We have three new trees ready for our fall sale: Chilopsis (Desert Willow), Catalpa speciosa (Western Catalpa) and X Chitalpa tashkentensis (Chitalpa). Catalpa is the most winter hardy of the three, and once established it can survive drought. Chilopsis is very, very drought tolerant, and will even bloom in a dry summer like this one. I have not had good luck with Chilopsis surviving the winter here in the Greenhorn Valley, but I know many places in Pueblo and Denver where they do survive. Chitalpa, an intergeneric cross of the previous two, is supposed to be more drought tolerant than Catalpa and more winter hardy than Chilopsis. It has survived many years here at the nursery, but always in a pot in the cold frame. This fall I’m planting it in the garden, and we’ll see what happens! Here’s a picture of the Chitalpa, blooming. It blooms all summer and attracts hummingbirds and bees and butterflies.
That’s a Russian Sage flowering to the right of the Chitalpa.
We have Caryopteris in full bloom at the moment. What a great xeric shrub it is!
