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.
When do you cut them back? Two of mine have gotten pretty tall. The smallest of the three is only one blooming.
Late/Feb early March, just before new growth starts would likely be ideal. I am attaching a link to a youtube video I think may be helpful. (I’d start the video at about timestamp 4:37 to start the tutorial.) She gives some good close ups of where to cut and also some options for forming and shaping your desert rose. Desert Rose Pruning
I’ve had a desert rose for 3 years and seems very healthy but it’s never bloomed
Hi Janet,
Have you fertilized, and if so how often and with what? A high phosphorous fertilizer may help. How much sunlight does it get (6-8 hours at least?), what kind of watering schedule are you on? Did you repot your desert rose within the past couple of years?
I was hoping for info on when and how to prune the plant for better growth
Pruning in early spring before new growth begins would most likely be ideal. Here’s a video link I found that might be beneficial to you. We hope to create on of our own soon. (I’d start the video at timestamp 4:45 for the tutorial) Desert Rose Pruning