Desert Willow

Name: Desert Willow
Brand: Outdoor Dream Builders

Chilopsis linearis

A graceful native tree with orchid-like blooms in white, pink, or purple that attract hummingbirds throughout the warm season.

Fully frost hardy to about 0-10°F, a heat-loving native suited from low to high desert.

AMWUA Notes

Low water; blooms best with an occasional deep summer soak, but avoid overwatering.

Care Guide

💧Watering

Deep-soak every two weeks in summer for best bloom and monthly otherwise; flowering flushes after a deep soak or monsoon rain.

✂️Pruning

Prune in late winter to shape as a tree or leave multi-trunk; removing spent seed pods extends bloom and reduces the twiggy look.

🌱Fertilizing

No fertilizer needed; a tough native.

🛡️Pests

Essentially pest-free.

☀️Seasonal Notes

Long bloom from spring through fall, heaviest after monsoon rains; deciduous and bare in winter with seed-pod drop.

🪨Soil

Well-draining sandy, gravelly, or decomposed-granite soil; tolerates caliche and alkaline pH 7.5–8.5, and native to desert washes

💧Drainage

Needs well-drained soil.

🌱Nutrient Needs

None — thrives in lean desert soil without fertilizer.

🌰Propagation

Grown from seed or from hardwood/semi-hardwood cuttings; named forms rooted from cuttings

📐Spacing

15–20 ft

🌳Roots & Placement

Deep, non-aggressive roots; safe near pools and patios, though it drops flowers and long seed pods

•About 20 ft wide as a patio or pollinator tree; thornless and pool friendly at moderate distance.
•Sheds flowers and long seed pods and goes bare in winter, so weigh sightlines from patios and windows.
•Grow as a single-trunk shade tree or leave the multi-trunk form for an informal screen.
•Full sun drives the heaviest bloom; a hummingbird magnet near seating.