Bubba! One Robust and Long-blooming Desert Willow - Chilopsis linearis

Chilopsis linearis 'Bubba' with Dendromecon harfordii                                                                            S. Reeve                                                                                                            

There is Chilopsis linearis, the Desert Willow, and then there is --Bubba! He's a big boy with larger flowers and a larger trunk. Chilopsis linearis 'Bubba' was discovered by botanist Paul Cox of the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Another thing 'Bubba' doesn't skimp on is the number of blooms. This is the most floriferous Chilopsis! As you can see from the photo this raceme of flowers will continually bloom as new flowers mature. The tree blooms in the hotter months. It started flowering around the first of May and will put out flowers all summer into fall. The big-throated intensely colored magenta/purple blooms have a lighter colored frilly upper part and golden nectar guides on the darker bottom part of the petal. The flower is a true tube in that it is synpetalous and does not have separate petals. Hummingbirds love these fragrant flowers! The selections of Chilopsis vary in the amount of fragrance their flowers offer. 'Bubba' has days when it fills my garden with the sweetest indescribable perfume! The Family Bignoniaceae is heavily represented in my garden as the flowers tend to be hummingbird favorites. Big carpenter bees (Xylocopa varipuncta) also visit the flowers. Large nectaries at the base of the flowers provide a delicious sucrose reward for anyone willing to venture down the long throat. 

Golden Nectar Guides                                                                                                                      S. Reeve

Chilopsis linearis is native to Mexico and the desert southwest in desert washes in the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. It also occurs in Texas, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It is hardy down to 10 degrees and can be a die-back shrub in protected colder areas in Zone 5 or 6. As is the case with other plants needing good drainage, winter wet is more of an issue for hardiness than the cold temperatures. Since it needs heat to do well if your plant does die back to the roots give it ample time in the summer for it to resprout. During that time do not trim any "dead" growth as it may not actually be dead. 'Bubba' must have excellent drainage. Wet soil will quickly take it out. It is naturally insect pest and disease resistant. The only insect pest I have noticed on my tree is the ever-present Argentine ant. I am happily noticing many fewer ants since I stopped watering and now only spot water. The tough long strappy leaves are deep green and wind resistant. This is a deciduous tree and remains leafless for several months. Another good thing about this particular Chilopsis is it puts more energy into continuous flowers and doesn't form many seed pods. It blooms dependably for at least 5 months. It is said to form a few seed pods, but I have never seen any on my plant. To propagate it use semi-hardwood cuttings in late May or June. Other selections have smaller flowers in colors ranging from white to the deepest purple. This color range is naturally found and used to breed exceptional color forms. Pinkish white-flowered Chilopsis occur in the west and deeper purple in the east. 'Lucretia Hamilton' has flowers in a particularly rich jewel tone of reddish purple with yellow nectar guides. They are less bi-colored than some Chilopsis flowers. The tree itself is smaller and the flowers are more dainty than 'Bubba', and it has the long seed pods.

       Chilopsis linearis 'Lucretia Hamilton'                                                                          photo by Xericman

This tree needs a little helpful pruning and training to become a graceful tree. Mountain States Nursery has a great photo of one of their trees that was trained well. I planted 'Bubba' seven years ago and right now it is about 12 feet high and resembles a gawky teenager. It is in need of judicious pruning at this point. I will wait to prune until winter when it is dormant. Every year there is little twiggy dead growth that I remove. It might be because I rarely water it but it does not seem to be a fast grower. It is getting by on the 9 inches-or-so of rain we get here in La Mesa. Eventually, this tree may be 20-30 feet tall and wide. I hope it stays smaller. Supplemental summer water increases the blooming period.

      Chilopsis linearis 'Bubba'                                                                                          photo by Ron Ludekens

My attempts at photographing this tree did not go as well as I had hoped. The first photo is in my garden and this last photo is a much better photo of this tree by Ron Ludekens. While the tree looks substantial through my eyes, through a camera lens the plant appears airier. In my garden, I have paired its dark green leathery leaves and purple flowers with Dendromecon harfordii with golden yellow flowers and bluish leaves. It is a nice combination.  I love this tree because it survives on ambient rainfall and doesn't need any special care except for a little pruning if you want to improve the form, yet it blooms continually all summer. 
'Bubba' is aptly named because it is easy to grow with great floral rewards for the wildlife in my garden.