Tree
'Desert Museum' Palo Verde
Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum'
A thornless, upright palo verde with a longer, bigger yellow bloom than its wild parents.
- Pollinator
- Fast-growing
Quick facts
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 8–11
- Water
- Very low once established
- Sun
- Full sun
- Size
- 20–30 ft tall × 20–30 ft wide
- Bloom & interest
- Large yellow flowers over a long spring season, with scattered summer rebloom; green bark year-round
- Plant type
- Tree
- Native range
- A hybrid of three Sonoran Desert palo verdes, selected at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Why we recommend it
The best-behaved palo verde for yards: thornless, upright, fast, and heavy-blooming, with little litter and survival on very little water once established.
Best regions: SouthwestSouthern California
How to grow it
Watering to establish
Deep-water every 1–2 weeks the first summer, then taper to monthly; established trees need little.
Pruning
Stake only if needed; structural pruning in late spring or summer, removing crossing limbs.
Soil
Well-drained desert soil. Overwatering and fertilizing produce weak, wind-prone growth.
Pairs well with
Read more
Where to buy
Shop 'Desert Museum' Palo Verde from trusted growers. For the best selection of xeric plants, try a mail-order specialist or ask a local independent nursery.
- High Country Gardens (opens in a new tab)Xeric specialist
- Nature Hills Nursery (opens in a new tab)Wide selection
- American Meadows (opens in a new tab)Perennials & seeds
- Etsy (opens in a new tab)Small growers
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