Desert Rose

Adenium Obesum

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Desert rose are known for their beautiful and vibrant flowers, along with their large base, or caudex. Although rose is in their name, they are actually part of the Apocynaceae family. The desert part, however, is accurate. These plants are native to Africa and love the “Sub-Sahara” climate. Meaning a hot and dry environment is what they thrive in. Keeping them in the full sun is essential to keeping them happy and blooming. Because of our rainy summers, it is good to keep them out of heavy rains, too much water can cause them to rot. Also be sure to have a proper drainage hole so your plant doesn’t sit in water. In our climate, Desert rose may get 4 feet or so, but in their hot and dry native habitat, they can reach up to 10 feet with a caudex of up to 5 feet wide. But being so slow growing it would take many, many years in the perfect environment. Because our environment is sub- tropical, it is typical for the desert rose to go deciduous in the cooler months. The leaves will fall and the plant may be naked for a little bit, but it will come back and absolutely thrive in the spring. These plants can live for decades and will produce gorgeous blooms for many years to come.

Fun Fact!

The desert rose has the very unique look of a large base, or caudex. This caudex will expand over time and create a beautiful shape that many people like to use in bonsai. If you are looking to get into bonsai, the desert rose is a great place to start. They are drought tolerant and will do well in bonsai soils and bonsai pots. They like to be tight and compact in their pots, which is a large part of bonsai. The branches of a desert rose are very flexible, making them very easy to train to grow in all sorts or unique shapes.