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Leafy Trees for Cooling
Shade
Whether you select a Mediterranean classic, the
Olive tree (Olea europea) or a large, fast-growing Fantex Ash (Fraxinus)--shown
above--for your xeriscape garden, you will be creating the cooling shade that we all welcome in the
summer. Trees planted on the south and west sides of your home
will, obviously, help reduce your summer cooling costs.
While we can't introduce you to all the trees
that you can find in the local nurseries, here are a few small scale
trees that we especially like for the smaller walled gardens so common in
the desert. Plus two more majestic trees for a hot, dry
climate.
You can find information about nut trees
as well as fruit trees
that thrive in the
desert on the HotGardens website. For
fast growing trees, click here.
IMPORTANT: All these trees are best planted in very early Spring or, better yet, in the
Fall. (Plant palms in warm months.)
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Olive (Olea europea 'Swan
Hill') - the olive, along with the palm and cypress trees, has traditionally been considered the defining
tree of the Mediterranean garden style. Grows fast and should
be pruned to the desired shape starting early. Can reach 30
feet. Moderate to low water usage. The 'Swan Hill' variety does
not produce olives. |
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Chitalpa (Chitalpa x tashkentensis)
- this hybrid of the Mojave native desert willow tree (Chilopsis) and the
Catalpa tree grows to 20 to 30 feet and
provides dappled shade. Drought tolerant.
The Chitalpa blooms from Spring
until Fall and the pink trumpet-shaped flowers are loved by
hummingbirds. |
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Mimosa (Albizia
Julibrissin 'Rosea') - also known commonly as the Silk
Tree. A fast growing umbrella shaped tree--ideal to cast shade
on patios. A bit messy when the fluffy pink blooms drop.
Can grow to 40 feet if it is watered regularly. Remains
smaller when watered less.
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California Pepper Tree (Schinus molle)
- this Peruvian native grows fast to 25 or 40 feet. Branches droop gracefully and leaves remain bright
spring green all summer. Despite its
name, the "pepper seeds" are not edible. Low water usage but
during drought conditions the branches hollow out and may snap off during
heavy winds. |
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Palo Verde (Cercidium) - Its name translates to "green
stick" and with one glance you can see the green color on its trunk and
leafless branches. In early Spring it bursts into bloom with bright yellow
blossoms and for a short while has tiny leaves. Good screening tree or for light shade. Very
drought tolerant so plant in a dry area.
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Flowering Crabapple - (Malus) - the
masses of pink spring blooms and orange-red leaves in the fall, not to
mention the abundance of crabapples, make this a lovely tree in a
lawn. Most of the over 200 cultivars do not grow particularly tall, perhaps to
15 feet, but spread to 20 feet or more
wide. |
For a more majestic
tree: an
Ash
or Chinese elm
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Ash (Fraxinus) - whether
you select an Arizona Ash, Modesto Ash or Fan-Tex Ash tree, you will have
shade in your garden rapidly. The FanTex Ash 'Rio Grande' is especially good
because it thrives in hot climates
with alkaline soil and the leaves turn a lovely golden yellow in Fall.
All need regular watering. |
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Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)
a
fast grower to 40 to 60 feet, this graceful tree has a "weeping"
shape as it matures. It can, in fact, reach a height of 30 feet in 5 years!
Some varieties are evergreen, some deciduous. The good news is that it is
a low water usage plant once established. It can tolerate regular
watering, too, so you can plant it in your lawn to enjoy dappled shade.
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Flowering crabapple (Malus) in Autumn.
Guidelines
for selecting and planting trees
Follow these guidelines and your plant
nursery's written instructions regarding soil amendments
specifically for your locale.
1)
Select a healthy-looking tree. If its branches are
flimsy or broken, if its leaves are tattered or discolored, if it is
lopsided, or will not stand up on its own without staking -- go on
to the next tree or another nursery.
2)
Select the correct tree for your kind of garden. For example,
low water usage trees, such as Mesquites (Prosopsis), guzzle
water like crazy in a regularly-watered lawn environment. They
quickly grow top-heavy and may blow over in the wind. Better
to choose a tree that prefers regular watering if you are planting
it in a lawn.
3) Plant your new tree at least 20 feet from the
house. If it will be a small tree when mature, you may be able
to plant it closer. Large trees should be planted further away to
allow for growth to maturity.
4) Dig a hole 2 to 3 times as wide as the tree's root ball
for planting. This will allow the roots to spread easily
through the soil. But don't plant the tree deeper than it is
in the container. The crown ( where the roots meet the trunk) should remain exposed.
5)
Water your newly planted tree regularly until it is
established. Trees need deep water rather than short frequent
irrigation which won't penetrate to their entire root zones.
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