butterflies. Once established it gets by on low water, and it takes full sun and reflected heat.
Best for: filtered shade over patios and yards, a green-bark accent tree, yellow spring flowers for bees and butterflies, and hot yards with reflected heat.
Its denser canopy gives airy, filtered shade over a patio, seating area or yard. It grows about 20 to 25 feet tall and wide, so plant it about 20 feet or more from the next tree.
The bright emerald green bark keeps the tree looking green all year, even when it drops leaves in cold or drought. In spring yellow flowers cover the canopy, and bees and butterflies come to them.
It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving. Once established it gets by on low water, with deep soaks spaced out through summer. Rabbits tend to leave it alone.
Too much water pushes fast, soft growth, which is how palo verde crosses end up leaning or toppling. It needs room to spread 20 to 25 feet. It drops spent flowers and small leaves in season.
- Tree to tree20 ft or more apart
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 lean or topple. Let the soil dry between deep soaks.
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.
Does Sonoran Emerald have thorns?
It is thornless or very nearly thornless. That sets it apart from blue and foothill palo verde, which both have thorns.
How big does Sonoran Emerald get?
Usually about 20 to 25 feet tall and about as wide. Some trees reach 25 to 30 feet, so plan the space before you plant.
How fast does it grow?
It grows at a moderate to fast rate. Extra water speeds it up, so once it has rooted in, water deep and not often instead of pushing it.
How far apart should I plant Sonoran Emerald?
Plant them about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The canopy spreads 20 to 25 feet, so keep that much open space around each tree.
How is Sonoran Emerald different from Desert Museum Palo Verde?
Both are thornless palo verde crosses with green bark and yellow spring flowers. Sonoran Emerald has a denser canopy and is rated better in form and structure. Desert Museum Palo Verde is known for weak branches.
When does Sonoran Emerald bloom?
In spring, mostly late spring, and sometimes into early summer. Bright yellow flowers cover the canopy.
How much water does it need?
Low once it is established. A deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer is common, with much less in winter. Let the soil dry between soaks. New trees need water more often.
Does it lose its leaves in winter?
It can drop some or all of its small leaves in hard cold or long drought. The green bark keeps the tree looking green while it is bare.
How cold hardy is Sonoran Emerald?
Its cold ratings run from about 10°F to 22°F. In hard cold it can drop its leaves, and the green bark carries the tree while it is bare. Wait for spring growth before you cut out any frost-damaged twigs.
Is Sonoran Emerald messy?
It drops spent flowers and small leaves in season. Plant it where a little litter is fine, and rake or blow the flowers off paving after bloom.
Does it attract bees and butterflies?
Yes. The yellow flowers draw bees, butterflies and other pollinators in spring.
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.
Sonoran Emerald for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Sonoran Emerald is a thornless palo verde cross with bright emerald green bark, a dense canopy and yellow spring flowers. It gives filtered shade on low water once established. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, spacing and water to how it compares with Desert Museum Palo Verde.
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.
Sonoran Emerald, a thornless palo verde cross
Sonoran Emerald is a thornless cross of more than one palo verde species. It is a popular landscape tree in the Phoenix area. People grow it for its bright green bark, fine leaves, yellow spring flowers and airy shade.
How big does Sonoran Emerald get in Arizona?
Plan for about 20 to 25 feet tall and about as wide. Some trees reach 25 to 30 feet. It grows at a moderate to fast rate, quicker with more water.
How far apart do you plant Sonoran Emerald?
Space trees about 20 feet or more apart, center to center. Each canopy spreads 20 to 25 feet, so give every tree that much open room.
Sonoran Emerald vs Desert Museum Palo Verde
Both are thornless palo verde crosses with green bark and yellow spring flowers. Sonoran Emerald has a denser canopy and is rated better in form and structure. Desert Museum Palo Verde grows about 20 to 30 feet and is known for weak branches.
How often do you water Sonoran Emerald?
Once it is established, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer is common, with much less in the cooler months. Let the soil dry between soaks. Extra water speeds growth, so hold back once the tree has rooted in.
When does Sonoran Emerald bloom?
It blooms in spring, mostly late spring, and sometimes into early summer. Bright yellow flowers cover the canopy and draw bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Can Sonoran Emerald take reflected heat?
Yes. It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving, on low water once established.
How cold hardy is Sonoran Emerald?
Its cold ratings run from about 10°F to 22°F. It can drop some or all of its leaves in hard cold or drought, and the green bark keeps it looking green while it is bare.
Is Sonoran Emerald a messy tree?
It drops spent flowers and small leaves in season, so expect some cleanup. It can also drop its small leaves in hard cold or long drought.
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.