Did you know the palo verde (“green stick” in Spanish) was named the official state tree of Arizona back in 1954? Its iconic bright yellow buds signal springtime in the desert, but the golden carpets that cover our yards, pools, and driveways can also bring some maintenance challenges.
A little prep work can help alleviate the hassle, so we’ve put together a list of tips to help you stay one step ahead of those beautiful spring blooms. These can also come in handy before the mesquite trees drop their seedpods during the summer months.
1. Change the pool filter.
Those bunches of blooms can clog your pool filters, so go ahead and put in a fresh filter (and maybe even roll out the pool cover) before and during the peak palo verde season.
2. Cover the pool and patio furniture.
Palo verde flowers are full of color, which also means they can stain patio furniture, yard art, grills, play equipment, and more. Take stock of your yard and move or cover any items you think could be discolored, damaged, or hard to clean.
3. Clean out the gutters.
If your house has gutters, check if they’re full of any dirt or leftover leaves from winter. Give them a good clean out now (and again before monsoon season) so any further blockages from palo verde blooms won’t obstruct the gutter flow or damage your house.
4. Trim and rake the yard.
Now may be the time to do a fresh trim and clean-up of your landscaping so the falling flowers don’t pile on top of leaves left from winter, creating more work for you down the road. A trim and clean-up of your palo verde trees can help keep them in peak health and form to handle the extra weight from the blossoms and hopefully avoid snapped branches.
5. Move your car.
Those golden flowers can also gunk up your car. If you typically park under a palo verde, spring may be the time to temporarily relocate to the other side of the driveway or along the street to avoid any staining, damage, or mess to your vehicle.
6. Leave out the welcome mat.
Now may be the time to invest in fresh doormats to place at the entry points of your home. Palo verde flowers tend to stick to the soles of shoes — a mat at the door can help brush off the blooms before they’re tracked into your house.
And most importantly, take some time to enjoy the natural beauty of the desert blossoms and maybe even snap a photo or two. Those golden palo verde blooms are also edible, so go ahead and pull a few from the tree to sprinkle on your springtime salads.
Enjoy the season, Alamar!