I've planted 4 of them; up here they are known as Oregon Myrtles.

My 4 were tiny sticks with about 8 leaves when I planted them December 2005. Bought them nearby from a native nursery. The nursery lady said they eventually grow 100' tall by 100' wide but you don't see them that big because the wood is so valuable and beautiful that people cut them down. This is a lovely evergreen tree.

The 4 I planted had a very slow start. Just 3 weeks ago neighbors on south side put up a 6' cedar fence and that's really helped everything planted near there, where these 4 myrtles are. They're growing now, deep green color and very healthy. Yes, compared to most other trees they are slow, but now they are speeding up a bit. It would take several years, at this rate, for it to become a patio shade tree.

For my patio I constructed a raised bed, about 2' high, filled with super good dirt and covered with large stones with irish & scotch moss between the stones. Planted 3 mimosas and 1 purple robe locust there, plus vinca, yuccas, rhodies, and a rosemary going nuts. Since it's raised and everything here's baby from scratch (not tall enough to cast dense shade yet) I have to water the patio daily. But all these trees have thrived and gotten quite huge fast and give good dappled shade. Surrounded the perimeter with sequoias so in a few years won't have to water every day.

There are folks here who don't like mimosa or locust but I had to have trees that could handle winter cold and water and yet loved summer sun and heat for this patio which is up against the house and so reflects scorching heat from the house walls and roof. These trees are working perfectly.

Generally all the trees I've planted (over 300) appreciate some shade when they're babies. The umbellularia californicas certainly did and do. Even though they are slow, they're definitely worth planting along with faster trees so that decades down the road you have these gorgeous myrtles.

"up here they are known as Oregon Myrtles"

Let me guess, part of an undeclared low-level war between OR and CA ?? ;-)

Pineresin, the Calis think "food item" while the Oregonians think "wood product item." But so many Calis have/are moving up here pretty soon it will be one giant blend.

This is a great tree. I'll take pictures of my 4 babies, but they're small; google image umbellularia californica for the real thing.

Finally got pictures of 4 Umbellularia californica babies; these are 3 years old, planted 1 year 9 months ago in Dec 05. At the end of this past August, just a little over a month ago, the neighbor put up that 6-foot high cedar fence along our south perimeter. That fence is a life-saver for all those trees because it provides desperately needed shade from the burning frying hot dry summer sun (neighbors to south have zero trees in yard).

Sorry some of these are blurry; it's getting hard to get pix that distinguish individual trees since it's rapidly becoming a giant green blur :-)

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