A native flowering tree that shrugs off Victor Valley heat, wind and cold.
Get a Free Planting PlanYes. Desert willow is native to California’s deserts, including the creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland that surround the Victor Valley, and it handles High Desert heat, wind and cold with no fuss. Give it full sun, fast-draining soil and a deep soak a few times a month in summer, and it will flower from late spring into late summer.
Top photo: Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tree · Chilopsis linearis · Also called Desert Willow Tree, Desertwillow, Chilopsis · Native to California’s deserts and the Southwest, from west Texas to southern Nevada and northern Mexico
| Desert Willow at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Deciduous large shrub or small tree, usually multi-trunked. About 20 ft tall and wide in the wild (UA Extension); up to 25 by 25 ft with irrigation (Mountain States). [5] |
| Growth rate | Moderate to fast [3] |
| Water once established | Moderate (WUCOLS IV, Region 5, High and Intermediate Desert). Calscape lists low to very low, no more than about 3 waterings a month once established. [4] |
| Sun | Full sun (Mountain States says full sun or part shade) [2] |
| Cold hardiness | Sources range from 15F (Calscape) to -10F, USDA zone 6 (Mountain States). UA Extension says some cultivars are hardy to 0F. Suited to zone 8b. [3] |
| Wind | The SB County guide says it does well in highly exposed and difficult spots. Its open canopy does not make an effective windbreak. [1] |
| Soil | Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil with fast drainage [2] |
| Bloom | Trumpet-shaped flowers, pinkish white to deep purple, late spring to late summer [5] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Winter deciduous; drops leaves early and holds seed pods until removed [1] |
| Pets | Not listed by the ASPCA; check with your vet [6] |
| Wildlife | Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Calscape counts 46 native bee species and 5 butterfly species that use it. [2] |
| Rabbits and deer | Calscape lists it as deer resistant. We found no rabbit rating. [2] |
| Where it fits | Full sun accent or small shade tree, including exposed and difficult spots [1] |
Cold is not a worry. Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates desert willow to -10F (USDA zone 6). Calscape gives a more cautious 15F, and University of Arizona Extension says some cultivars are hardy to 0F. The Victor Valley sits in zone 8b, with an average coldest night of 15 to 20F and records near 0F. Even at the cautious end of that range, this tree is a safe bet here. It is winter deciduous anyway, so a hard freeze has little to damage.
Heat is its home turf. It grows wild along dry washes from west Texas to southern California, and Calscape places it in the creosote bush scrub and Joshua tree woodland plant communities. Victorville averages about 97F in July, and desert willow keeps blooming through that stretch if it gets a deep drink now and then.
The SB County Guide to High Desert Landscaping says it does well in highly exposed and difficult situations, which describes a lot of lots in Hesperia, Phelan and Oak Hills. Spring wind from March through June will not knock it down. Just know what it is not: UA Extension points out that the airy, open canopy does not make dense shade or a good windbreak. If blocking wind is the goal, pair it with an evergreen screen.
Calscape says desert willow prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil with fast drainage. That matches most Victor Valley yards, and alkaline soil is not a problem for a plant that grows wild in the Mojave. The one thing to check is caliche, the cemented layer that can sit a foot or two down and hold water around the roots. Our High Desert soils guide covers how to spot it.
Plant in fall or in spring after the last frost. Victorville’s median last freeze is around March 18, and about 1 year in 10 it comes after April 12. Our frost dates and growing zones guide has the numbers for your area.
WUCOLS IV rates desert willow moderate for Region 5, the High and Intermediate Desert. Calscape rates it lower, low to very low with no more than about 3 waterings a month once established, and UA Extension says all desert willows need little extra water once they settle in. The gap makes sense: the tree survives on very little, but it looks fuller and flowers longer with a steady summer soak. UA notes that extra water during hot, dry stretches, usually May and June, stretches out the bloom.
With just 5.57 inches of rain a year in Victorville, some summer water is the difference between a sparse tree and a showy one. Put it on its own drip valve, apart from thirstier plants. See our High Desert irrigation guide for zone setup.
As a native, desert willow has few pests or diseases, according to UA Extension. The issues people actually run into are mostly about mess and shape.
Calscape advises pruning when the branches are bare in winter, which is also when the structure is easiest to see.
The SB County guide recommends desert willow for full sun and hard, exposed spots. It works well as a patio or accent tree where you want light, filtered shade and summer flowers rather than a solid canopy. Because it is native to the surrounding desert, it also makes a natural transition from a planted yard to open land on larger lots.
It fits in a rockscape or xeriscape with other low and moderate water plants on the same drip zone. Keep it a few feet off pools and hardscape if you do not want to sweep pods and flowers. For a longer list of trees and shrubs that handle local conditions, see our best drought-tolerant plants for the High Desert.
Watch new leaves and flowers for aphids and hose them off (UA Extension). Check drip lines after winter and start regular watering once it leafs out.
Bloom season. Extra water in hot, dry stretches, usually May and June, keeps flowers coming (UA Extension). Calscape caps established plants at about 3 soaks a month.
Cut back watering as it cools. Fall is a good time to plant new trees while the soil is still warm.
Prune while branches are bare (Calscape). Remove seed pods if you do not want the litter, and water only in long dry spells.
Yes. It is native to California’s deserts, and the SB County Guide to High Desert Landscaping recommends it for full sun and exposed, difficult spots.
Calscape lists 15F and Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates it to -10F. It drops its leaves in winter, so Victor Valley cold is not a problem.
Yes. Calscape says it needs no more than about 3 waterings a month once established, though WUCOLS rates it moderate for the High Desert and it flowers longer with summer water.
Moderate to fast. Mountain States lists it at up to 25 ft tall and wide, and UA Extension says wild trees reach about 20 ft.
Fall, or spring after the last frost. Victorville’s median last freeze is around March 18.
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.
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