Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Yellow Bells Staked
Yellow Bells Staked is Tecoma stans grown on a stake, so it starts life as a small tree instead of a bush. Clusters of yellow trumpets cover it from spring until the first frost. It takes full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come to the flowers.
Best for: a small flowering patio tree, a single-trunk accent against a hot wall, and a hummingbird tree near a window or seating area.
Trained on a stake, it grows as a small tree about 6 to 10 feet tall. Keep the lower branches and shoots along the trunk cleared so the canopy stays up off the patio.
It handles full sun and the reflected heat off walls and paving. One trunk against a bare south or west wall gives yellow color from spring to frost.
Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies visit the yellow trumpets all season. Snip off the seed pods to keep flowers coming.
Leaves freeze around 25°F, and a cold winter can kill it back. It tries to push shoots from the base and trunk, so keep removing them to hold the tree shape.
- Row of small trees6-8 ft apart, center to center
- Pair framing an entry6-8 ft apart, center to center
Water every 3 to 4 days for the first two weeks. Then stretch the gaps step by step, to about every 10 to 14 days by the second month.
Give it a deep soak about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months, and much less in winter.
Remove the lower branches and any shoots along the trunk as it grows. Keep it staked until the trunk holds the canopy on its own.
Leaves freeze around 25°F and it can die back in a cold winter. Wait until late winter, once frost danger has passed, to cut frozen stems.
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 Staked the same plant as Yellow Bells?
Yes. It is the same Tecoma stans, grown on a stake so it starts as a small tree instead of a bush.
How do I keep it shaped like a tree?
Remove the lower branches and any shoots along the trunk as it grows. Pruning from the bottom pushes growth up into the canopy.
How big does it get?
It grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide as a small tree. A cold winter can knock it back and keep it smaller for a season.
Can it grow in a patio spot?
Yes. It can be trained as a small patio tree. Plant it where the canopy has 6 to 8 feet of room.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, give it a deep soak about every 1 to 2 weeks in summer, and much less in winter.
What happens in a freeze?
Leaves freeze around 25°F, and a hard freeze can kill it back. The roots survive, so wait until late winter to trim frozen stems, then reshape the canopy.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies come to the yellow trumpets from spring until frost.
What are the long pods?
The long pods are seed pods. Snip them off to keep the tree tidier and the flowers coming longer.
Does it keep its leaves in winter?
It keeps most of its leaves in a mild Valley winter. A hard freeze can strip them, and new leaves come back in spring.
Is Yellow Bells Staked messy?
It drops a moderate amount of litter, and the long seed pods add to it. Snipping off the pods keeps it tidier.
Yellow Bells Staked for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Yellow Bells Staked is the same Tecoma stans as a Yellow Bells shrub, started on a stake to grow as a small tree. This page covers keeping the tree form, water, frost, pods and spacing in a Valley yard.
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.
Yellow Bells as a small tree
Yellow Bells Staked starts on a stake, so it grows as a single-trunk small tree. Keep the trunk clear of shoots to hold that shape.
How far apart do you plant staked Yellow Bells?
Plant them about 6 to 8 feet apart, center to center, for a row of small trees or a pair at an entry.
Watering a staked Yellow Bells
Water regularly while it roots in. Once rooted, a deep soak every 1 to 2 weeks in summer is enough, with much less water in winter.
Staked Yellow Bells after a freeze
The leaves freeze around 25°F, so wait until late winter to trim frozen stems, then reshape the canopy as it regrows.
Yellow Bells tree and hummingbirds
The yellow trumpets draw hummingbirds, bees and butterflies from spring until frost.
Seed pods on a Yellow Bells tree
Long seed pods follow the flowers. Snipping them off keeps the tree tidy and the bloom going longer.
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.