Thunderstorms likely, especially this morning. High around 90F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 77F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
Bloom on newly planted desert willow at the Victoria Educational Gardens.
Desert willow with a leaning trunk in the courtyard of the Texas Zoo in Riverside Park.
Bloom on newly planted desert willow at the Victoria Educational Gardens.
Desert willow with a leaning trunk in the courtyard of the Texas Zoo in Riverside Park.
The hard freeze of February 2021 killed the Texas Ebony tree (Ebenopsis ebano) in the xeriscape area of the Victoria Educational Gardens. While I waited to have the dead tree removed, I began searching for a replacement tree.
I wanted a tree that was heat- and drought-tolerant and native to our area. I also wanted a tree that would stay fairly small and, if possible, one that flowered and was fragrant.
I chose a desert willow (Chilopsis linearis). I found the cultivar, Bubba in a 5-gallon container at the Mid-Coast Texas Master Naturalist plant sale at Rockport HummerBird Celebration last fall. I planted it in the ground early this past spring.
Native from south central Texas south into Mexico and west to southern California, the desert willow needs very little water once established. It reaches a maximum height of around 30 feet and has an open, irregular canopy of about 20 to 25 feet, making it ideal for small yards.
Fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches long, grow in clusters on the branch tips. The violet-scented flowers are most prolific in May and June, but will appear sporadically through early fall, especially after a rain.
Named for its resemblance to willows, with its long, narrow leaves and slender arching stems, the desert willow is actually in the trumpet-creeper family, Bignoniaceae, with catalpa trees, esperanza (Tacoma stans) and trumpet vine (Campsis radicans).
The straight species of desert willow usually has soft pink flowers with streaks of yellow in the throat, but flowers can also be white, cream, pink, rose, lavender, or violet, most with yellow-tinged throats.
This tree produces multitudes of seed pods. Seed pods are 6-10 inches long and dangle from the branches. As they dry out, they turn from green to brown and crack open into white cottony tufts.
Easily propagated from seed, new plants do not breed true, resulting in the variety of colors. If a specific color is desired, it is best to purchase the tree after it is in bloom.
All Bubba desert willows are clones, rooted from vegetative cuttings. They are true-to-type. All plants display vigorous growth with reliable darker green foliage and dark pink flowers with ruffled lobes. They seldom make seed pods, which means less mess, but also less food for the birds.
When planting, choose a location in full sun with excellent drainage. Dig a hole two times the diameter of the current container and deep enough to place the tree in the ground up to its flare. The flare is where the base of the trunk widens into roots.
Water the desert willow weekly until established. After that, it will only need occasional watering during prolonged drought. Avoid excessive water and fertilizer which can lead to overly rapid growth, fewer blooms, a weaker plant and possibly even rot.
The desert willow can be pruned during its first few years to encourage either a single trunk or multiple trunks, or it can be left to grow freely. Juvenile trunks are smooth-barked, but the wood becomes rougher as it matures. Sometimes, trees develop leaning, twisting trunks, like the mature desert willow in the courtyard in front of the Texas Zoo in Victoria.
The desert willow is pest and disease free. It is deciduous, which means it loses it leaves in the winter, but it is hardy to 10 degrees.
In addition to its many assets, the desert willow is a great tree for wildlife. It provides nectar for hummingbirds and insects, including butterflies and bees, and it is a larval host plant for the white-winged moth.
Granivorous birds enjoy its seeds, while nesting birds use its branches for shelter and native bees use it for nesting material. I’m glad I chose the desert willow.
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Plant Database www.wildflower.org/plants/
Gardening Know How Desert Willow Tree Facts: Caring for and Planting Desert Willow Trees by Teo Spengler
Texas Trees Foundation Tree of the Month: The Desert Willow by Bryan Beck
Central Texas Gardener Desert Willow
Lubbock Avalanche Journal Gardening for You: Bubbas Burst With Blooms by Ellen Peffley
Register for "Smart Gardening for South Texas" the 2022 Master Gardeners Symposium on Saturday, Sept. 10th from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Go to www.vcmga.org for the registration form.
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I can’t even get my paper delivered. Only got Wednesday.
Right on, Brian. That's one reason why I carry dog biscuits in a carpenters apron when I'm out bicycling (geezer in an orange cap).
Not a threat until it gets out again. The dog should be removed from the owners.
What happens to the waterway that cuts across that land?
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