Re: Street trees
- Subject: Re: Street trees
- From: C* M*
- Date: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 07:59:02 -0700
Dear Liz,
I meant to reply earlier and am glad that you compiled the list. I
have experienced negative results with Fraxinus oxycarpa 'Raywood
Ash' and suggest your remove it from your list.
I live on a private winding street that is quite narrow. Someone
chose the Raywood Ash as one of the trees allowed along the street.
They grew very large and the difficulty is that they don't take to
pruning. I have had two excellent local arborists look at mine and
they both shake their heads and don't recommend pruning. They are as
tall as a two-story house with a wide and extensive crown. We have
taken off some of the lower branches that tangle with garbage and
delivery trucks but that's about it. I'm not a expert in trees but
there is something in their growth pattern that makes normal pruning
impractical--the new growth appears in whorls at the end of a branch
so that you can't make the regular" pruning cuts that remove some of
smaller, irregular branches. And I was told that the tree weakens if
you attempt to remove part of the emerging whorl branches.
I live on the Peninsula south of San Francisco (warmer than those
living in San Francisco itself or other towns directly on the Bay)
and we have aphid problems here. All the Ashes are quite
susceptible. I band mine near the base with paper and cover with a
sticky compound (Tanglefoot) to prevent ants from getting up in the
upper branches and nurturing the aphid colony. I also have the trees
sprayed during dormant season but I still get a lot of sticky
die-back that drops all over late summer.
Other than that, the tree is gorgeous -- it just should have been
planted in a larger space. One reason for its choice I believe was
its fall color which is just breathtaking --- lots of burgundy red
and bright orange tones -- it make me almost forgive the problems it
has in other seasons. But it is simply too big for its location.
I also have experience with Robinia idahoensis. It was chosen about
12 years ago as the street down for our busy downtown main street
here in Mountain View. It--as opposed to the Ash--benefits greatly
from regular and heavy pruning. In about year 3-4 city arborists must
have cut back about 60% of the branches -- I was quite shocked. But
the trees benefited from this heavy pruning. It helps them present a
light and airy appearance which gives some shade to pedestrians but
also allows wind to pass through easily so they bend with it and
don't snap off brittle ends. After that one heavy pruning they get
minor pruning at the end of each summer. They were a good choice --
adding a great presence and height but not bulk. The pink blooms are
a bonus.
Oh, the Maytenus boaria on the list also needs and benefits from
heavy pruning so that it doesn't become a thick "blob."
Now that I think about it I'd suggest that any street tree choice be
one that doesn't mind pruning and actually benefits from it -- this
gives you options to help it fit into your environment. It also makes
it possible to see through it to either the street or the house and I
think this is a benefit in many situations.
Carol
Mountain View, California
Sunset Zone 15
USDA Zone 9
At 10:37 PM +0930 4/11/02, Liz Runciman wrote:
>Many thanks for all the suggestions. I have compiled a list from them
>all as follows:
>
>Acer capillipes, Snake-bark Maple
>Acmena smithii
>Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
>Banksia integrifolia
>Bauhinia blakeana
>Bauhinia forficata
>Calodendrun capensis
>Castaniopsis cuspidata, Copper False Chestnut
>Celtis sinensis, Chinese Hackberry
>Chionanthus retusa
>Chorisia speciosa
>Daphniphyllum macropodum, Yuzuri-Ha Tree
>Eribotrya deflexa
>Fraxinus oxycarpa 'Raywood, Raywood Ash
>Ginkgo biloba 'Princeton Sentry', Ginkgo
>Livistona australis
>Maytenus boaria
>Metrosideros tomentosa, New Zealand Christmas Tree
>Pasania edulis, Japanese False Oak
>Pistacia chinensis, Chinese Pistache
>Prunus blieriaiana,
>Pyrus kawakamii
>Quercus suber, Cork Oak
>Rhaphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty'
>Robinia idahoensis
>Schinus terebinthifolius
>Stenocarpus sinuatus
>Syagrus romanzoffianum
>Tababuia chrysotricha
>Trachycarpus fortunei
>Tristaniopsis laurina 'Elegans', Water Gum
>
>I should have said, I am in Adelaide, South Australia, 34 deg
>South, we never get frost, and are at about 50m above sea level
>with alkaline soil.
>
>Interestingly, my immediate neighbour and I planted Acacia baileyanas
>when our Hakeas fell over. Hers has flourished, despite being in more
>shade than mine. Mine, which unlike hers is the 'Purpurea' variety has
>sort of bonsaied itself and is the subject of constant attacks by cottony
>cushion scale. I planted it mainly because of the foliage which I like
>cutting to put indoors. These 2 trees are no more than 10 metres apart.
>
>Kind regards
>Liz
