Indio, California
My favorite desert plant isn’t cactus. Actually I hate cacti…
But I love ocotillo!
Ocotillo can grow up to 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. They are usually leafless through most of the year, and they produce leaves after significant precipitation. When drought happens, they shed their leaves to reduce plant evaporation. Given sufficient spring rain, ocotillos produce bright red-orange flowers on the ends of their branch tips.
I love their shape when they are leafless.
I love the color of their leaves when they first come out.
I love the way the leaves grow out of the tops of the thorns on their spines.
And I love their blossoms.
But now I have a confession to make…
I really do love ocotillos, but the main reason for this post and all of the pictures is so that I have all the images and informationI need so that I can have Rich make me one out of metal once he has a shop again.
But then we went to Shields Date Garden, and I saw this!
I’m pretty sure Rich can make me one with red blossoms! 🙂
Those are great but I’m just betting that Rich can make it look even more like the real ocotillos. Pin that picture to his welder and he’ll get it, he’s very talented.
He’s going to be very busy when you two get yourselves planted somewhere!
Giggles, Sharon, he has no idea of the projects I’ve been dreaming up for him… 🙂
I bet hummingbirds love ocotillo too! Will they grow in Zone 5? Can’t wait to see Rich’s art ocotillo!
Most ocotillos don’t do well if the temperature gets down below 10 degrees, Carol. But I’ve read about people who grow then indoors. I don’t like them enough to try that… I haven’t had living indoor plants for about 20 years; too lazy. 🙂
They are gorgeous, but indoors would be dangerous. I am sure I would be prickered by those thorns at least once a day….
I have no idea why I’m so intrigued by them. Must be a case of motor home fever…