Both have grayish green leaves and require warm, sheltered positions making them both visually and culturally compatible. While the pineapple guava tends to be comparatively open and slender in habit the silktassel becomes a large spreading shrub, so room should be allowed for it to do its thing. If there is a sheltering fence or wall involved, with it not being desired to have the Garrya occupy a large space it might be possible to train it into a fan shape against the fence or wall, with the Acca (Feijoa) in front of it.

'You shouldn't just base everything on numbers' - I'm not. My doubts are based on living in England through many summers and winters and seeing Garry growing happily in many places. Obviously there are micro-climates but I'm just curious to get to the bottom of the claim that there is somewhere in England that experiences -10C as a matter of course in the winter and where Garrya also thrives. The 2 just don't seem compatible. Even last winter, the coldest Winter since 1987, the lowest temperature in NW England was -17.0C at Woodford, Cheshire near Manchester airport. Lowest temperature in the whole of Britain was -22.3C at Altnaharra in the Northern Highlands of Scotland. I'm not trying to put you off experimenting with Garrya. I have to say I actually find it a rather dull shrub and if it didn't perform in the dead of winter I'm not sure how many people here would bother to grow it. But you've clearly set your heart on it. Best plan is to plant it and come back here with an account of your experiences so we can all see how you are getting on. Prove us doubters wrong :)!

LOW-WATER-USE TROPICAL LOOK Trees -- Bauhinia variegata ORCHID TREE x Chiranthofremontia MONKEY HAND FREMONTIA Palms (see separate list) PALMS Podocarpus nagi NAGI Spathodea campanulata AFRICAN TULIP TREE Strelitzia nicholai GIANT BIRD-OF-PARADISE Tabebuia chrysotricha GOLDEN TRUMPET TREE Tabebuia impetiginosa LAVENDER TRUMPET TREE Palms -- Brahea armata MEXICAN BLUE PALM Brahea edulis GUADALUPE PALM Butia capitata PINDO PALM Chamaerops humilis MEDITERRANEAN FAN PALM Jubaea chilensis CHILEAN WINE PALM Livistona australis AUSTRALIAN FOUNTAIN PALM Livistona chinensis CHINESE FOUNTAIN PALM Trachycarpus fortunei WINDMILL PALM Large Shrubs/Small Trees -- Cocculus laurifolius LAUREL-LEAF SNAILSEED Cordyline australis HARDY DRACAENA Fatsia japonica JAPANESE ARALIA Mahonia bealei LEATHERLEAF MAHONIA Mahonia lomariifolia CHINESE MAHONIA Melianthus major HONEYBUSH Medium Shrubs -- Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAWS Aucuba japonica JAPANESE AUCUBA Cordyline stricta AUSTRALIAN TI PLANT (st) Cycas revoluta CYCAD, SAGO "PALM" Doryanthes palmeri SPEAR LILY Phormium tenax hybrids NEW ZEALAND FLAX Strelitzia reginae BIRD-OF-PARADISE Small Shrubs/Big Perennials -- Acanthus mollis BEARS BREECH Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAW Aristea ecklonii BLUE STARS Aspidistra elatior CAST-IRON PLANT Phormium tenax hybrids (esp. ÂApricot QueenÂ, ÂDazzlerÂ, ÂDuetÂ, ÂMaori MaidenÂ, ÂMaori QueenÂ, ÂMaori SunriseÂ, ÂRainbow WarriorÂ, ÂShirazÂ, ÂSurfer NEW ZEALAND FLAX Zantedeschia aethiopica ÂGreen Goddess GIANT CALLA-LILY Ornamental Grasses (And Grasslike Plants) -- Austrostipa ramosissima AUSTRALIAN PLUME GRASS Carex atrata BLACK ALPINE SEDGE Carex dissita BUSH SEDGE Carex tumicola BERKELEY SEDGE Chondropetalum tectorum CAPE RUSH Elegia capensis BROOM REED Elegia equisetacea HORSETAIL RESTIO Hakonechloa macra ÂAureola JAPANESE FOREST GRASS Rhodocoma capensis ELEGANT RESTIO Xanthorrhoea johnsonii AUSTRALIAN GRASS TREE Small-Medium Perennials -- Astelia nervosa chathamica SILVER SPEAR Bergenia cordifolia BERGENIA Clivia miniata FLAME LILY Clivia nobilis RED LILY (st) Dianella intermedia NEW ZEALAND BLUE-BERRY Dianella tasmanica (esp. ÂVariegataÂ) FLAX LILY Grasses (see separate list) GRASSES Helleborus lividus CORSICAN HELLEBORE Helleborus x stearnii HYBRID HELLEBORE Heuchera CORAL BELLS Zantedeschia aethiopica CALLA-LILY Vines-- Akebia quinata FIVELEAF AKEBIA Clematis x cartmanii ÂAvalanche AVALANCHE CLEMATIS Distictis buccinatoria BLOOD-RED TRUMPET VINE (st) x Fatshedera lizei ARALIA IVY Hedera canariensis variegata VARIEGATED ALGERIAN IVY Macfadyena unguis-cati CATÂS-CLAW Solanum jasminoiodes WHITE POTATO VINE Vitis GRAPES Ferns -- Asplenium scolopendrium HARTÂS TONGUE FERN Blechnum occidentale HAMMOCK FERN Blechnum spicant DEER FERN Platycerium bifurcatum STAGHORN FERN Polypodium aureum HAREÂS-FOOT FERN Polystichum munitum SWORD FERN Pyrrosia lingua JAPANESE FELT FERN Pyrrosia lingua ÂCristata CRESTED JAPANESE FELT FERN Pyrrosia polydactyla PALM-LEAF FERN CREATING A TROPICAL-ESQUE GARDEN USING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS Medium to Large Trees -- Lithocarpus densiflora TANBARK OAK Quercus tomentella ISLAND OAK Umbellularia californica CALIFORNIA BAY-LAUREL Small Trees -- Fremontodendron californicum FLANNELBUSH Garrya elliptica SILKTASSEL Lyonothamnus floribundus asplenifolius SANTA CRUZ IRONWOOD Prunus illicifolia lyonii CATALINA CHERRY Smallest trees (actually large shrubs but, with selective pruning,Â) -- Aesculus californica CALIFORNIA BUCKEYE Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Fremontodendron californicum FLANNEL BUSH, FREMONTIA Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Sambucus mexicana BLUE ELDERBERRY Really Big Shrubs (up to 15-20 feet and sometimes more) -- (eventually, these can be trained as small trees by "limbing up", if so desired) Comarostaphylis diversifolia SUMMER HOLLY Dendromecon harfordii ISLAND BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron californicum FLANNELBUSH Garrya elliptica SILKTASSEL Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Sambucus mexicana BLUE ELDERBERRY Large Shrubs (8-15 feet) -- Calycanthus occidentalis CALIFORNIA SPICEBUSH Dendromecon harfordii ISLAND BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron ÂCalifornia Glory C. G. FREMONTIA Fremontodendron ÂPacific Sunset P. S. FREMONTIA Fremontodendron ÂSan Gabriel S. G. FREMONTIA Garrya elliptica COAST SILK-TASSEL Myrica californica PACIFIC WAX MYRTLE Rhamnus californica COFFEEBERRY Medium Shrubs (5-10 feet)-- Dendromecon rigida BUSH POPPY Fremontodendron ÂKen Taylor K. T. FREMONTIA Mahonia ÂGolden Abundance G. A. BARBERRY Mahonia ÂSkylark SKYLARK MAHONIA Rhamnus californica ÂEve CaseÂ, ÂMound San Bruno COFFEEBERRY Small Shrubs and Taller Subshrubs (2-5 feet) -- Carpenteria californica ÂElizabeth BUSH ANEMONE Galvezia juncea BAJA BUSH SNAPDRAGON Galvezia speciosa ISLAND SNAPDRAGON Garrya veatchii SILK-TASSEL BUSH Mimulus aurantiacus Hybrids BUSH MONKEY FLOWER Vaccinium ovatum (taller in shade) EVERGREEN HUCKLEBERRY Medium Perennials -- Blechnum spicant DEER FERN Iris macrosiphon BIG-TUBE IRIS Penstemon centranthifolius SCARLET BUGLER Penstemon spectabilis SHOWY PENSTEMON Polypodium glycyrrhiza LICORICE FERN Polypodium scouleri WESTERN LEATHERLEAF FERN Polystichum dudleyi DUDLEYÂS SWORDFERN Polystichum munitum WESTERN SWORD FERN Small Perennials -- Chlorogalum pomeridianum AMOLE, SOAP PLANT Heuchera maxima and hybrids CORAL BELLS Iris douglasiana DOUGLAS IRIS Iris Pacific Coast Hybrids PCH IRIS Salvia spathacea HUMMINGBIRD SAGE Sisyrinchium bellum BLUE-EYED GRASS Sisyrinchium californicum GOLDEN-EYED GRASS Grasses and Grasslike Plants -- Carex barbarae SANTA BARBARA SEDGE Carex nudata CALIFORNIA BLACK-FLOWERING SEDGE Carex spissa SAN DIEGO SEDGE Carex tumulicola BERKELEY SEDGE Nolina parryi BEAR GRASS Groundcovers -- Arctostaphylos ÂEmerald Carpet E. C. MANZANITA Carex barbarae SANTA BARBARA SEDGE* Carex nudata CALIFORNIA BLACK-FLOWERING SEDGE Carex tumulicola BERKELEY SEDGE* Mahonia repens CREEPING BARBERRY Rhamnus californica ÂSeaview LOW COFFEEBERRY Ribes viburnifolium EVERGREEN CURRANT Satureja douglasii YERBA BUENA Vancouveria planipetala INSIDE-OUT FLOWER * those grass and grasslike groundcovers that make good lawn substitutes -- tolerate some traffic and will take an occasional mowing. Joe

This is a small Garrya elliptica that produces long catkins in mild - cool & wet conditions. I first noticed this type of shrub (to 15 ft) near downtown Victoria. The catkins are long in late Jan or in Feb. This one is early enjoying one heavy rainfall after another. I'm on higher ground so I'm cooler and wetter than sea level gardeners. This shrub will enjoy the extra rain. It may act like a rhodo in summer and grow very little. So it's not like growing a giant conifer. Here is a link that might be useful: Silk Tassel Bush