A great tree to plant both for creating “bones” in your garden but also for a lot more reasons.
The desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is not a willow at all. But it looks a lot like a willow, with its drooping limbs and trailing strands of leaves. Even the Spanish name for the plant, mimbre, means willow-like.
Desert willows are extraordinary plants. A beautiful addition to any garden, they also provide food and cover for a wide variety of birds and mammals.
They make a wonderful wind or privacy screen when leafed, and look striking in the winter with their reddish-brown branches and dark brown trunk.
The plant is extremely fast growing. With proper care and watering it can reach 25 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide in just a few years
Growing this deciduous tree is easy, if you follow a few simple procedures. It tends to be a little unruly, but a little pruning can help.
It will grow in alkaline, clay or sandy soils. Spring to late summer blooming, it sports flowers with white rims and pink to purple throats. It also bears six-inch pod-like fruits. When dried, seeds can be removed for planting.
For more information about the planting, growth, uses and care of this tree, take a look at Growing Desert Willows.
