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Re: Dodonaea viscosa WAS: Re: RE: RE: Ailanthus altissima

barry wrote:

>its a very common nursery shrub here. Actually im considering buying a 
>few for a windbreak in the back yard. There its hard for me to get out 
>and water the very back of the back yard all the time, and we also 
>have a ChainLink fence with no protection from the winds that blow in 
>off the bay. Since it can take being dry i think it would be a good 
>choice. 

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.
 
 
 >I also have two seedling palms (syagrus and washingtonia) that are
>FINALLY putting out new leaves! El nino really messed things up for my 
>plants.....everythings been slow to get growing. Im thinking of 
>planting several palm groves in my back yard too (not much money to do 
>anything with it, since its about 70X100 feet!). So im thinking a 
>grove of syagrus, and a grove of washingtonias as well.  I would plant 
>them kind of along the sides of the yard so we do actually have space 
>for the dogs to romp around.
>Syagrus and washingtonias do quite well here and both hold up to the 
>wind (unlike the monterey pines which snap off in storms).

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.)

The native vegetation is largely grass, a holly-leaved live oak (if 
anyone cares to look up the etymology of 'holly' 'holm' and 'ilex' 
will find a pretty interesting tale - in my opinion) and California 
Fan Palm - a Palmetto - Washingtonia california (I think) 

I'm quite allergic to oak pollen and would really like to use 
something else.

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 .
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