Arizona Rosewood

Vaquelinia californica is one of my all time favorite broadleaf evergreens. I have seen this beautiful species in quite a few different p...Read Morelaces here in Utah, and some that somewhat surprised me. They are most common in Washington County (zone 8a - 9a). They can be seen on almost every street in Ivins, St. George, Santa Clara, and La Verkin. The other area I have seen them used quite a bit is around Kanab in Kane County (zone 7b - 8a) . They are especially common in the La Estencia neighborhood and surrounding developments. But, I was honestly somewhat shocked to see 10 thriving specimens at the Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City! This part of Utah is also in zone 7b, but it can receive a good skiff of snow on occasion. And occasionally see temps down to around 7°F - 10°F. I was able to talk to the head gardener at the botanical garden, and he told me those specimens had been in the ground for 8 years now! So I can safely say they are hardy down to at least zone 7b, and possibly even lower. After seeing those specimens at Red Butte Gardens, I decided to finally plant a large one I got in Southern Utah in my garden here in SLC this past spring. I’m excited to see how this specimen does for me! I have it up against a south facing stucco wall, with orange pea gravel mulch for extra warmth. This is a PERFECT oleander mimic / substitute, and that is why I am so in love with it.

I am in Fort Mohave Az and planted these in January of 2021. So far, they are a bit finicky. I am still trying to get them established ...Read Morebut do not yet understand their water requirements. As the poster from Mesa says, they seem to have specific watering needs that I have yet to figure out. They are dropping leaves and turning yellow in April but also have pushed out some new growth. Time will tell.

Given that I live in Arizona, I thought this would be an easy plant to grow in place of those ugly oleanders we see everywhere growing ou...Read Moret of control. We planted three of them over a year ago for additional screening height along our wall, but these are finicky bushes. A little too much water, and they drop their leaves. A little less water, and they drop their leaves. We thought they had established themselves and then they turned yellow and one died. We are still trying them, but they are much more difficult to grow than the oleanders that grow like weeds. Any advice would be appreciated.