Are you certain they are pure white? Most desert willow flowers I have seen are light pink, maybe these are a lighter shade of pink?

I have the variety 'Regal', which has dark purple flowers.

Well, I'm not certain they're "pure" white, but driving by at 35mph, they seem more-or-less white. If they're pink, its quite pale.

Wouldn't you agree, melvalena & debndal, that the median desert willows in town are white?

~ freshair

Wow, freshair, put me on the spot! I've always thought of them as light pink and even a light lavender shade, at least the ones on Sandy Lake Rd. I'll have to try to pay more attention. I'm usually looking at the Mexican Feather Grass that looks soooo pretty when it's seeding. I'm also usually going faster than 35mph, oops! Did I admit that?

Well, I didn't put a time limit on your answer. :-)

35mph is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Who would I call to ask at the city? Looking at the different departments on the left-hand menu, I don't see anyone who would have median landscaping as a responsibility.

While we're at it, do you know the white flowering shrubs in the Denton Tap median just north of the FBC? The shape is similar to althea, but the flowers look more like Rose of Sharon. I think there's two of them.

~ freshair

I'd say yes they look white. :) Isn't the speed limit 40mph on Sandy Lake?

Just call the main number for the city, whoever answers the phone will know who to direct your question to or how to find out who you need to call. Its her job. ;) She gets paid to
do that.

I had a solid white one at my previous house. But I don't recall the name of it. It bought it in about 2000, at Rainbow Gardens here in San Antonio.

Freshair - I drove by the FBC this morning on the way to HD and I saw the shrubs you were talking about. I always thought Rose of Sharon and Althea were different names for the same plant....but yes, I believe you are right. And the Desert Willows that were blooming this morning along Sandy Lake were all definitely pink and almost a lavender pink. Maybe the white ones are resting in the heat. Noticed one was cut down to the trunk. Might have gotten damaged in the winds a couple of weeks ago. I'll be watching to see if it comes back out.

The white one is sometimes called "White Storm". That is a selection by the late Benny Simpson. The white ones have a more compact growth habit. I like them alot. Bubba can get pretty big. They have purple flowers. "Regal" has sort of a bi-colored flower but makes a smaller tree. The only place I've seen the white ones for sale is "The Nature Gardener" in Austin. I've seen the ones on Sandy Lake since I live nearby. If you find any white ones for sale in N. TX. please let me know. They grow as far north as Tulsa, OK. I've seen some growing in a park up there.

Hi dricha, where can we find more info about the sizes/growth habits of different Desert Willow types? I was not aware there were differences other than flower color. Thanks,

Good question, rmtx ~ After the mention of "white storm", I had something else to google. Its a variety cultivated by Benny Simpson, as dricha mentioned, but I didn't find info beyond that in terms of growth. If it has a more compact growth, as dricha said, then I like it even more.

Redentas and Northaven don't have it & Green Mama's said they're out and didn't have anyone to order it from currently.

debndal ~ I drove the eastern section of Sandy Lake, and the only white ones I found flowering were a cluster east of MacArthur btwn the wholesale nursery and the charter school. You had me worried. I've made a bunch of mistakes here at the house recently (is it a full moon?), so I've started to second guess myself & I had to double-check.

~ freshair

Ah, I hardly ever travel that section of Sandy Lake so that's why I hadn't noticed them. I'm waiting for my Bradford pear to croak (soon I hope) and am thinking about a desert willow to replace it. I'm glad to hear the comments on this thread, cause like rmtx, I didn't realize there were several to choose from. The white is sounding good, cause I love white flowers, and compact is always good in my small yard!

debndal ~
After googling images, I figured out my confusion about the median shrubs on Denton Tap: at my grandmother's we have two altheas/RoS & one is double/ruffly and the other single - she calls the double/ruffly one althea and the one with single blooms Rose of Sharon. So I've grown up thinking they were different plants.
~ freshair

As I was driving to Vista Ridge this morning, I saw a crew planting Desert Willow in the MacArthur median at 3040, & one of them had white flowers. Maybe nurseries will start carrying them after customer see them everywhere.

I found them listed at Tawakoni Plants (just east of Dallas), but they're wholesale only. I guess you could get a local nursery to order it for you.

~ freshair

Here is a link that might be useful: Tawakoni Plants

Did you notice if the landscapers truck had a name on it? They might be able to provide a source for them.
I don't know if I'd be planting anything in a median in this heat, unless they can be sure they get watered well for a while.

ah, deb - there was no landscaper here - this was a city crew - that probably also explains the logic(?) behind planting trees in a median in triple digit heat

besides, they were planting trees twice as tall as the men in really large wooden boxes (rather than pots or b&bs) that were slightly angled outward at the top - i'm sure some of y'all are more familiar with that format, but since i'm a lone gardener with back problems and budget restraints, i've come to appreciate small plants, even when they are trees

~ freshair

I also found them in Austin at Far South Nursery, but alas, they are also exclusively wholesale. Still trying to get my friendly neighborhood nursery to order for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Far South Nursery in Austin