Desert Rose, Adenium obesum, is a beautiful container specimen for San Antonio and surrounding areas. Its beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers are a big draw (pollinators love them too), but the unique shape of its trunk, or caudex, is also one of the reasons enthusiasts collect them. Take a look at our care guide for desert rose below and find a downloadable pdf link at the end of this blog.
- Tropical-perennial, succulent type plant.
- Slow growing plant. Be patient, it’s worth it. Growth rate depends on various factors.
- Bloom colors: red, pink, white, yellow, with solid color and variations of color and patterns. Leaf variegations also sometimes available.
5 Care Needs for Desert Rose
- Light Exposure for Desert Rose
- Morning sun/afternoon shade, or filtered light all day during summer.
- Bright light in winter.
- Indoors desert rose should be placed in a south or west-facing window.
- Soil Preference for Desert Rose
- These plants MUST have well-draining soil
- Choose a potting mix that is highly organic, lightweight and extremely porous.
- Cactus potting mix is great for desert rose
- Adding expanded shale to the mix helps it with drainage.
- Make sure pots have drainage holes.
- Watering Needs for Desert Rose
- Spring through summer fall, offer regular watering, but allow the soil to dry out somewhat between waterings.
- In fall, start to pull way back on your watering.
- In winter, stop watering and allow the desert rose to go dormant.
- Overwatering can cause root rot. Use you finger and poke into soil to feel if it needs water.
- Fertilizer for Desert Rose
- In spring, once weather warms up, offer plants a low nitrogen fertilizer that also contains micronutrients.
- FoxFarm Tiger Bloom is a good option.
- Sometimes blooms come before leaves begin to regrow in spring!
- Temperature for Desert Rose
- These tropical plants prefer a temperature range OF 60° – 90°F. They must be moved in for protection once temps hit 50°F.
3 Winter Protection Tips for Desert Rose
- Winter Protection for Outdoors
- Protect from freezing temperatures. These plants can’t tolerate cold.
- Plant in pots so plants can easily be brought inside during forecasted freezes.
- Plants left outside must be covered with frost cloth (2 layers best), and should be placed on the south side of the house, under a roof or patio roof if possible.
- If plants are damaged by frost, branches can be pruned back in early spring.
- Winter Protection for Indoors
- If you plant desert rose in pots, you can easily move them in out of the cold.
- Place plants in a south or southwest facing window.
- If you choose to keep desert rose inside for the winter, stop watering so you can force desert rose into dormancy (will lose leaves and that’s ok).
- Allowing plant to go dormant through winter, offers better spring growth and flowering.
- Adjusting Plants to Outdoors with Spring Returns
- Once day and night temps are consistently above 60°, the plants can be brought back outdoors for spring and summer.
- Be sure to gradually acclimate desert rose to full sun exposure. Offer it a part shade area for about a week, before exposing to full sun.
Ready to give one a try? We think you’ll love them. For a free downloadable, printable guide, click here.
~ The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
I didn’t know about not watering them in the winter.
I have 2 of them. One has red flowers the other pink.
Your info is very helpful.
Happy to help.