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Trees for new home

From Paul:
As usual, thanks for your help. Here is my latest plan:

  • Swan Hill Fruitless Olives anchoring the house on both sides and middle in the front. (full sun with sea breeze)
  • Acacia baileyana near street on both sides of driveway. (full sun with sea breeze)
  • Mild slopes in front and side of the house (full sun), away from Olives will be native shrubs. Del Mar Manzanita and Heart’s Desire Ceonutha for low shrubs, Dara’s Choice Salvia, Catalina Island Fuschia and Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat for medium heights against the white stucco fence.
  • I will use Toyon for a larger shrub/tree in one area with the same low lying natives I’m using on the slopes.
  • A Jordan Macadamia in a wind protected area on the East side of the house. (full sun)
  • A Swan Hill Olive in my main interior courtyard.
  • I have a slope with a stairway in the back with boulders where I’m thinking of Pinus Contorta Contorta instead of the Japenese black pine because they don’t grow as big.

I’m using the planting/maintenance instructions from your site and the Las Palitas website for the natives. Please let me know if there is anything here that you might be concerned about.

Response from Pat:
Your choice of plants sounds excellent. What I especially like is the way you’re sticking with a Mediterranean and native scheme and things that can stand up to wind. The colors sound good too. It’s a nice sophisticated choice of plants for a coastal Mediterranean climate.

A couple of ideas: When choosing natives, pay attention to some of the better and improved selections. Many of these are available at Tree of Life Nursery, 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano. Phone 949728-0685 to be sure of hours and days open. November is a good time to plant natives. The toyon I like best is the one from Catalina island with bigger bunches of berries (Heteromeles arbutifolia macrocarpa.) I am not familiar with Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Hearts Desire’ but I know it’s from Point Reyes and thus good along the coast but not good inland. It’s one of the flatter ones but may let in weeds. (Not that you shouldn’t choose it.) You plants sound great.

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