Looking for tree options

Gregory Thomson

2 years ago

I'm looking for ideas on what tree/s to plant here.

I'm in Riverside county - 9b/10 zone.

Retired a month ago, so I'm now looking to get things back in shape a bit.

And I love to plant things that are edible as well.

Two years of neglect, and the pictures show where I am now.

The pic towards the back fence is taken towards where the sun comes up on average throughout the year.

Along the back fence, I have a Washington navel on the left, then a Lamb Hass, then a multi-graft Asian pear, and then a multi-graft stonfruit tree.

All are doing well mostly, but I think the heat gets to the Lamb Hass in the summer.

From the other perspective towards the house - it's taken from about where the sun comes up on average throughout the year.

Things grown in those two raised beds often get burned too much from the heat, or bolt too quick.

And it would be nice to have some kind of big tree out there to provide some shade into that window of the house.

So I'm thinking I need some kind of overstory tree there in the middle of it all.

But that's probably a 10 year thing? And I'm coming up on 58, so I want to try to get it right on the first try :-)

I'm more interested in functional, than cosmetic, or so I've been told a few times.

So far thinking of one option...

Moringa tree - edible in various ways, grows fast so can provide cover for the lower trees/plants against the heat. But would it then shade things too much so the raised bed area doesn't get what it needs?

So I'm thinking a 30' Moringa tree could do what's needed.

But then is the direct sun to the raised bed area for annual veggies limited too much by that?

Would love a pistacio tree, but it still seems like a smaller tree.

If feels like what I need/want is probably a 30' tree that doesn't overwhelm the area, but provides benefits to the underlying trees and plants with shade, but still lets them get enough sun daily to do what they need to do.

I'm thinking a Moringa tree in the area of the red oval.

Does that make sense?

I'm not too concerned about the wood patio or current patio floor/pathway - those will both be re-done at some point.

Suggestions for other types of trees, placement, etc...?

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Comments (3)

The Design Doula
2 years ago
Gregory, I'm in SoCal too and have done alot of remodeling and landscaping. I'm going to give you my two cents, which I understand won't exactly answer your question, so I apologize in advance. If I were in your shoes with that incredible spacious backyard space, I'd first plant a privacy hedge all around the yard, probably podocarpus as they are very trainable and fast growing. It would unify the yard and provide a degree of shade for the existing fruit trees you love. Then, I'd get a plan together for the patio space. You have so much potential for an awesome outdoor space! Once that was done, I'd consider additional plantings to beautify the area surrounding the patio. I would not, at this point, put a large tree in the spot you have identified. My guess is that you are going to transform the yard over the years, and a tree in the middle might not be what you ultimately want. But, if you did really want a tree there, I'd go with an avocado tree (if you can deal with rodents) or a chinese elm, as they can be threaded to be lacey and not too heavy. Wishing you well!!
Gregory Thomson thanked The Design Doula
calidesign
2 years ago
Try posting this on the garden forum, where you'll likely get better and more responses. But in terms of a smaller tree, you can try a dwarf lemon, dwarf lime, or guava which would grow quickly. You might also appreciate a crepe myrtle for year year color and interest. I think you should get a full landscaping plan of both your hardscape and planting areas. Some nurseries will provide this for a small fee which you can apply toward your purchases. Or pay a landscape desinger to come up with a plan that you can implement on your own. Even if you don't complete everything now, having a plan to know where you want things will prevent planting in the wrong areas now.
Gregory Thomson thanked calidesign
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Gregory Thomson
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you Design Doula,

I like the Podocarpus for an area that has been tricky for me, so I'll try it there - this side fence area - https://www.instagram.com/p/B9Nsd4fgWXY/ - I didn't want to put up a wood fence there, and my pooch loves that spot for doing his watch-dogging duties to see what's going on. And the lilac bush died, or rather I killed it I guess.

I think a Podocarpus might make for a good way to go about things there, and just trim the underside so the pooch can still see out well as well.

I'm in 10a, so it might be on the border, but I'm surrounded by 9b.

But I could see it doing good things there if it likes it there.

The patio space - I had a plan for the whole back area, but it's already changed so much.

I'd like a backyard kitchen, because inside kitchen is so small. But I'd actually like to design that patio more around the plants, rather than the other way around.

Re: a tree in the middle might not be what you ultimately want - that's something I'm trying to understand better... The tree on the left in the first picture is an avocado tree, but the heat gets to it in the summer. And I don't want it to get too far beyond maybe 8-9' high.

Veggies in the raised beds, and I want a few more of those, but I need to use shade cloth because they also get burnt in the summer.

So it feels like I need a layer higher in a tree that will help protect these things from direct sun in the summer.

Looking for tree options

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The Design Doula

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Looking for tree options

Comments (3)

The Design Doula

calidesign

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Gregory ThomsonOriginal Author

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Gregory Thomson
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