Thinking of creating a small, shady oasis in the middle of your drought-tolerant garden? Chilopsis ‘Bubba’ might just be the tree you are looking for!

Desert Willows are native to desert washes throughout the southwestern US and northern Mexico. Despite its common name, Desert Willow is not actually a willow (its closely related to Trumpet Vine and Jacaranda), but its long, narrow, dark green leaves are reminiscent of willow leaves. ‘Bubba’ has large, fragrant pinkish-purple flowers that begin blooming in early summer (ours are blooming now) and last well into fall. These plants really come into their own during our summer heat, when other plants start to slow down.

‘Bubba’ is a small (15’ by 15’), fast growing tree with an open growth habit and attractively textured bark. It prefers a hot, sunny location and is hardy to at least Zone 7. We have seen it growing at the Denver Botanic Garden though, so we’re assuming that mature trees can withstand even colder temperatures. Plants are quite drought-tolerant once established, but will also tolerate deep, infrequent summer watering. They do need well-drained soil. If you have clay soil in your yard, consider planting it on a mound or a berm.

‘Bubba’ combines beautifully with other drought-tolerant, heat loving plants like Oenothera, the Salvia ‘Mirage’ series, Callirhoe, Penstemon pinifolius, Zauschneria, Monardella, Hesperaloe, and Perovskia to create a vibrant, colorful garden that really shines during the heat of summer. Even better, think about placing a bench under your Desert Willow, so you can enjoy its dappled shade and watch the hummingbirds and other native pollinators that flock to your mini-oasis!

Zelkovas are real ‘problem solver’ trees for gardeners and landscapers alike. This super-tough elm relative prefers full sun and is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types – including heavy clay soils. While they prefer regular watering when young, Zelkovas are relatively drought- and wind-tolerant when established. They can be successfully planted in a variety of situations: in lawns, as street trees, even in parking lot islands and buffer strips (aka ‘hellstrips’). In fact, two of the Zelkova varieties listed here are smaller trees (less than 25' tall), which makes them the perfect choice for smaller areas. In addition to all this, Zelkovas also bring great fall color to the landscape - ranging from golden yellows to fiery reds, depending upon variety.

 Here are a few of the Zelkova varieties Shooting Star carries regularly:

 ‘Wireless’: A smallish tree - just 23’ tall by 36’ wide – with a broad, spreading crown; bright red fall color. Because of its low height and broad spreading shape, this cultivar has an ideal shape for street plantings under utility lines.

‘City Sprite’: Roughly the same height as ‘Wireless’ (24’ tall), but only 18’ wide. Compact, dense, and semi-dwarf, this is the perfect little tree for tight urban spaces. Summer foliage appears brighter green than typical Zelkova, and fall foliage is a buttery yellow.

‘Green Vase’: ‘Green Vase’ is one of the taller Zelkovas - 45’ tall by 30’ wide – and has a graceful vase shape, with upright, arching branches. Its medium-sized, dark green leaves turn shades of yellow, orange and rusty red in fall.

 'Musashino': ‘Musashino’ is another columnar Zelkova, 45’ tall and just 15’ wide, with a lovely orange-yellow color in fall. It’s an ideal tree for street use, with tightly upright branches that allows good vehicle and pedestrian clearance beneath its delicate green canopy.

‘Red Jewel’ Crabapple consistently appears on the lists of “best crabapples for the home gardener”, and it’s easy to see why. These compact little trees (15’ tall by about 12’ wide) have a nice, upright pyramidal shape, are relatively undemanding to grow, and are highly disease resistant.

In the spring, soft pinkish buds open to produce clouds of snowy white, fragrant blossoms. But the thing that really makes ‘Red Jewel’ such a standout in the landscape is hinted at by its name. In the fall, brilliant red fruits appear – and they linger on the tree long after most other crabapple fruits have browned and been devoured by winter flocks of robins and cedar waxwings.

Photos of these fruits really don’t do them justice. Looking at them on a foggy winter day here at the nursery, they almost seem to glow. For an extra dramatic effect, try planting Red Jewel in front of a line of conifers or other evergreens. You’ll find the dark green foliage contrasts beautifully with the cherry-red crabapple fruit!

‘Red Jewel’ is one of a handful of crabapple varieties that birds tend to not eat – which is probably one of the reasons the fruits can linger on into spring during mild winters (‘Prairie Fire’ and ‘Snowdrift’ are both good options if you are looking for a crabapple that attracts birds).  

The 'Vanderwolf' Pine has proven itself a good conifer choice for a hot, dry spot; one that won't get too large and has soft, two-toned needles. This western North American native Pine can tolerate our dry, hot summers and wet winters.

Well drained soil, including dry, rocky hillsides, will help it tolerate those conditions even better. We have especially been attracted to it because it doesn't have the scratchy quality of most conifers, you can get close to it and enjoy the soft blue and green needles. 'Vanderwolf' has a more open habit than some other sheared looking conifers when young but gets denser with age and can be used as an effective screen, a specimen position, or looks great in groups of three.

It is difficult to pin down a mature size on the 'Vanderwolf' but it is slower growing so it is useful in smaller spaces. It can get 20-25' tall and 10-15' wide but it seems to get taller more quickly than it gets wide. Like most pines, it only needs occasional watering once established and this variety is more disease and pest resistant than some other pine species. Also, like most pines, Vanderwolf's Pine is deer resistant.

Persimmons are the fruit you didn't know you needed.  So decorative!  So versatile! And fall color as a bonus in an edible tree.  Asian Persimmons are the main type for home gardeners to grow, even though there are American Persimmons (just not as edible).   There are astringent types (used for cooking and eaten soft and fruits have a pointed bottom), and the non-astringent types (can be eaten fresh when firm or soft and fruits have a flat bottom).  See below for the main types we carry.  The non-astringent varieties can keep for 3 weeks at room temperature while the astringent varieties need to be used right away.  Dried Persimmon is a delectable treat that can add vitamin A and C and beta ceratine to your winter days.  Persimmons can be used in baked goods and there are lots of recipes out there showing ways to use this gorgeous fruit.

Persimmons are self fertile so you can get away with one tree and offer vibrant orange fall color.  They are one of the last fruits to harvest in the late fall, usually October even into November.   Trees can typically get 20-25' tall and wide and are not super fast growing.  They appreciate a well draining soil and full sun.   Most Asian Persimmons are hardy to zone 7.  Plase them so you can enjoy the glowing orange pumpkin like fruit hanging from bare branches in late fall.