Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Yellow Bells
Yellow Bells is a fast shrub with clusters of bright yellow trumpet flowers from spring until the first frost. Tecoma stans grows wild in southern Arizona, and once rooted it gets by on low water. It usually reaches 6 to 10 feet tall, tall enough for a flowering screen or the back of a bed. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit all season.
Best for: low-water color in desert beds, a tall flowering screen or backdrop, hot spots by driveways, walks and walls, and gardens for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
Once rooted it gets by on low water, a deep soak once or twice a month for much of the year. It flowers from spring until the first frost.
At 6 to 10 feet tall, a row planted 6 to 8 feet apart makes a tall flowering screen. It also works as a backdrop behind lower desert plants.
It takes full sun and the reflected heat off driveways, walkways and garden walls.
Leaves freeze around 25°F, and a cold winter can take it to the ground before it regrows. Long seed pods hang on into winter, and it can reseed nearby.
- Screen or hedge6-8 ft apart, center to center
- Single shrub8 ft from other shrubs
Water every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months, for the first two weeks. Then stretch the gaps step by step, to about weekly in summer or every 10 to 14 days in cooler months, by the second month.
Water deeply once or twice a month, and about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest part of summer. Water less often in winter.
Leaves freeze below about 28°F and it can die back in winter, but the roots regrow it. Cut out dead and frozen stems in early spring, once frost danger has passed. It flowers on new growth.
Snipping off the long seed pods keeps the plant tidier and makes the bloom last longer.
It does not need fertilizer. A summer feeding can push more flowers.
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.
Is Yellow Bells native to Arizona?
Yes. Tecoma stans grows wild in southern Arizona and ranges south through Mexico into South America. The wild Arizona form has narrow leaves and handles drought and cold better than most forms sold.
How big does Yellow Bells get?
Usually 6 to 10 feet tall and about as wide, and it grows fast. In a cold winter it dies back, and in the desert it often stays closer to 6 feet.
How far apart should I plant Yellow Bells?
About 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, for a screen or hedge. Give a single shrub about 8 feet of room. The Spacing tab will count plants for your bed.
When does it bloom?
From spring until the first frost. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come to the yellow trumpets.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, water deeply once or twice a month, and about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest part of summer.
Can it take reflected heat?
Yes. It takes full sun and the reflected heat off driveways, walkways and garden walls.
Can Yellow Bells freeze?
Yes. Leaves freeze below about 28°F, and the plant can die back in winter. In a mild winter it keeps most of its leaves. The roots are hardy, and it regrows once the weather warms.
When should I cut it back?
In early spring, once frost danger has passed and just before new growth. It flowers on new growth, so cutting out dead and frozen stems sets up more flowers. It takes a hard cut to control size.
What are the long pods hanging off it?
Those are its seed pods, which are long and narrow and hang on into fall and winter. Snipping them off keeps it tidier and makes the bloom last longer.
Will it spread by seed?
It can reseed from those pods. Pull the seedlings you do not want while they are small, or snip the pods before they open.
Why are the leaves folded up with webbing?
That is the Tecoma leaf tier, a caterpillar first found in Arizona in 2012. The plant can take a lot of damage. Cut off webbed tips, or use Bt, an organic caterpillar spray, once or twice a season.
How is Yellow Bells different from Orange Jubilee?
Orange Jubilee is a larger garden cross with orange flowers and very few seed pods. Yellow Bells has yellow flowers and long seed pods, and it is the species that grows wild in Arizona.
Yellow Bells for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans) is a fast shrub that grows wild from southern Arizona into South America. It covers itself in yellow trumpets from spring until frost and gets by on low water once rooted. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size and spacing to water, winter dieback, pruning and seed pods.
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.
Where does Yellow Bells grow wild?
Tecoma stans grows wild in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, from southern Arizona into Mexico, and on south to Argentina. The wild Arizona form has narrow leaves and handles drought well.
How big does Yellow Bells get in the Valley?
Yellow Bells usually reaches 6 to 10 feet tall and about as wide. Winter dieback often keeps it nearer 6 feet in the desert. A hard cut in late winter keeps it smaller if you want.
How far apart do you plant Yellow Bells?
For a screen or hedge, plant about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center. Give a single shrub about 8 feet. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
Yellow Bells after a freeze
Leaves freeze at about 25 to 28°F, and a cold winter can take it to the ground. The roots are hardy, so it regrows once the weather warms. Trim out the dead stems in late winter.
When to cut back Yellow Bells in Arizona
Cut it back in late winter, just before spring growth, once frost danger has passed. It flowers on new growth, so removing dead and frozen stems sets up the next bloom.
How often to water Yellow Bells
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, it is low water: a deep soak once or twice a month, and about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest part of summer.
Yellow Bells seed pods
After flowering, Yellow Bells hangs long, narrow seed pods that stay into fall and winter. Snipping them off makes the plant tidier and keeps it blooming longer. It can also reseed, so pull extra seedlings while small.
Yellow Bells vs Orange Jubilee
Both are fast Tecomas with trumpet flowers, and they are often planted together. Yellow Bells has yellow flowers and long seed pods, and it grows wild in Arizona. Orange Jubilee is a larger garden cross with orange flowers and very few pods.
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