kimanjome Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Need help from fellow gardeners. I'm from Florida and familiar with the majority of plants here in the area. I know NOT to plant a ficus or schleffera anywhere near my house; I know which plants can handle intense sun, which are drought resistant, etc. What I don't know is which trees grow to full height here vs. which are stunted by the higher altitudes. Also, there are a few variations of species, as well as different names given to plants, that have me confused. I want to plant several small trees adjascent to my sidewalk to provide some shade, as well as break up the plain wall. My wall is 10' high. I want a fast-growing, small tree that will max out at 15-18' and has a non-invasive root system. My gardener and housekeeper are both pleading for me to plant "nisperos", aka loquats, but I know in Florida the loquats can grow to 30' tall and almost that wide! Never mind the fruit mess. I am hoping for something a bit more diminutive. I was thinking of a pomegranate, and pruning it as a standard. Or a grapefruit...except in Florida I have seen 25' grapefruits. Would citrus work? My neighbors have them but they keep them pruned really short and round, like a topiary, about 6' tall. The other trees I was thinking of are either a bottlebrush (red) or podacarpus. I had both in my yard in Florida, but my housekeeper tells me that the bottlebrush here grow only to about 8', unlike the Florida ones that grow to about 20', and the podacarpus here are a slightly different variation so I have no idea.... Even when I ask at the garden center/vivero they don't seem to have accurate answers. For example, I was told Foxtail palns don't grow well here and they are really slow. Well, tell that to the ones I planted in my garden, they are greener and growing much faster than my Florida palms did! Likewise, a jaboticaba they told me would take years to attain 3 meters--passed that height already in just one year! Anyway, suggestions are welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 I think any tree you plant next to your wall and the sidewalk will eventually develop a root system which will start to crack your wall and the sidewalk. I would plant palms which have a root ball, rather than an extending root system. There are so many different types of palms, you have a large choice- go to a few nurseries until you find one that has a large selection and whose employess or owners are knowledgable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted August 9, 2018 Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 They have btter orange trees all over in Guadalajara and that seems to work. How about buganvillia to break the wall.. no shde though. Hopefully you have no electrical line or phone line on your side otherwise that is something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudgirl Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 Native buganvilla develops quite huge roots in time. Smaller cultivated types may not, but they also won't grow large enough to provide much in the way of shade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillenparadise Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 How about a daturra? Angel trumpet or florafundia. Forget citrus. A tiny wasp from China is ruining citrus world-wide. Millions of trees in Mexico, Florida, and Texas are being ripped up. All those cuttings I smuggled from my orchard in Texas, to turn into an orchard, giving away BUSHELS of beautiful organic fruit every Christmas have dwindled and died. Heartbrreaing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 Tabachin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillenparadise Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 Beautiful, but can reach 25 meters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vista lake Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 Arallan ! No make big roots like jacaranda and tabachines! So you don't have problems whit the sidewalk. And looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dichosalocura Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 I guess what most matters is, whether or not you want fruit or flowers. We have a bottle brush tree that has been in our yard for many years and it is basically just a tall shrub or small tree. Most trees can be simply trimmed to stay small, but the roots is where the damage could, in the long haul, stem from..... Here is a guide to give you a few more ideas for smallish trees from San Diego area. Whatever grows there, mostly should be able to grow here. https://www.installitdirect.com/learn/san-diego-trees/ I liked the Crape myrtle here called arból de Júpiter, and the western redbud which I think is a arból de Judas. Another option could be the Euphorbia cotinifolia which is native to Mexico, it has small red leaves and does not get very big at all. They have some planted up and down Madero St. in Chapala. Or for fragrant plants, try the tea olive, they grow much faster down here than back home, but still do not get very big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedros Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 9 hours ago, camillenparadise said: Beautiful, but can reach 25 meters. There are dwarf ones-look at the ones by the Ajijic clinic. They have been there for many years and are only about 2 meters high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 There are several master gardeners here...you can go to LCS and get the contact info for the fellow that gives classes. I bet he can help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 Small trees I noticed around Ajijic : Vitex - for blue flowers Calliandra haematocephala (different than a bottle brush bush) Caesalpinia pulcherrima - smaller than Delonix Regia (Tabachin) but flowers are similar . About 12' in maturity (as Cedros said) Plumeria - yellow and pink Poinsettias can grow into small trees and look very attractive.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 There are small acacia trees that look like tabachin with red flowers I have aTabachin in the garden it is huge and an acacia that has similar leaves and that tree stays small.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.