Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Tree Bear Grass
Tree Bear Grass is a Mexican nolina with long, strap-like, glossy green leaves that slowly builds a trunk over the years. Older plants can reach about 10 to 15 feet tall, with a fountain of leaves on top. In summer it sends up stalks of small white to cream flowers, and bees use the plant. It takes full sun, reflected heat or part shade and needs little water once rooted.
Best for: a tall, trunk-forming accent, hot spots with reflected heat, part-shade corners, and low-care desert yards with room to grow.
It slowly develops a stout trunk, often 6 to 10 feet, topped by a fountain of glossy leaves. Older plants reach about 10 to 15 feet tall.
It takes full sun, reflected heat or part shade, so it works by hot walls and in partly shaded corners. Give it soil that drains well in either spot.
Once rooted it needs water only about once or twice a month in summer, and very little other care.
The leaf edges are sharp, so keep it back from paths. It also needs room, so plant it about 8 to 12 feet from other large plants.
- Plant to plant8-12 ft apart, center to center
- Accent group8-12 ft apart, center to center
Once rooted, give a deep soak about once or twice a month in summer. It is drought tolerant and needs little water in the cooler months.
Leave 8 to 12 feet between it and other large plants. The leaf edges are sharp, so keep it back from paths and seating.
It needs very little care once rooted. Give it soil that drains and room to grow.
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 Tree Bear Grass get?
Older plants reach about 10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide, and the trunk alone can reach 6 to 10 feet. Plan the spot for that final size.
How fast does it grow?
It is a slow grower. The trunk takes many years to form, so plan the spot for its final size.
How far apart should I plant Tree Bear Grass?
Plant it about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center to leave room for the full crown. The Spacing tab shows the numbers.
Are the leaves sharp?
Yes. The long, glossy leaves have sharp edges, so plant it back from walkways and seating.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. Plant it in full sun, reflected heat or part shade, including spots by hot walls and paving.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, give it a deep soak about once or twice a month in summer. It is drought tolerant the rest of the year.
When does it bloom?
It blooms in summer, on tall stalks of small white to cream flowers. Leave the dry stalks up if you want to help the bees.
Does it attract bees?
Yes. Bees visit the flowers and use the dry flower stalks.
How cold hardy is Tree Bear Grass?
It is rated hardy to about 10°F, so a Valley winter does not hurt it.
How is it different from Bear Grass?
Bear Grass stays a low clump about 3 to 5 feet tall. Tree Bear Grass slowly grows a trunk and reaches about 10 to 15 feet, with wider, glossier leaves.
Tree Bear Grass for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Tree Bear Grass, Nolina matapensis, comes from the mountain woodlands of Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. Its glossy green leaves top a trunk that slowly grows to about 10 to 15 feet. This page covers its size, spacing, water, sun and how it compares with Bear Grass and Blue Nolina.
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.
How big does Tree Bear Grass get in Arizona?
It slowly grows a trunk and reaches about 10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide. The trunk alone can reach 6 to 10 feet.
Where is Tree Bear Grass from?
It grows in the mountain woodlands of eastern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico, at about 3,500 to 6,000 feet. It is rated hardy to about 10°F.
How far apart to plant Tree Bear Grass
Plant it about 8 to 12 feet apart center to center. Give it room to grow into a tall specimen.
Watering Tree Bear Grass in the Valley
Once rooted, water about once or twice a month in summer. Soil that drains well matters most.
Tree Bear Grass vs Blue Nolina
Both slowly grow trunks over time. Tree Bear Grass has glossy green leaves with sharp edges and is hardy to about 10°F. Blue Nolina has grey-green to powder blue leaves and is hardy to about 0°F.
Does Tree Bear Grass take reflected heat?
Yes. It grows in full sun, reflected heat or part shade, which makes it useful by hot walls and pavement.
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.