I haven’t visited these forums in some time and actually rediscovered this thread doing a google search on some rare plants (go figure). Since we have a lot of trees and not a lot of resources and time to protect them, most of my losses are due to deer/rodent herbivory. Instead of dwelling on all of the plants I haven’t been able to keep alive, I’ll mention the highlights and surprises here. I went go in depth on too many so ask if you want more details and I’ll try to keep an eye on this thread and respond back when I can. I have been in Arizona since May and I’m basing the updates from this past growing season on my mother’s observations. -Strongest growing maple is Acer lobelii by far; arrived as a stick broken in half during shipping en route from Colvos Creek Nursery in Washington state and has grown at least 3 feet a year. It towers over all of the other sticks in my maple collection at about 15 feet. -Acer davidii grosseri hersii (what a taxonomic mess!) is the strongest growing snakebark and a new addition since the original post I believe. I don’t give it any “help” nutrition-wise and it has grown 2 feet each year; excellent striped bark turns crimson with the onset of cold weather and the leaves are a mix of red, orange, and purple in the autumn. From Forestfarm and while they are awesome, I have not yet keyed this plant to confirm its identity; either way, doing awesome for a snakebark in a clay-dominated alkaline soil in an exposed area. -Acer rufinerve gets no fertilization either and has some years where it sits back and grows little, and other where it takes off. Apparently this year it grew over 2’, so it now stands about 8’. Bark is excellent, although it doesn’t change to crimson like some of the other snakebarks. Can occasionally develop minor signs of nutrient deficiency but not a big deal. Leaves are amazing both texturally (coarse) and by color in the autumn, a mix of red, orange and violet. -Acer henryi looks like a Boxelder and grows like one in upstate NY. After a rough time establishing and a nasty bout of sunscald, it now grows about 2’ a year and has excellent red and violet autumn colors, with violet usually dominating. -Acer longipes is notable because I was able to get one through a winter (low -13F) with the only damage due to herbivory. Supposedly sprouted up big time this past summer. Not many experts seem to place much faith in its hardiness and it may have been below the snowline at the time of the low temp. Time will tell. -Acer mandshuricum, Acer triflorum, and Acer maximowiczianum all suffer through chlorosis. A. triflorum does the worst, A. maximowiczianum the best. A hybrid from Forestfarm between A. pseudoplatanus and A. griseum has done very well, with violet-backed leaves and red fall color. Hybrid vigor and no cold or soil issues. -Acer oliverianum is starting to pick up steam and has yet to be damaged by temps as low as -16F. Might be benefiting from the protection of a nearby hedge. Fall color is usually reddish-orange; it is deeply shaded. -Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’ is a huge success. Massive flowering in the second year and completely hardy. Grows very fast and gets leggy unless trimmed. Flowers are gorgeous and large, with virtually no scent. Numerous visitors that have seen the plants have subsequently scoured google for a dealer. The intense color has even drawn some hummingbirds. Seedless. Highly recommend. -Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ gets defoliated by about January when the truly consistent cold temperatures begin. This about the time that the soil freezes for good as well, limiting the plant’s ability to care for the leaves no doubt. At times, it looks like a fancy houseplant with shiny green leaves growing amongst the snow. No cold-dieback although it is not yet established and grows only about 6 inches a year max so far (haven’t got an update for this past season yet). It is late to leaf out in the spring. -Have a Stewartia malacodendron that apparently did very well in a shaded and very rich sand lens in a protected area that gets partial shade. It is big enough to be above the (likely) snow line and I will be very, VERY interested in seeing if it overwinters. Perhaps more updates later (and as I receive them!)

- Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana) - This is truly an underrated miracle tree of life! This large shrub/small tree not only produces copious crops of deliciously sweet berries, but is also a highly heat/drought-resistant xeriscape native that can still withstand low temperatures down to 5ð-10ð F. Moreover, it is an attractive ornamental complete with creamy bell flowers, multicolored trunks and rugged hardwood that can be used for woodworking. Note that is is dioecious though, so you need at least a male & female of each to bear fruit... But what other trees possess such a rare combination of form, function & low maintenance??? None that I can think of! Other overlooked candidates might include: - Oriental Raisin Tree (Hovenia dulcis) - This is a nice, large, fast-growing tree that bears sweet, edible peduncles tasting similar to a combination of raisin, clove, cinnamon and sugar. http://examine.com/supplements/Hovenia+dulcis/ (But do note that while it is not invasive in the US, it could be in some much hotter, tropical climates.) - Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) - This large shrub/small tree has both edible flowers and fruits and is fairly low-maintenance. It is both quite pest and heat-resistant, needing only some sufficient watering during peak summer heat months. http://www.ediblelandscapingmadeeasy.com/2011/12/21/pineapple-guava-a-great-shrub-for-your-edible-landscape/#1 http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treedetail.lasso?rid=599 - All-In-One Almond Tree - Almond trees bear both beautiful flowers and edible almonds. - Mission Olive Tree - Olive trees not only bear healthy fruit & oil, but its leaves also serve as a great antimicrobial. It is drought-tolerant once established and can grow extremely old. - Moringa Oleifera (PKM1) Tree (Horseradish Tree) - This is another miraculous tree with multiple medicinal and health benefits. The leaves are edible and the crushed seeds even help purify water. It is also a very fast-growing and resilient softwood. http://miracletrees.org/ - Western Soapberry (Sapindus drummondii) - Soapberry does well in poor, dry or nutrient-deficient soils. The foliage is handsome, the flowers are fragrant and attract bees, and its soap nuts contain saponin, an antimicrobial, natural detergent. http://www.floridata.com/ref/s/sapi_sap.cfm - Medjool Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) - If you got space for a palm tree, why not an edible date palm? http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/date-palm-info.htm Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Persimmon This post was edited by blakrab on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 21:19

Here's my list of haves: 'Abigail Rose', Aka shigitatsu sawa', 'Aoba jo' (recently purchased), 'Aratama', 'Baby Lace', 'Baldsmith', 'Beni fushigi', Beni komachi', 'Beni otake', 'Beni shichihenge', 'Burgundy Lace', 'Fireglow', 'Flavescens', 'Geisha Gone Wild' (recently purchased), 'Kamagata', 'Kasagi yama', 'Katsura', 'Koto no ito', 'Mikawa yatsubusa'(2), 'Murasaki hime', 'Orange Dream', 'Orangeola', 'Oregon Sunset', 'Oshu shidare', 'Red Dragon'(2), 'Sekimori', 'Sekka yatsubusa', 'Shaina', 'Sharp's Pygmy' (recently purchased), 'Shidava Gold'('Shidiva'), 'Shigarami','Scolopendrifolium' (shinobuga oka), 'Shishigashira', 'Shishio hime', Sumi nagashi', 'Tennyo-no-hoshi', 'Toyama nishiki', 'Tsuma gaki', 'Twombley's Red Sentinel', 'Wou nishiki', 'Yezo nishiki', 'Yuri hime', 'Itame nibluki' (recently purchased), Acer circinatum 'Sunglow', Acer japonicum 'Kujaku nishiki', Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' (2) Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' (2), Acer shirasawanum '6910 Holland' (recently purchased) I agree, it's hard to pick favorites and they probably change every year. If I started over, Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum', Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' and Acer palmatum 'Red Dragon' would be the first in my garden. Recent faves, 'Acer palmatum 'Koto no ito', 'Kamagata', 'Aratama', and 'Shaina'. I've also been impressed with the vigor of 'Yezo nishiki'for an upright red and 'Tennyo-no-hoshi' for a dwarf that looks really great with time. Dan

Yes, CA is in a shameful state. They don't want to belong to the USA, any longer, until of course the next big fire, or earthquake! Right now, I have an Acer Truncatum 'Main Street'. It's doing well as far as marginal leaf-burn, but we have had very mild Falls with numerous SA Winds, so fall color has been weak. On the other-side of the yard is a rather newly installed Acer Rubrum 'Redpointe'. It did shockingly well. No leaf-burn until the fall coloring began, but still minimal. It turned a very nice orange-red, despite our very warm windy Fall.