I am wondering if you can break a piece off and root it? A lady down the street from me has one and I want to know if I can root it or if I have to buy the plant?

I'm not entirely sure. Chilopsis is a picky plant, very conscious about where and when it grows. If you have experience growing plants from cuttings, I'd say give it a shot and see.

Namaste,

Evo

Evo, Do you know anything about the allergic effects of the Desert Willow in terms of breathing the pollen? We are considering planting one at our home in Albuquerque.

Lee,

No, I'm unaware of any known allergies with Desert Willow, though I'm sure there are individuals who are sensitive. Most of the tree allergies I've dealt with in the past are from species with a big footprint in the local area. You'd be one of the few folks with a Chilopsis in your town, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Namaste,

Evo

Evo, I live in (south) central Texas and planted a desert willow this past spring. It did beautifully all summer and has now started shedding its leaves. in fact, it is nearly bare. Is it too early for this to be happening?

Also, there are two shoots coming up about two feet in front of the willow. The leaves look identical. Could they be small willows? if so, these two small plants have their leaves, very healthy looking leaves.

Thanks for any info you can give me.

Carole

Evo, I live in (south) central Texas and planted a desert willow this past spring. It did beautifully all summer and has now started shedding its leaves. in fact, it is nearly bare. Is it too early for this to be happening?

Also, there are two shoots coming up about two feet in front of the willow. The leaves look identical. Could they be small willows? if so, these two small plants have their leaves, very healthy looking leaves.

Thanks for any info you can give me.

Carole

Evo,,, could you please tell me where I can find MORE info about this as a treatment for candida???

Shelly,

What kind of information are you looking for? There are various publications that you might find more information. The best source is Michael Moore (http://www.swsbm.com) in his book Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West.

Or ask me your question!

Evo

I just planted a 5 gallon Desert Willow and it hasn't done really well at all. Not only have most of the leaves fallen off after they turn yellowish, but I just noticed that it seems to have bumps all over the limbs. Upon further inspection, my friend said it looks like a scale-type bug. Any suggestions or is my baby tree beyond saving?

I was given a desert willow to plant at my school by the city. No growing instructions were given as for maintenance, best type of soil and how deep to dig the hole. Any information you could provide would be helpful. Thanks!

Hi Jessica,

Well, I'm no gardener, preferring to collect my plants from the wild around where I live. However, I'll give it a shot.

I would try and replicate the conditions where one is likely to find Desert Willow. That's usually in an arroyo, with plenty of silty soil and excellent drainage.

Also, Chilopsis plants are a water indicator, putting down deep roots to tap into sources of water well underground. To me, that means make sure it get's plenty of water to the roots-- as deep as possible. Deserts go through long periods of drought, so I wouldn't give it daily water. But when I did water, it would be in abundance and with one of those spikes that you stick in the ground to get it deep.

I'd dig a really deep hole, filling it with loose stones and silty soil, then putting the Chilopsis on top. The goal is to give the roots a chance to go deep and find hidden water sources.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Ciao... Evo

I've been doing some research on Palm Desert, California for an architecture project in school. I've found out that the Desert Willow is their official city tree. Do you know if the Desert Willow is abundant in the area and why it might be the cities official tree??

Ryan,

That would make logical sense. However, I'm by far a historian for Palm Desert, California or any other town. I would invite you to take a look at this map of the distribution of Chilopsis and see if Palm Desert falls somewhere in the shaded area.

http://www.swsbm.com/Maps/Chilopsis_linearis.gif

Best of luck on your project.

Evo