Fun in the Desert

his summer has been anything but dry. Usually after the spring rains, summer showers in Oklahoma—even here in northeastern Oklahoma— are few and far between. This year has been different, with soaking rains about every ten days or so. Now I know that summer isn’t even half over, but the extended forecast looks good. Even if it turns off dry from this point, we’ve been blessed this summer. So, let’s talk about drought-tolerant plants.

The desertwillow,  Chilopsis linearis, is a much overlooked small flowering tree. The reason may be that it is only hardy through zone 6b, roughly the Kansas-Oklahoma border; while the various species of dogwood are hardy to zone 4 or 5. Unlike dogwoods, the desert willow can take poor soil and moisture conditions and never blink an eye.  Desertwillow blooms at a time when hardly any other small tree is blooming, unless you consider crapemyrtle a tree, which you certainly may. Beginning in June, desertwillow blooms in successive flushes till fall. This pic was taken the 11th of June, and the tree is still covered with blossoms. The texture and form is unique, and fits well in a small backyard patio setting, providing a light shade with a wispy effect on a breezy day. Desertwillow rarely reaches more than fifteen feet at maturity, and requires some selective pruning to achieve the desired effect of a strong yet interesting specimen. The only problem is that they are difficult to find in the retail nursery trade, so you will probably have to resort to mail-order.

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful weekend. Enjoy it, and I hope to see you in church this Sunday.