A fast, thornless flowering tree that is borderline in Victor Valley cold. Here is how to give it a fair shot.
Get a Free Planting PlanIt can, but it is a borderline tree here. Desert Museum palo verde is rated to 15F, and the Victor Valley’s average coldest night is 15 to 20F with records near 0F, so plan for freeze damage in hard winters and protect young trees. Give it full sun, fast drainage, deep and infrequent water, and the warmest spot on your lot.
Top photo: Photo: cultivar413, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tree · Parkinsonia x ‘Desert Museum’ · Also called Palo Verde Tree, Desert Museum Palo Verde Tree, Cercidium ‘Desert Museum’ · A natural hybrid of Mexican, foothill and blue palo verde, all from the Sonoran Desert region
| Desert Museum Palo Verde at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Upright, thornless tree, about 25 ft tall and 25 ft wide [1] |
| Growth rate | Fast [1] |
| Water once established | Not rated for Region 5 (High and Intermediate Desert) in WUCOLS IV. Rated low for the Low Desert. Mountain States lists low. [3] |
| Sun | Full sun and reflected heat [1] |
| Cold hardiness | 15F, USDA zone 8. Borderline in the Victor Valley, where the average coldest night is 15 to 20F and records are near 0F. Young trees are most at risk. [1] |
| Heat | Takes full sun and reflected heat [1] |
| Wind | UA Extension warns that shallow, frequent turf watering can lead to palo verdes toppling [2] |
| Soil | Well-drained soil [1] |
| Bloom | Masses of large bright yellow flowers March to May, with some summer bloom [1] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Drops its small leaves in cold or drought; the green bark keeps photosynthesizing [1] |
| Pets | Not listed by the ASPCA; check with your vet. This hybrid is thornless. [6] |
| Wildlife | UA Extension says palo verdes provide wildlife habitat, produce a lot of nectar, and their pods are sought by wildlife [2] |
| Where it fits | Palo verde (Parkinsonia) is on the SB County guide’s list of fire-resistant trees [4] |
Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates Desert Museum palo verde to 15F, USDA zone 8. The Victor Valley is zone 8b, with an average coldest night of 15 to 20F, about 54 nights a year at or below freezing, and record lows near 0F. That puts this tree at its limit in a normal winter and past it in a bad one. Its parent species do not change the picture much: University of Arizona Extension lists blue palo verde to 10F and foothill palo verde to 15F.
What that means in a yard:
To give it a fair chance, plant in spring after the last frost so it has a full summer to root in before its first winter. Put it in the warmest spot you have, often the south or west side of the house and out of low ground. General practice is to cover young trees with frost cloth on nights forecast near 20F or below. UA also notes that some palo verde cultivars have been selected for better cold hardiness, so ask the nursery. If a hardier tree matters more than yellow flowers, honey mesquite and desert willow are both rated well below our lows.
Desert Museum has Mexican palo verde (Parkinsonia aculeata) as one of its parents, and the straight species still turns up in older landscapes (UA Extension). We do not recommend planting it. UA Extension says Mexican palo verde is found in older landscapes but is no longer considered a desirable landscape tree: it is well armed with thorns, short-lived, drops heavy leaf litter, and reseeds freely on roadsides, vacant lots and washes.
The SB County Guide to High Desert Landscaping does list Mexican palo verde as a High Desert tree and calls it a good desert naturalizer. That is exactly the concern. The California Invasive Plant Council assessed it and, as of its most recent posted list, did not add it to the Cal-IPC Inventory because it had not yet escaped into wildland enough to cause impacts. Cal-IPC’s assessment still notes escaped plants in California, including in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area and along Highway 101, and says it is a problem weed in Australia. A tree that seeds itself into washes is a poor fit next to open Mojave land.
Desert Museum is a thornless, selected clone, which is why it is the palo verde most people should buy. Blue palo verde is another option you may see: the SB County guide lists it, but WUCOLS IV marks it as not appropriate for Region 5.
Mountain States says to plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Sandy, alkaline Victor Valley soil works, but caliche does not. A hardpan that holds water around the roots is a fast way to lose a desert tree. Our High Desert soils guide covers testing and breaking through it.
WUCOLS IV has not rated this hybrid for the High Desert. It rates it low in the Low Desert, and Mountain States lists low water. General practice for the first summer is regular deep drip water, then taper to deep soaks spaced weeks apart, with emitters moved out toward the canopy edge as it grows. Ease off water in late summer so new growth is not soft going into the first frost. See our irrigation guide and frost dates guide for timing.
UA Extension lists a short set of palo verde problems:
As for where it fits: with green bark, an upright shape and a big spring bloom, it makes a strong accent tree in a rockscape or desert landscape. The SB County guide lists palo verde on its fire-resistant tree list, though no tree is fire-proof and it should still sit well away from the house. Use it where a tree loss in a record freeze would be an annoyance, not a disaster, and pair it with cold-hardy shrubs so the bed still looks good if the tree takes a hit.
Best planting time, after the last frost. Wait for new growth, then prune out any freeze-killed twigs (general practice).
Deep, infrequent drip water. Ease off in late summer so the tree firms up before frost.
Rake up pods and flower litter. Have frost cloth on hand for young trees.
Cover young trees on nights forecast near 20F or below (general practice). Water only in long dry spells.
Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates it to 15F. The Victor Valley averages 15 to 20F on its coldest night, so it is borderline here and young trees need protection.
Yes. Mountain States lists low water and WUCOLS rates it low in the Low Desert, though WUCOLS has not rated it for the High Desert.
No. University of Arizona Extension says it is thorny, short-lived, messy and reseeds freely into washes and vacant lots.
Fast. Mountain States calls it very fast growing, to about 25 ft tall and wide.
Spring, after the last frost, so it has a full summer to root in before its first winter.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch designs and installs rockscape, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plantings across the High Desert. We will check sun, wind and soil on your lot and tell you where a plant will do well and where it will struggle.
Get a Free Planting PlanOr call (760) 792-7627
