Growing Desert Willow Beautiful Flowering Shrubs For Drought Tolerant Gardens
By Laura Zinkan
If you are looking for a pretty shrub or small tree for a drought tolerant garden with great big dramatic flowers put Sweet Willow on your planting list. Chilopsis linearis is known for large, unique flowers which bloom in shades from pink, purple, yellow or white. If you really want to stop traffic go for the glowing purple or hot pink shades. The dramatic, fragrant flowers bloom on long clusters with large, tubular 2 inch flowers with contrasting stripes. Birds will eat the seeds and bees and hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. These plants put on a dramatic show in the spring when they are in full bloom.

Sweet Willow are fast growing shrubs, up to 30 feet tall and up to 20 feet wide. The bushes are pretty even when they are not in bloom. Their dark green, shiny leaves are thin and up to 5 inches long, giving the plant a traditional willow look. Chilopsis can be left as a shrub, or trained into a tree with several trunks. They take well to trimming so they can also be used as hedges. Chilopsis blooms from spring through fall and gets long dangling seed pods with cottony down that can measure up to 8 inches long.


These pretty willow-like shrubs will lose their leaves in the winter.

They make a nice alternative to other pink flowering trees (like cherries) in dry landscapes. They look dramatic planted in rows, try them along a driveway or against a back fence in the landscape. Make sure you can see them from your window and enjoy the flowers.

Chilopsis linearis native to the Western United States and take full sun in the landscape. They grow wild in California river washes, where they are flooded with water in the spring but receive little or no water for the rest of the year. They are hardy to -3 degrees Fahrenheit and can survive on as little as 10 inches a year of rainfall. Too much water will cause them to get root rot, so allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again, or amend the planting hole with fast draining soil. They are adapted to soils with little nutrients, and a soil PH from 7 - 9. Propigation is from seed or cuttings. Seeds do not need stratification and can sprout up as volunteers in the garden.

Fall is probably the best time to plant Willow; they have all winter to become acclimated to their new surroundings and should be able to withstand their first year of summer heat better. Fall under the spell of Willow and plant a few this season.
Laura Zinkan is a writer in California. She cultivates a gardening site at www.theGardenPages.com with plant profiles, growing tips about succulents and native plants. She also cooks up www.MomsRetro.com where you can find retro art and kitchen tips for busy cooks. 2009 by Laura Zinkan. Article may be reprinted if author credit is given with a website link. All rights reserved.