A tall, near-zero-water desert accent. Here is how to plant it, water it and buy it legally.
Get a Free Planting PlanOcotillo can grow in the High Desert if you give it full sun, fast-draining soil and a warm spot, but the cold ratings vary a lot (0F to 20F depending on the source), so it is not a sure thing in every yard. Once established it needs almost no water. Buy a nursery-grown plant or a legally salvaged one with its state tag, because ocotillo is a protected desert plant in San Bernardino County.
Top photo: Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Accent shrub · Fouquieria splendens · Also called Coachwhip, Jacob’s Staff, Vine Cactus · Native to the Colorado Desert of California, reaching slightly into the Mojave, and east to west Texas
| Ocotillo at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Spiny, cane-forming desert shrub, usually 15 to 20 ft tall by 10 to 12 ft wide at maturity [2] |
| Growth rate | Slow [2] |
| Water once established | Very low (WUCOLS IV, Region 5) [4] |
| Sun | Full sun [2] |
| Cold hardiness | 0F, USDA zone 7 per Mountain States Wholesale Nursery. University of Arizona Extension says 10F and Calscape says 20F. Pick the warmest spot you have. [2] |
| Heat | Needs heat and well-drained soil; does poorly with prolonged cold [3] |
| Wind | Newly planted bare-root canes can blow over; UA Extension suggests large stones about 6 in from the trunk to brace them until rooted [3] |
| Soil | Rocky, sandy or decomposed granite soil with fast drainage [1] |
| Bloom | Red tubular flowers at the cane tips in spring, sometimes again after summer rain [2] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Leafless most of the year; leafs out after good rain or watering and drops leaves when the soil dries [3] |
| Pets | Not listed by the ASPCA; check with your vet. The canes are covered in sharp spines, so keep it away from dog runs and paths. [5] |
| Wildlife | Hummingbirds, including Costa’s hummingbird, feed on the flowers [1] |
| Rabbits and deer | Deer resistant [1] |
| Where it fits | Accent plant for home and commercial landscapes [3] |
The sources do not agree on cold, so here is the full range. Mountain States Wholesale Nursery rates ocotillo to 0F (USDA zone 7). University of Arizona Extension says it tolerates 10F and notes it is relatively intolerant of prolonged low temperatures. Calscape lists 20F. In California it grows mainly in the Colorado Desert and only slightly into the Mojave.
The Victor Valley is USDA zone 8b. The average coldest night is 15 to 20F, and Victorville has recorded lows near 0F. That puts ocotillo inside the range the grower and UA Extension give, but not by much in a hard winter. The UA sheet suggests finding a warm site with well-drained soil, and that advice fits here: a south-facing slope, a spot against a south wall, or a raised rockscape bed, not a low corner where cold air pools.
Heat is no problem. Ocotillo needs it. Our July highs average around 97F.
Wind matters most right after planting. UA Extension says a bare-root plant set shallow in the soil can blow over and recommends large stones placed about 6 inches from the trunk to support the canes until the roots take hold. That is worth doing in any yard that gets the March to June winds.
Ocotillo is protected under the California Desert Native Plants Act, part of the state Food and Agricultural Code. The act applies in eight counties, including San Bernardino County. Section 80073 lists all species of the family Fouquieriaceae, which includes ocotillo, as plants that need a permit to harvest.
Under Section 80111, it is unlawful to dig up or harvest a living native plant without written permission from the landowner plus a permit and any required wood receipts or tags and seals. There is a narrow exception in Section 80118 for five or fewer plants taken from your own land, or with written landowner permission, and not for resale.
What that means for a homeowner:
There is a plant-health reason too. The Mountain States sheet says salvaged, wild-dug plants have about a 50% survival rate, while container-grown plants establish faster (UA Extension). Rules change, so check with the San Bernardino County Agricultural Commissioner before moving any native desert plant.
Drainage is everything. Calscape lists rocky, sandy or decomposed granite soil with fast drainage. UA Extension’s planting steps are specific:
The one-hour drainage test is where caliche shows up. Many High Desert lots have a cemented layer under the sand that will fail this test. Break through it or move the plant. Our High Desert soils guide explains how.
UA Extension says the best success comes from planting March through May. In the High Desert, wait until after the last frost (the median in Victorville is around March 18). See our frost dates guide.
WUCOLS IV rates ocotillo very low water for Region 5 (High and Intermediate Desert), and Calscape says no more than once a month once established. Getting it established is the tricky part, and UA Extension warns that too much water after transplanting can kill it.
UA Extension’s schedule for new plants in Arizona is weekly at minimum in summer and twice a month in winter. High Desert winters are colder than most of Arizona’s low desert, so general practice is to lean toward the low end in the cold months. Once the plant leafs out routinely and starts to flower, which can take 6 to 24 months, cut back. Most established ocotillos need no extra water in the cooler months and no more than every two to four weeks in the hottest summer stretch.
A simple check: canes that stay pliable with a green tint are alive. Leaves come and go with water. They show up after rain and drop when the soil dries, and that is normal.
Put ocotillo on its own drip line or a very low-water zone with cactus and yucca. Our irrigation guide covers zone setup.
UA Extension calls ocotillo an excellent accent plant for homes and businesses. The tall canes make a strong vertical line in a rockscape, and the red spring flowers bring in hummingbirds. Give it room: it can reach 15 to 20 ft tall and 10 to 12 ft wide. Keep it back from walks, gates, play areas and dog runs, because the canes are lined with spines.
It looks right with other desert accents like creosote bush, beaked yucca and century plant. For more low-water ideas, see our desert landscaping guide.
Set expectations with the family, too. For much of the year an ocotillo looks like a bundle of bare gray-green sticks. UA Extension explains that it leafs out after substantial rain and drops the leaves quickly once the soil dries, to save water. The grower sheet says the red flowers come mainly in spring, sometimes again after summer rain. Calscape notes Costa’s hummingbird among its visitors. A bare ocotillo in winter is normal, not dead.
Best planting window (March through May per UA Extension, after frost here). Watch for flowers at the cane tips.
Established plants need water no more than every two to four weeks in the hottest stretch (UA Extension). New plants need weekly water.
Taper water off. Leaves may come and go with rain; that is normal.
Established plants usually need no extra water. Keep new plants on a light schedule and do not let water sit around the base.
Very. WUCOLS IV rates it very low water for the High and Intermediate Desert, and established plants need little or no extra water outside the hottest months.
Ratings run from 0F (Mountain States Wholesale Nursery) to 10F (University of Arizona Extension) to 20F (Calscape). High Desert winters average 15 to 20F on the coldest night, so plant it in a warm, well-drained spot.
It is not listed by the ASPCA as toxic or non-toxic. Check with your vet. The spiny canes are a physical hazard, so keep it away from dog runs.
Not without landowner permission and a permit with tags under the California Desert Native Plants Act, which covers San Bernardino County. Buy nursery-grown plants or tagged salvage.
Spring, after the last frost. UA Extension says March through May gives the best success.
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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