Re: Small, urban-tree recommendations

I have a number of pink Tabebuias (T. impetiginosa) in my yard and I love
them.  I went looking in my old Sunset book and they don't have it listed,
so I'm not sure how it would do in your area.  I know it's supposed to be
cold tolerant to the low 20's.  They are deciduous for a short period (which
is when they bloom).  For me, they have been relatively slow growing but
others have said they are moderate to fast growers.  They are very
drought-tolerant.  Usually they don't get much over 20 feet tall and they
are not a wide-spreading tree.

-Ron-


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pamela Steele" <pamela.steele@re-taste.com>
To: "Medit-Plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 1:48 AM
Subject: RE: Small, urban-tree recommendations


> Dear Carol
>
> What about Pittosporum tenuifolium. There are lots of lovely shades from
> silver through to purple with their lovely black stems.  They always look
> good and tolerate many different growing conditions.    One of my
favourite
> small trees is Caesalpinia gilliesii (It does have poisonous seeds though
> and I wonder if that would be a consideration in public areas) .
>
> Albizia julibrissin. It can tolerate low temperatures. It might be
invasive
> where you are although its not at all here.  We don't really have a
problem
> with invasive trees as I think the lack of summer water keeps many plants
in
> check.
>
> Another pretty small tree which does quite well here is Sophora
microphylla
> Sun King.
>
> I have alot of indigenous trees/shrubs in my garden like pistache lentisc
> ( which you can prune into a nice shaped tree),  Rhamnus alaternus which
is
> a bit straggly and quercus coccifera ( again can become tangly and leggy
but
> is prunable in to a bushy shrub).  These three deal with the Mediterranean
> climate very well.
>
>
> Best wishes
>
> Pamela
> Costa Blanca, Spain
>
> Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky,
> We fell them down and turn them into paper,
> That we may record our emptiness.
> -   Kahlil Gibran
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Carol Moholt [c*@mac.com]
> Sent: 23 September 2010 21:04
> To: medit plants forum
> Subject: Small, urban-tree recommendations
>
>
> Hello all,
>
> I'm writing to ask for comments on tree choices for a small community 30
> miles south of San Francisco, about two miles from the southern edge of
San
> Francisco Bay. This is Sunset Zone 17 (USDA 9) although due to the Bay's
> influence, we are more frost protected than many neighborhoods even a mile
> more inland than us.
>
> The setting is comprised of 45 single- and two-story homes built 22 years
> ago on fairly small lots, with winding private (narrow) streets.  Trees
were
> planted as part of front-yard landscaping, and regulations state that
trees
> are not to be removed, although they may be replaced with those on an
> approved list. Some of trees need replacing now due to overplanting,
aging,
> or poor pruning.  We want to update the approved list, taking into account
> that we likely need to include those that are somewhat easily found in the
> trade. FYI, residents can ask for exceptions and we handle on a
case-by-case
> basis. For example, I have a Leptospermum 'Dark Shadows' in my yard that
is
> not on the list.
>
> Most, but not all, trees are planted in lawn areas. The remainder are in
> landscaped beds that require less irrigation.  We want to encourage the
use
> of trees that are slow growing or small in size due to closeness of the
> homes, small front yards, and narrow streets.  Every home has at least one
> tree, many have two, and corner houses have more.
>
> Here are trees we are considering keeping or adding:
> -- Japanese maples
> -- Lagerstroemia (crape myrtle)
> -- Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistachio)
> -- Red-leaved flowering plum. We currently grow Prunus cerasifera 'Krauter
> Vesuvius.' People like it but it gets quite large here and we'd like to
> offer a smaller form (that has little to no fruit.) Would you recommend
> Prunus x cistena or another?
> -- Geijera parviflora (Australian Willow)
> -- Pyrus calleryana (Flowering pear) but replace 'Aristocrat' with
> 'Chanticleer' to get a narrower growth pattern
> -- Pyrus kawakamii (Evergreen flowering pear)
> Your opinions?
>
> Two trees  on the original architectural drawing but never planted (likely
> due to availability and contractor substitution at the time) we'd like to
> consider are:
> -- Cupaniopaia anacardioides (Carrotwood tree)
> -- Tristaniopsis laurina (Water gum)
> What are your experiences with these trees in the setting I'm describing?
>
> We also have widely planted Sapium sebiferum (Chinese Tallow tree) that is
> now on many invasive lists. Given that we are in the middle of a dense
urban
> area and nowhere near a riparian corridor, do you think we are OK to keep
it
> on our approved list? (Sunset makes such a recommendation.)
>
> We originally had Pittosporum undulatum (Victorian box) planted, but the
> 1990 severe frost killed all the young trees. Was that a one-time fluke or
> should we keep them off the list? As mentioned above, we are more
protected
> from frost than other neighborhoods in zone 17.
>
> Another question.  Some residents have asked for exceptions to grow small
> fruit trees. We want to encourage this and wonder if there are general
> guidelines we should add that will steer people to the most appropriate
for
> our situation. Can you point me to any sources for positive guidelines as
to
> growing fruit trees in front yards?
>
> I would be most appreciative of any suggestions you may have either for
> substitutions or additions to our list.
>
> Best regards,
> Carol Moholt
>
>
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