The Palo Verde, ‘Desert Museum’ are hard to beat. They take the heat and keep on blooming. They have beautiful bright yellow blooms and are drought tolerant trees which can grow to be 20+’. Their unusual green bark is striking and in the winter when they have lost their leaves, are still a great compliment to your landscape as they have green unique tree bark.
They resemble the native Retama, though these are preferred by many as they are thornless. The differences are subtle but there are a few. The Retama’s have thorns and the leaves on the ‘Desert Museum’ are more upright while the Retama’s are a little more “weepy”. Both are great additions to landscapes. Personally, I like the ‘Desert Museum’.
Here in Austin, you can see the Desert Museums all over the city in personal landscapes as well as planted at several local businesses around town. The Retamas are easy to find as well, you almost have to get up close to tell the difference on the leaves and of course the thorns. Another positive and semi unique thing about the Palo Verde, Desert Museums is that they bloom several times throughout the year. They have two heavier bloom cycles but you can see blooms on them throughout the year more or less.
They are drought tolerant once established. Often planted alongside agaves, grasses and or yuccas, they are a wonderful addition to the landscape. They are easy to care and provide lots of architectural interest. Plant Palo Verde!!
