tree id

Hello All:
I just had a tour of a friend's yard that was recently redone by someone
claiming to be a landscape designer who uses her husband's general
contractor's license under which to operate.  You can already guess where
this is going.  Ridiculous things were done, like planting several Japanese
maple saplings (she had propagated herself presumably) 4 inches from the
fence separating her back yard from the neighbor's.  When she was questioned
about the judgment of this, her reply was to say they could be pruned to
shape.  Anyway, she planted many things very close to either fences or
stones and one was a small tree she told my friend was a black birch.  Well,
it is most certainly some kind of Eucalyptus, I think a variety of E.
nicholii, which is sometimes called black peppermint.  It's not a variety
I've ever seen, however, and I wondered if any of you had.  It looks and
smells like E. nicholii, with the exception that the leaves are purplish
tinged as are some of the stems.  She also planted it in full shade, which I
would never do with the straight species, but perhaps this is a shade loving
version?  Even so, she planted it no more than 4 or 5 inches from the corner
fence and between the two houses in a space about 1 sq.ft. of soil, so
unless it is also a dwarf, it will very quickly outgrow it's space - if it
can survive without sun!

I was also giving a talk recently at the UC South Coast Research and
Extension Center in Irvine, and helping the California Center for Urban
Horticulture man their booth; a woman came up with similar problems and
questions about the professionally done landscape job for which she had paid
dearly, among them, Russian sage that wouldn't bloom planted in the shade of
a large tree,  Hebes planted in full inland sun that died while those in the
shade survived, duh.
It's a shame people are willing to hire someone without checking references
and licenses - it makes it so much more difficult for a legitimate designer
to justify what they charge for a job done right.

Anyway, please weigh in with your opinion about that tree.  I can post a pic
or two if no one has a clue!

Karrie Reid

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