Suggestions on California Native plants/trees

last year

last modified: last year

Hi guys,

Thanks for reading this post.

I recently moved into a house in LA with a 5.5' wide x 23' long raised planter in front of the house. We wanted to replace the existing plants with native plants, screening native trees (ideally about 8-12 feet tall) against the fence. Since the planter is so narrow, I am looking for some skinny trees to fit in the space while still providing space for other native plants. I started reading books and going online to study them, but it seems most of them grow very wide.

Are there any native trees that are narrow, like silver sheen, and grow upright? If you know of any, please let me know.

Thank you for your time!

UPDATE: The planter is south facing, so it gets full sun and is brick. Not sure if the bottom is closed or not. We have irrigation but probably will have someone reprogram it. See the pictures below (The areas highlighted in red are where the trees go):

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

last year

Purple Hopseed, Dodonaea viscosa, would work. Native to the southwest, evergreen but with colorful foliage, drought tolerant when established and grows taller than wide, so a relatively narrow profile. Also immensely prunable.

And this publication could be helpful as well: Waterwise California Natives

btw, neither the Podocarpus or the Italian cypress are CA natives..........

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Comments (17)

KW PNW Z8
last year
last modified: last year
It really would help if you provided a picture. And, what direction does front of house face? West = afternoon sun East = morning sun South = some of each. What’s in the planter now & is it doing well? How deep is the planter - open bottom into soil or closed, formed planter? Wood or concrete or brick? Irrigation there?
Julian Huang thanked KW PNW Z8
Julian Huang
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Thank you KW, just updated my post.
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CA Kate z9
last year
Are you thinking heavily leaved trees or ones more wispy-sparse?
Christopher CNC
last year
There are power lines above.
Mrs. S
last year
last modified: last year
I know what would be really nice. Try Icee Blue Podocarpus or similar "blue" dwarf podocarpus trees. I put three of them along a fence. They provide a nice backdrop, are low water usage and grow slowly. They tend to (at least for mine and my neighbors) not spread, but just keep their nice shape. Planted ours 4-5 years ago and they're no trouble. My neighbor planted theirs about 8 years ago, and they're still not overgrown for their spot next to the neighbors house. They're really very nice looking trees.

Other than that, I'd look at dwarf Italian cypress trees, which are also easy and would look very nice in your spot, without getting too too big.

I'd put the trees against the fence, and then you still have room for some color to spill over the walls and fill in the bed.
tracefloyd
last year
Intead of trees, some native shrubs can grow to your desired height and are easy to prune, shape and sized for trunked specimens. Very drought tolerant.

Look at taller, faster growing varieties such as:

Manzanita arctostaphylos or Dr. Hurd up to 15' height -- Pink flowers in the spring, white berries in the fall - silvery leaves, red bark trunk

Ceanothus arboreus 'Trewithen Blue 15-20 feet -- Blue flowers in the spring

Toyon 15-25 mature height -- White flowers in the spring -- Red berries in the fall.
KW PNW Z8
last year
@Julian Huang Some great recommendations. But, be cautious about height- as @Christopher CNC pointed out you have power lines to deal with there. Your area might have restrictions on plants at street under lines. @tracefloyd suggestion is a good one - lots of shrubs make nice small trees if they’re limbed up and pruned. I can’t imagine finding a tree that will limit growth to 8-12’ as you noted you’d like but that would be easy with a shrub & with the shrub limbed up you do have room to add plants around base. You might only need 3 & split between the two planters.
Julian Huang
Original Author
last year
Thank you so much, guys @KW PNW Z8 @CA Kate z9 @Christopher CNC @Mrs. S @tracefloyd

For the powerline, as long as the trees are under 15', it should be fine.

I read your replies, went to the nursery, researched, and found some options.

1. Toyon

2. Pacific Wax Myrtle

3.Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

4. Hesperocyparis Forbesii(Tecate Cypress)

5. Atriplex lentiformis / Quail Bush

6. Arctostaphylos Manzanita 'Dr. Hurd'

A non-native plant that I like a lot: Knife Acacia

I have a sideyard that needs some privacy trees as well( see pics below) so thinking about picking one or two trees to cover both the sideyard and the front planter that I showed the pictures earlier.

What do you guys think?

Thank you again for your time!
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Gosh! Nice to know my suggestions are just chopped liver! Oh well............
Julian Huang
Original Author
last year
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) Nooo not like that sorry forgot to explain, I saw online it says purple Hopseed is poisoning to dogs... we have a lot of dogs in the neighborhood.....
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
LOTS of plants are toxic to dogs! No doubt a few on your list. But once out of the very young puppy stage, you won't find dogs grazing on random trees and shrubs!!

I've gardened with dogs and potentially toxic (to them) plants and never have any of my dogs nibbled on anything other a few stray blades of grass or low hanging raspberries. Nor have I ever heard any credible reports of this happening to others.

btw, did you check out that link for a lot of other possibilities?
Linda Ann
last year
For what will grow in your area check out calscape.org

You can put in your zipcode and also sort plants by type.
emmarene9
last year
Since you are in Los Angeles you can visit a native plant nursery and see what you like.

I would not plant a tree there. Better would be a large shrub which could be shaped as a tree.
tracefloyd
last year
bottlebrush
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
If by "bottlebrush" you mean Callistemon, that is native to Australia, not California.
tracefloyd
last year
Yes, Callistemon. Oops, hardy and pretty but non native.

Suggestions on California Native plants/trees

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Comments (17)

KW PNW Z8

Julian Huang
Original Author

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CA Kate z9

Christopher CNC

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Linda Ann

emmarene9

tracefloyd

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

tracefloyd

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Suggestions on California Native plants/trees

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