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Bladderpod

Cleomella arborea

perennial herb View on Calscape

Care

Water

very low

Size

2–7ft tall

Container

Friendly

Flowers

Prized

Native Range

Mojave and Colorado Desert scrub in southeastern California (Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino counties), 2000-4000 ft elevation.

Care Guide

Planting

Plant your Bladderpod in full sun with well-drained soil - sand or decomposed granite are ideal. This tough California native tolerates alkaline and even salty soils, so don't stress about amending. It grows fast and spreads to about 6 feet wide, so give it room. Plant in fall or winter when Bay Area rainfall can help it establish.

After Planting

Water weekly during your first summer to help it establish, then you can dial way back - once mature, it needs water only about once a month in summer, or can survive on rainfall alone. Expect it to flower almost year-round and readily self-seed, so you'll have new seedlings popping up each winter if you let it. Watch for harlequin beetles munching the leaves; they're hard to eliminate entirely, but you can hand-pick them or spray them off with the hose if they bother you. The #1 mistake: overwatering - this plant is made for dry conditions, so once it's established, less water means a happier, tougher plant.

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