Landscaping Advice: San Diego Tree Choices from The Yard Fairy

Chinese Redbud or Cercis chinensis

• Covered in green glossy leaves with pink or violet flowers

• Can grow up to 20 feet tall and 15 wide if allowed

• Does shed leaves for fall

• Rather low maintenance

• Prefers partial shade or full sun

Crape Myrtle or Lagerstroemia hybrids

• Many different types

• Deciduous tree, loses leaves in fall

• Have hybrids that are resistant to many diseases

• Narrow trees that can grow to 25 feet tall and 12 feet wide

Lemon Bottlebrush or Callistemon citrinus

• Can grow up to 20-25 feet

• Has bright green leaves, flowers are bright red ‘brushes’ with gold tips

• Available in Multi

• Tolerant to heat and needs little water

• Evergreen tree, does not shed leaves for fall

Mexican Redbud or Cercis canadensis mexicana

• Can grow to 15 feet tall

• Has glossy green leaves that slightly curl

• Flowers can range from red to pink

• Needs full sun, and fairly drought tolerant

• Deciduous tree, will shed leaves for fall

Photo by Natalia Banaszczyk ->

Peppermint Willow or Agonis flexuosa

• Can grow up to 25-35 feet tall and 15-30 feet wide

• Has lance-shaped leaves and white flowers

• Fragrant evergreen that won’t shed leaves for winter

• Drought and heat resistant

Pineapple Guava or Feijoa sellowiana (Acca sellowiana)

• Can grow up to 18-25 feet tall and wide

• Has flowers that are red with yellow tips, and gives green fruit

• Has moderate tolerance to temperatures within 80-80 degrees

• Evergreen tree with glossy leaves, does not shed for winter

Purple Orchid Tree or Bauhinia veriegata

• Can grow up to 25-30 feet tall and wide

• Deciduous tree that sheds leaves for the winter

• Has leaves that look like a cow’s hoof and orchids for flowers

• Needs full sun and is picky about soil pH

• Has a blooming period of late winter to early summer

Smoke Tree or Cotinus coggygria

• Is also called ‘Purpreus’ or ‘Atropurpurea’

• Can grow to 12-15 feet wide and tall, in some cases even 25 feet

• Has flowers that cluster together to look like smoke

• Has oval shaped, dark purple leaves that turn red in fall

• Prefers full sun to partial shade

Strawberry Tree or Arbutus unedo

• Is also called ‘Compacta’

• Can grow up to 10 feet tall and wide, but seldom over

• Is a evergreen shrub with white flowers and red drupe fruit

• Prefers partial shade and does well in dry climates

• Does not produce strawberries

Western Redbud or Cercis occidentalis

• Can grow up to 10-18 feet wide and tall

• Is a deciduous shrub or small tree

• Has violet flowers and edible fruits

• Tolerant of lime or acidic soils