Creosote bushes don't transplant well. So don't bother digging them up. I know that dixileta gardens as well as lone mountain nursery usually carry them but they are located in N.scottsdale. You may want to call around and see who carries them.

DG -- My yard is full of creosote bushes here in North, North Scottsdale. I love the smell they give off after a rain and the blossoms. I think if you found one that you could get "free & legally" -- if you water it like crazy, it should grow. Many neighbors here transplanted some bushes that were in the way and they grew just fine with plenty of water. But the nurseries may be your best bet. You also might enjoy a nice ride up to North, North Scottsdale as I call it. It certainly has changed, but the desert is still beautiful.

I purchesed some two-gallon creosotes at Treeland on Country Club Drive in Mesa.

Try the Desert Botanical Gardens. I got mine at one of their plant sales, but they may have them in their garden shop.

I am in New Mexico and I just bought some from our Native Plant Society Plant sale. I would think that Desert Botanical Gardens would be your best bet. I never miss visiting them when I am there. Also Boyce Thompson Arboretum has nice sales of natives. I tried to transplant some from the back of our property with no luck. Good luck!

Most creosote come up from underground runners from a parent plant. Cut the runner...kill the plant. Best to buy one from a nurserry where they are grown from seed.

Taking any plant from the desert is not legal.

According to what law? You may very well be correct, but that simple statement is virtually useless without some corroborating information. Please provide a reference.

I read through the AZ state agriculture laws (http://www.azleg.state.az.us/ars/3/title3.htm) and only saw references to protected and restricted native plants; nothing about 'any plant'. These laws only to pertain to state, public, or private land, and I'd suspect that federal law would rule on national parks, forests, or BLM land.

The explicit list of all AZ protected or restricted plants an be found in Appendix A at: http://www.sosaz.com/public_services/Title_03/3-04.htm#pgfId-1

There are hundreds of plants listed, but creosote is not one of them.

Thank DGLANGFORD for the link - I've heard many people say the same thing about taking ANY plants is illegal. I've been involved in many property engineering and plant taggings where they tag all the plants and trees that cannot be desturbed or destroyed on a piece of property. I've never seen a creosote tree tagged. :0)

Ok, who is willing to provide the strong muscles around here? ;-]

Supannee

Summer Winds nursery in Phoenix has creosote bushes.

They have several stores in the area.

DG -
Start calling the nurseries - I've seen them in several spots, including the Phoenix Botanic Garden. They are slow-growing - buy several. They don't transplant well, so make sure you really want them in the spot you pick.

"Just digging" is usually illegal ... unless you know who owns the land and have the proper permits (if any are needed), you can get nailed for trespassing, vandalism, etc.

Hi -- Creosote bushes are not protected here in Scottsdale - and probably the same in other cities - like the saguaro, barrels, yucca, mesquite, and palo verdes are. So if you have a friend or neighbor that will let you have one, I don't think that's a problem. You would probably have better luck buying a small one though from a nursery since it was grown for the landscape.

Nothing smells better than a creosote bush after a nice rain! :0)

WEXEY5,
I don't think you are correct in that taking any plant from the desert is illegal. That's a broad and all inclusive statement.

Rather than dig one up, you might go out and collect some seed. They transplant poorly, especially if uprooted. To get good germination you have to hull the seeds individually but you'd probably end up with happier plants. If you don't want to wait for seedlings to mature, I'd go for the nursery grown plants.

Just because a plant isn't protected doesn't mean that it is okay to dig it up. I say this for two reasons:

A)The land that the plant is on is probably owned by someone. (The State, The Feds, or a private entity/person) It would, in fact, be illegal to trespass on someone's land and then dig up and take a plant that isn't yours.

B)If we all went out and dug up plants from the 'wild' there wouldn't any plants left to enjoy (I realize that this is an exageration, but you get the drift).

I don't mean to sound snotty (I hope I don't) but I have serious issues with digging. I'll admit that I've taken seeds from plants around the grounds at work, and I'm not sure I feel good about that either, but digging up a plant and taking it home is a whole other can of worms.

Eva

Hi Eva - I don't think anyone said to go find one and dig it up. Of course that would be wrong.

I have many, many creosote bushes here and if one of my friends wanted a small seedling, I'd be happy to let them have it. Nothing wrong with that. They are not a protected plant by law - meaning they would have to moved by a professional plant mover and the city must be notified of that move. :0) -- Michele

Eva,
I don't think you have to worry about "everyone" digging up a Creosote bush, as VERY few people crave to have one. If you take a drive along Hwy 15 to Vegas or Laughlin, they are out there by the millions! Looks like barren Mars, with nothing but Creosote. I think we should worry more about the Yahoo dirt-bikers, ATV and dune-buggy types you continually see more of riding around and destroying our native desert plants. In my opinion, they do MUCH more damage: to our plants, desert wildlife, air quality and desert serenity.

I was responding to the second part of dglangford's original post:

"I'm quite tempted to just drive my jeep into the desert and dig one up... Would it be illegal to obtain one this way?"

I'm all for sharing plants from one's own property, I just think it's important to remember about public spaces. :)

What RAIN?

B.

Just thought I would throw in the fact that Creosote (Chaparrel) is medical. I have 8 large plants on my property and agree they smell wonderful and are an amazing plant. I have not had luck moving them and I get new one comeing up every year with no help and only the water from mother nature.
glo

Do not under any circumstances take a Creosote plant from the wild!! They are considered endangered thus a $10,000
if caught! The earlier poster was right, they do not
transplant well but here are some tips,
1. Find someone who has Cresosote bushes on their property
that are used as "landscape"
2. When temps fall around 32 degrees dig the bush up with
native soil (1 foot diameter around bush) wrap in burlap
3. put bush in a chest type freezer (root ball and all)
for 24 hours (no more)
4. This encourages "dormancy" and plant in the yard with
sand base-do not fertilize!!!
5. leave plant undisturbed for 1 week and then water in
very conservitive amounts (only until ground is damp)
6. After about 2 weeks plant should green-if it doesnt
do not pull it up, just let it grow because they can
go dormant up to 1 year.
Creosote bushes are some of the oldest plants on the earth
and the oldest one recorded to date is in the Mojave desert
and is abou 9,000 years old (location kept secret).
I applaude you for wanting to grow this very fickle bush,
Good luck.

Well, I'm a little late to this party, but I thought I'd post anyway. I too looked in vain for a creosote to buy from a nursery, and never found one. Then about a year and half ago, I found one at a nursery in El Paso, so I bought it. Now I see them at local nurseries quite a bit, so maybe they're becoming more available. Funny thing is, my creosote is in a container. This would seem an unlikely thing to do, but it has thrived in the pot. It's even come through a soggy and cold winter here with no problems. It's truly one of the toughest of all desert plants.

I'm no plant expert, but I've seen creosote at several nurseries in the Phoenix area. They aren't always in stock though. Just open the yellow pages and start calling. If the first place you calll doesn't have them, ask if they know who does. We got a couple at Bakers. I think I even saw a couple at Lowes or Home Depot not too long ago. I know A&P down the street from me has them - I was just there and saw a bunch - not in the greatest shape though.

I just realized how old this thread is!

please let us know if you can send us a bush e-mail us at tamwillia908@cs.com

grendelmort,
I can't believe creosote is "endangered".

Creosote is NOT an endangered nor a protected species. Period. I checked the laws and provided links. The post by grendelmort saying creosote is endangered is factually baseless and is absolutely untrue! It's one a few posts that are simply spreading manure. Oh, and by the way, there are a couple of loopholes that allow removing or even destroying endangered species.

It's amazing to me that anyone believes a post with absolutely no proof/references, especially one that doesn't even pass a common sense test. This is why urban legends persist.

Now, I checked a bunch of other laws too. If someone is really, really interested I'll post links (after I get my taxes done). There ARE general laws which prohibit removing anything from state trust lands, not even with a permit (and a lot of other activities too; you'd be amazed). On BLM lands, removing anything is generally prohibited, but it is possible to obtain a permit. Same with some other federal lands. And, of course, on private land one must have permission from the property owner, otherwise you're getting into trespassing. Note, none of these laws have anything to do with creosote being endangered/protected; because it is not. A private property owner could destroy every creosote bush on his/her property with no fear whatsoever. Not that I'm suggesting it. I'm a very environmentally conscious person. It just irks me when people spread bogus information as though it's fact. I'm sorry I posted my question in the first place. I obviously had unrealistic expectations.

Dave, I would be interested in the links you are talking about. Our 5 acres is bordered on one side by state trust land. So, I would love to see them when you have time.

In our yard creosotes are almost like weeds, popping up everywhere. So, if you are still interested in obtaining some & are in Surprise let me know.

Tammy in Sunny Surprise

I saw Creosote bushes at Plants of the Southwest nursery in Albq. last week.

NMNative: I know you posted your post WAY back in 2002, but I just moved to Alamo. Do we have a native plant society chapter here (and native plant sales?)

Creosote bush seed --- anyone have some?

I just can't seem to be able to find some. I have read that they can be found under the bush in pods containing five seed.

Help wanted,

Len

Baker Nursery in Phoenix carries creosote bushes. I bought 2 in February and they're doing wonderfully in my yard near Tucson.

I know this is a very old thread, but I just found this forum so I thought I'd respond. In my real job I'm a heavy equipment operator, (specifically dozer and excavator). You just don't know how many cactus and desert plants of ALL TYPES I've destroyed in a matter of seconds. This is not to mention wildlife, snakes-rabbits-mice-etc. that get in the way. It reallly bothers me to do this but it would bother me even more if I couldn't pay my mortgage payment. My suggestion to the original poster would be to find a new construction project in their area and go there and ask them if you could dig-up some plants before they doze them. They may not due to liability issues, but then again they may. Just a thought.

Greg
Nevada