A number of very attractive flowering trees, both native and introduced, are well adapted to our desert environment. Here are some of the best bets' to color up your home landscape. 

Blue palo verde (Cerecidium floridum) is the best of a group of native trees characterized by green bark and showy yellow flowers. As its name implies, the blue palo verde has blue green bark, with multi-trunks that ascend into a tightly branched, dense canopy of blue green stems and leaves. Small yellow flowers line the branches in numbers that create a mass of radiating yellow spikes, flowing up like a fountain from the trees center. Blue palo verde is fast growing, medium sized and perfect for any home landscape. Common to the deserts surrounding Tucson, it typically booms for 2 weeks beginning in late March or early April. 

Willow acacia (Acacia saligna), is a gold flowering tree with weeping branches. Native to Australia, it grows in hot, dry regions, and is well adapted to minimal care' landscapes. Numerous flower clusters run the length of pendulous branches, projecting out lines of golden color. Blooms appear in March and persist for several weeks. This is a small to medium sized tree; moderately fast growing. More water encourages faster growth. The willow acacia and a number of other showy flowering acacias can be found at nurseries and garden centers throughout Tucson. 

Desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), is a native flowering tree with unique trumpet-shaped white, pink or purple flowers. A light canopy of foliage on this willow-like tree reveals abundant flowers scattered throughout the tree. An unusually long flowering period (April through September) maximizes the appeal of this tree. Although tolerant of very dry conditions, desert willow will produce more flowers and leaves with increased watering. Desert willow is a medium sized tree, excellent for use around patios and walkways were flowers can be enjoyed to their fullest.

Bottlebrush (Callistemon), is a small to medium flowering tree with showy and abundant, bright red flowers, shaped like the brushes used to clean long-necked bottles. There are two common forms of bottlebrush; the weeping branched (C. viminalis) and the stiff branched (C. rigidus). Both produce a profusion of red flowers set upon a background of dark green foliage. Native to moist areas of Australia, bottlebrush grow well in Tucson on low to moderate amounts of regular moisture. Bottlebrush can be a little cold sensitive, so it's best to plant them well away from low areas, and cold draining rivers and washes. 

Regardless of the type of flowering tree you purchase, shop at local nurseries when the tree species you wish to purchase are in bloom. Individual trees can vary in their flower production, and color intensity. Choosing a tree with good vigor and a profusion of blooms in the color you like will insure your future satisfaction.

Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161.
Material originally appeared in Arizona Daily Star gardening column, on April 21, 1996
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