Museum Palo Verde is unhappy
Christie Cali
5 years ago
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5 years agoChristie Cali
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Palo Verde (Desert Museum) - Bends Over like Willow - Pruning?
Comments (7)Sorry about the damage to your son's tree. Not fun. I have to say, I am not a big fan of 'Desert Museum' palo verde trees. I know they are the "in" and trendy tree right now and are being planted everywhere, in commercial settings especially, but I think they are awfully lanky and gangly and subject to a lot of wind damage. They're popular because they grow very quickly, and low litter and generally thornless, but that quick growth makes their branches shoot up and look boring and weak (to me). I know, I know, a ton of people have them and love them, and I think the best ones are ones that get regular pruning and not too much water. I'm not saying I'd never try one if I ever moved to a new garden, but I would expect to have to prune it a lot to keep it looking nice and to keep it from getting storm damage and honestly, I just don't think a lot of plant sellers are telling people that part. Your son can prune his to try to create a shape he likes and that's a decent approach. I've seen some very nice ones around town, but again, they're getting regular pruning to thin them out and to make interesting branches. If he replaces it, I'd suggest getting a non-hybrid native Palo Verde if possible. In any case, he can defitely give it a good haircut and see how it progresses. Thinning out and removing a lot of the thin branches will help its appearance for sure. Good luck to him. Let's see what our other members say too. Take care, Grant...See MoreChinese Pistache or Desert Museum Palo Verde...
Comments (13)Mary, The Sonoran Emerald has a pretty healthy growth rate. The one in the photo is growing at Arizona Wholesale Growesrs (19th Ave & Pinnacle Peak Rd.) I'm not sure of the age but I remember seeing it when I visited there in 2000. I've planted several of these trees in the last 5 years including the most recent which was a 15 gallon size planted in March or April. Although it looked pretty skimpy at first, it's now larger than a robust 24" box tree. I water it deeply once every 2 - 3 weeks. I've seen the Dragon Tree and several people on this list have grown it. Beware of trees that grow extremely fast - their wood tends to be weak which can make them vulnerable to winds. They also tend to be short lived. Just think about oak trees....they grow slowly and have very hard, dense wood and live for a very long time. Also, trees with large leave like the Dragon tree, typically are not well adapted to the desert and need lots of water. Large leaves lose tons more water vapor than small leaves. I hope this helps....See MoreDesert Museum Palo verde Dying
Comments (10)I just lost the very same tree. I live in Arizona and ours didn't bloom this year so we checked it out. Same issues as yours, we lost all the leaves and the ends of branches were turning brown. Then we noticed that the usually green trunks were turning gray. It was a boring type bug. It is coming down now off it's own, because it looks to be dead. We did ask around to experts, there is no help for it. So sorry. I was so sad to lose my tree, it's so pretty in spring with all the flowers. Ours was well over 12 years old. I wish I could give you some advice to save it, but we were told there is nothing to help....See MoreLooking for Palo Verde 'Desert Museum' ...
Comments (9)Last year I planted a Ratama until I was able to find a Palo Verde 'Desert museum'. It's hard to get a good picture, but here it is. I love the dainty long leaves, yellow flowers and the idea that it doesn't cast a dense shade. It's also fast growing. Thorny, yes -- but I'm keeping it trimmed up and I don't plan on climbing it unless a black bear is after me ... LOL The Ratamas I saw today at the SABG looked good; better than the 'desert museums' in fact, so I'll just stick with what I've got. Passing the info along in case anyone else is considering a tree of this type....See MoreJXBrown (Sunset 24, N San Diego County)
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5 years agoChristie Cali
5 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
5 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoChristie Cali
5 years agoChristie Cali
5 years agoNil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)
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Nil13 usda:10a sunset:21 LA,CA (Mount Wash.)