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windbreaks for the Santa Clara Valley (was Re: Dodonaea viscosa)

At 01:26 PM 9/11/98 PST, khoover@hii.hitachi.com wrote:
>This Hopbush is an amazing plant - it is considered native to Florida 
>Keys, South America, New Zealand, Australia, and I think, Japan. I 
>think I've seen a few of them around here (Northern California) but it 
>doesn't seem to be very popular in the Santa Clara Valley. I don't know 
>why.

Karl -

Fascinating!  There are a handfull of plants worldwide with a similar
type of weird distribution!

>Barry's situation with a windy, chain-link surrounded, backyard is 
>similar to mine. Our backyard presents the additional challeges of 
>roughly a 1 in 4 slope and rampant perforation by pocket devil gophers 
>(Thomomys)
>
>For breaking wind  <8)   I'm thinking of using Lagunaria patersonii (a 
>tree) (another widely spread species) and/or Black-stemmed 
>Pittosporum, a shrub. I would like to use california natives, but none 
>seem quite 'tough' enough. Perhaps Monterrey Cypress would work (of 
>course which would need some additional water in my climate - eastern 
>foothills of the Santa Clara valley.)
>
>  <snip>
>
>In the same part of the landscape in wich I need a windbreak, I tried 
>two little (one-year old) Torreya californica-s this year but I was 
>remis in watering, and the little churls both croaked this summer. I 
>think I need to install some drip irrigation BEFORE i waste any more 
>effort/materials/little baby plants .

I know I've pushed this shrub on the group before, and it has generated
some other positive responses, but here goes again:

Rhamnus alaternus is a very fine hedge shrub for your area, growing
quickly, very drought tolerant, attractive, shiny evergreen foliage all
the way down to the ground, easily trimmed into a thin or thick hedge.
It will benefit from regular watering the first year or so, but
after that should still excell without attention.  It is a fine plant
which should be grown more.  It is often rare in the trade (due, I think,
to the difficulty in propagation) but well worth searching out or
special ordering.  There are many fine specimens growing in the
interior valleys without aid or supplimental water.  There is a handsome
variegated form (white edged leaves) again available in the trade, which
is not quite a vigorous and does not grow as tall, but is also very
tough and hardy once established.

Karl - if you have trouble finding it down there, let me know.


Sean A. O'Hara                       sean.ohara@poboxes.com
h o r t u l u s   a p t u s          710 Jean Street
'a garden suited to its purpose'     Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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