Chilopsis linearis, commonly known as desert willow, is a large shrub or small multi-trunked tree with a loose open crown. It typically grows to 15-25’ tall with a spread to 10-15’ wide. It is native to gravelly and rocky soils in the Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico where it is usually found growing in desert grasslands, sandy washes or springs. This is a monotypic genus having only one species. Showy, fragrant flowers bloom from April to September with fruits maturing in fall and often remaining on the tree during winter. It is treasured for its delicate, deciduous, willow-like leaves and trumpet-shaped, catalpa-like flowers (each to 1 1/2” long) which bloom in 2-4” terminal panicles from May to September. Flowers are lavender to pink but occasionally white. Light green leaves (to 6-12” long spreading to only 1/2” wide) are alternate, simple and linear to narrow lanceolate. Flowers are followed by distinctive, slender, 1/4” wide seed pods (to 6-12” long), each pod containing many winged seeds. Winter hardy to USDA Zones 8-10 where it is best grown in dry well-drained soils in full sun. Excellent drought tolerance. Excellent as specimen or in small groups in residential landscapes. Particularly effective near decks or patios. Desert gardens. Tall hedge. Screen. Roadsides and median strips.
Growing Instructions
- Soak the seed in water for several hours.
- The seeds like moist, well-drained soil. Prepare a mixture of half potting soil and half sand, perlite or vermiculite. Put the soil in a pot. Water the mixture so that it is moist but not wet.
- Sow the seeds on the soil. Don’t cover them with soil because they need light to germinate.
- Water the seeds.
- Place the pots in an area with warm temperatures in full sun. The seeds usually germinate in 1-3 weeks.
- When the seedlings are a few inches tall, they can be transplanted.