Maples and Palms?

[Hamandah]

Does anyone have maples and palms in their yard? We have a maple and considering adding 2 big maples but I also want palms. I wonder if that’s weird to have them mixed? Or maybe I’m over thinking it! 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/9/2024 at 3:09 AM, Hamandah said:

Does anyone have maples and palms in their yard? We have a maple and considering adding 2 big maples but I also want palms. I wonder if that’s weird to have them mixed? Or maybe I’m over thinking it! 

Expand  

Not weird if you enjoy the seasonal contrasts ( Evergreen palms, mixed w/ trees like maples that will change color in the Fall / be bare during the winter  kind of look )

That said, if you're looking to create a tropical oasis in your yard, you might research some of the more tropical looking ( ..but quite hardy ) Tree options..



A few that had been mentioned in your Palm - related thread should be pretty easy to find  whichshould have no problems w/ any cold you experience where you're located..

** Majority of the pictures posted are of specimens of each tree time growing here. Depending on availability in X part of the state, all are trees that are widely planted/ sold in nurseries there in California.

Jacaranda.  Blue Violet flowers in Spring.  Ferny, tropical looking leaves. Fast grower.




Handroanthus ..Commonly called " Trumpet Trees " ..Pink or Yellow flowers in the Spring. Moderate growing.

Pink:





Yellow:








Tipuana ( Tipu Tree ) Great foliage, lots of yellow flowers in late Spring / early Summer. Fast growing.














Hong Kong Orchid Tree.  Very Tropical looking foliage, Flowers are awesome, and extremely fragrant.  Also fast growing.















Couple others i'll add that should be pretty easy to find where you're at, if they seem interesting:

Desert Willow.  Easy. Laugh at heat and cold. Flower in Spring and are fragrant. Moderate to Fast growing.















" Chitalpa " a cross between Desert Willow and Catalpa, a relative of Desert Willow. Also hardy and easy ..and fast growing.








If you thought there were lots of palm options,  you will get lost in just how canopy -forming evergreen / deciduous / flowering tree options there are you could consider..

A ton of threads regarding tropical looking trees in this section of the overall forum to look over.


FYI, yes, even if you grew them in big pots, rather than in the ground,  there are certain Plumeria cultivars that tolerate a little cold you could grow where you are located too.

 

[L.A.M.]

No, it's not weird. Despite the reputation maples have as temperate trees, scarlet maples are actually native to tropical South Florida. There's also a subtropical southern sugar maple that's very closely related to the temperate northern one; it's just smaller, little-known and not common in the wild. I'm actually trying to grow scarlet maples and southern sugar maples here in Tennessee so that if something happens to our omnipresent northern sugar maples, other types of native maples can pick up the slack. Scarlet maples plus Brazoria and dwarf palmettos (in marginally subtropical areas that cabbage and Miami palmettos can't last) would make for a great Miami-style tropical garden look, especially in combination with southern wax myrtles, sweetbay and southern magnolias, bald cypresses, laurel oaks (both sand and swamp) and escarpment live oaks (again, the more widely known southern live oaks can't last where I'm from)! Needle palms and dwarf palmettos actually tend to blend in pretty well in a casual inland woodland setting too or add to a preexisting jungle feel.

Edited April 9, 2024 by L.A.M.

[JLM]

I have a maple in my yard with palms not even 20 ft away. 

[Hamandah]

  On 4/9/2024 at 5:01 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Not weird if you enjoy the seasonal contrasts ( Evergreen palms, mixed w/ trees like maples that will change color in the Fall / be bare during the winter  kind of look )

That said, if you're looking to create a tropical oasis in your yard, you might research some of the more tropical looking ( ..but quite hardy ) Tree options..



A few that had been mentioned in your Palm - related thread should be pretty easy to find  whichshould have no problems w/ any cold you experience where you're located..

** Majority of the pictures posted are of specimens of each tree time growing here. Depending on availability in X part of the state, all are trees that are widely planted/ sold in nurseries there in California.

Jacaranda.  Blue Violet flowers in Spring.  Ferny, tropical looking leaves. Fast grower.




Handroanthus ..Commonly called " Trumpet Trees " ..Pink or Yellow flowers in the Spring. Moderate growing.

Pink:





Yellow:








Tipuana ( Tipu Tree ) Great foliage, lots of yellow flowers in late Spring / early Summer. Fast growing.














Hong Kong Orchid Tree.  Very Tropical looking foliage, Flowers are awesome, and extremely fragrant.  Also fast growing.















Couple others i'll add that should be pretty easy to find where you're at, if they seem interesting:

Desert Willow.  Easy. Laugh at heat and cold. Flower in Spring and are fragrant. Moderate to Fast growing.















" Chitalpa " a cross between Desert Willow and Catalpa, a relative of Desert Willow. Also hardy and easy ..and fast growing.








If you thought there were lots of palm options,  you will get lost in just how canopy -forming evergreen / deciduous / flowering tree options there are you could consider..

A ton of threads regarding tropical looking trees in this section of the overall forum to look over.


FYI, yes, even if you grew them in big pots, rather than in the ground,  there are certain Plumeria cultivars that tolerate a little cold you could grow where you are located too.

 

Expand  

So many pretty trees! Do any of these not drop their leaves? The maples are beautiful and I love them but I do have some hesitation because of the leaves dropping every year. We just got a pool so I don’t know how much of a pain the leaf drop will be. 
some these you posted are absolutely beautiful! 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/9/2024 at 4:12 PM, Hamandah said:

So many pretty trees! Do any of these not drop their leaves? The maples are beautiful and I love them but I do have some hesitation because of the leaves dropping every year. We just got a pool so I don’t know how much of a pain the leaf drop will be. 
some these you posted are absolutely beautiful! 

Expand  

Every tree will drop " some " leaves.. Timing just depends on each..

Jacaranda, here at least, will retain most of their leaves until about now. Then drop most of them right as flowering starts.

Tipuana, ..and the Hong Kong Orchid typically hang onto their foliage year round ..dropping a little here ..a little there.

Trumpet trees can go both ways.. Yellow flowered sps often drop all their leaves in winter.  Common Pink flowered species can be completely nekked in winter, or hold onto some of it's foliage. ..Just depends on genetics, aka: where a particular form of it originated.

Desert Willow and the " Chitalpa " hybrid do drop their leaves each year. That said, leaves are small, look very similar to a true Willow, so they don't create a huge mess ...Like say a Maple, Ash, or Chinese Pistache ( VERY common tree in San Jose ) can.

Both Desert Willow and the hybrid are planted  in yards that also have pools here.

These suggestions above are just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to different canopy / shade- creating tree options.  Many other tropical- looking options out there that hold onto their leaves all year. Some will be easier to find than others though.

Like the look of big leaves? Ficus auriculata / roxborghii ( Roxburgh Fig ) is one of the hardiest ( and quite tropical looking )" big -leaved " trees options. Not sure how they'd take full sun when starting out out there though.  @Josue Diaz in Fresno is growing this great tree there. 

By the pool / deck area, agree, would look into trees that tend to retain most / all of their leaves.  Further out in your yard, you can mix those with some of the others that will drop their leaves.

Hard to tell in pictures, but, from the look of some of the pictures you'd shared of your property, it seems like you have a good sized yard where you'd have enough room for a few trees, ...and palms of course, haha.

The one thing about Maples ..and numerous other " temperate climate " type trees. Many often struggle in heat / prolonged drought.  Planting one or two in a section of your yard / property where you can keep them happy is fine.  Planting a bunch of them might not turn out so well if ..or when.. the next big drought cycle kicks in. 

One reason you might see them planted a lot in your neighborhood / nearby is because home builders often select the most generic and often out dated plant / tree options for their projects.  More often than not, they're just trying to get some plants in to make the homes look good. Not taking the time to select trees / plants that are better adapted to the local climate.

Have seen some newer neighborhoods here -in the desert- where the builder extensively planted Ash.. A tree option better suited to places back east where it rains / isn't too hot. 

 

[Palmarum]

If you want both, then they mix fine. I would think the only limit is space.

My neighbors had a Florida Red Maple in their yard right next to mine and it looked great, even when smooshed next to my palms. It didn't go completely deciduous. I think the smaller palms I had underneath took advantage of that fact, getting more light in the winter whereas they were shaded the rest of the year. I would trim the maple for them to keep it moderate in size and to add more and more shade. I used to hang epiphytes from the branches. The tree became a casualty of Hurricane Wilma, it never handled wind very well. 

Ryan

[Chester B]

Okay I'm going to weigh in on this, as a Canadian.😜  Do maple trees and palms belong together - absolutely not!  Why plant a maple when you can have an actual good looking tree instead.

My last house in Oregon had 4 maples and they all met the chainsaw.  Unfortunately my house here in Texas even has a maple, that looks half dead I'm assuming from last summer's heat.  It will gone within a month and its carcass will be converted to log piles to create homes for the local amphibians and reptiles.  Terrible, messy trees with invasive roots.

Plus being on the west coast they all look terrible my mid July because they come from areas with summer rain.  They are not drought adapted.  In Oregon we had the native Big Leaf and Vine maples but even they would succumb to summer's drought.

I would take @Silas_Sancona advice, so many better adapted and better looking trees for your climate.

[Hamandah]

  On 4/9/2024 at 4:57 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Every tree will drop " some " leaves.. Timing just depends on each..

Jacaranda, here at least, will retain most of their leaves until about now. Then drop most of them right as flowering starts.

Tipuana, ..and the Hong Kong Orchid typically hang onto their foliage year round ..dropping a little here ..a little there.

Trumpet trees can go both ways.. Yellow flowered sps often drop all their leaves in winter.  Common Pink flowered species can be completely nekked in winter, or hold onto some of it's foliage. ..Just depends on genetics, aka: where a particular form of it originated.

Desert Willow and the " Chitalpa " hybrid do drop their leaves each year. That said, leaves are small, look very similar to a true Willow, so they don't create a huge mess ...Like say a Maple, Ash, or Chinese Pistache ( VERY common tree in San Jose ) can.

Both Desert Willow and the hybrid are planted  in yards that also have pools here.

These suggestions above are just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to different canopy / shade- creating tree options.  Many other tropical- looking options out there that hold onto their leaves all year. Some will be easier to find than others though.

Like the look of big leaves? Ficus auriculata / roxborghii ( Roxburgh Fig ) is one of the hardiest ( and quite tropical looking )" big -leaved " trees options. Not sure how they'd take full sun when starting out out there though.  @Josue Diaz in Fresno is growing this great tree there. 

By the pool / deck area, agree, would look into trees that tend to retain most / all of their leaves.  Further out in your yard, you can mix those with some of the others that will drop their leaves.

Hard to tell in pictures, but, from the look of some of the pictures you'd shared of your property, it seems like you have a good sized yard where you'd have enough room for a few trees, ...and palms of course, haha.

The one thing about Maples ..and numerous other " temperate climate " type trees. Many often struggle in heat / prolonged drought.  Planting one or two in a section of your yard / property where you can keep them happy is fine.  Planting a bunch of them might not turn out so well if ..or when.. the next big drought cycle kicks in. 

One reason you might see them planted a lot in your neighborhood / nearby is because home builders often select the most generic and often out dated plant / tree options for their projects.  More often than not, they're just trying to get some plants in to make the homes look good. Not taking the time to select trees / plants that are better adapted to the local climate.

Have seen some newer neighborhoods here -in the desert- where the builder extensively planted Ash.. A tree option better suited to places back east where it rains / isn't too hot. 

 

Expand  

Great info! I need to look more at all of those types. One of the landscapers we were talking to suggested an Acer Rubrum Red Maple. They look like such a pretty vibrant red color. I would love a tree that didn’t drop all of their leaves every year. Some here and there is east but the ones that drop everything all at one time and look like sticks for half the year, I don’t know? We used to have 2 giants oaks and the leafs were crazy when they fell! 

[Hamandah]

  On 4/9/2024 at 10:41 PM, Chester B said:

Okay I'm going to weigh in on this, as a Canadian.😜  Do maple trees and palms belong together - absolutely not!  Why plant a maple when you can have an actual good looking tree instead.

My last house in Oregon had 4 maples and they all met the chainsaw.  Unfortunately my house here in Texas even has a maple, that looks half dead I'm assuming from last summer's heat.  It will gone within a month and its carcass will be converted to log piles to create homes for the local amphibians and reptiles.  Terrible, messy trees with invasive roots.

Plus being on the west coast they all look terrible my mid July because they come from areas with summer rain.  They are not drought adapted.  In Oregon we had the native Big Leaf and Vine maples but even they would succumb to summer's drought.

I would take @Silas_Sancona advice, so many better adapted and better looking trees for your climate.

Expand  

Hahah! Love it from the Canadian perspective! Some of the maples can be so pretty certain times of year! I just don’t love that they aren’t a lot do the year too when they drop their leaves. 
 

Any other trees you love that feel more tropical that are sizable for privacy in the corners of our yard that don’t drop all of their leaves every year?

[Hamandah]

  On 4/9/2024 at 4:57 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Every tree will drop " some " leaves.. Timing just depends on each..

Jacaranda, here at least, will retain most of their leaves until about now. Then drop most of them right as flowering starts.

Tipuana, ..and the Hong Kong Orchid typically hang onto their foliage year round ..dropping a little here ..a little there.

Trumpet trees can go both ways.. Yellow flowered sps often drop all their leaves in winter.  Common Pink flowered species can be completely nekked in winter, or hold onto some of it's foliage. ..Just depends on genetics, aka: where a particular form of it originated.

Desert Willow and the " Chitalpa " hybrid do drop their leaves each year. That said, leaves are small, look very similar to a true Willow, so they don't create a huge mess ...Like say a Maple, Ash, or Chinese Pistache ( VERY common tree in San Jose ) can.

Both Desert Willow and the hybrid are planted  in yards that also have pools here.

These suggestions above are just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to different canopy / shade- creating tree options.  Many other tropical- looking options out there that hold onto their leaves all year. Some will be easier to find than others though.

Like the look of big leaves? Ficus auriculata / roxborghii ( Roxburgh Fig ) is one of the hardiest ( and quite tropical looking )" big -leaved " trees options. Not sure how they'd take full sun when starting out out there though.  @Josue Diaz in Fresno is growing this great tree there. 

By the pool / deck area, agree, would look into trees that tend to retain most / all of their leaves.  Further out in your yard, you can mix those with some of the others that will drop their leaves.

Hard to tell in pictures, but, from the look of some of the pictures you'd shared of your property, it seems like you have a good sized yard where you'd have enough room for a few trees, ...and palms of course, haha.

The one thing about Maples ..and numerous other " temperate climate " type trees. Many often struggle in heat / prolonged drought.  Planting one or two in a section of your yard / property where you can keep them happy is fine.  Planting a bunch of them might not turn out so well if ..or when.. the next big drought cycle kicks in. 

One reason you might see them planted a lot in your neighborhood / nearby is because home builders often select the most generic and often out dated plant / tree options for their projects.  More often than not, they're just trying to get some plants in to make the homes look good. Not taking the time to select trees / plants that are better adapted to the local climate.

Have seen some newer neighborhoods here -in the desert- where the builder extensively planted Ash.. A tree option better suited to places back east where it rains / isn't too hot. 

What would be your top choices for pretty trees that don’t drop all of their leaves and become branches every fall and winter? I feel like a lot of stuff I saw that were evergreen, I was bored with. But I haven’t looked up all of the other suggestions yet! 
 

I just want a beautiful tree that doesn’t ever completely drop their leaves!

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[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/9/2024 at 10:41 PM, Chester B said:

Okay I'm going to weigh in on this, as a Canadian.😜  Do maple trees and palms belong together - absolutely not!  Why plant a maple when you can have an actual good looking tree instead.

My last house in Oregon had 4 maples and they all met the chainsaw.  Unfortunately my house here in Texas even has a maple, that looks half dead I'm assuming from last summer's heat.  It will gone within a month and its carcass will be converted to log piles to create homes for the local amphibians and reptiles.  Terrible, messy trees with invasive roots.

Plus being on the west coast they all look terrible my mid July because they come from areas with summer rain.  They are not drought adapted.  In Oregon we had the native Big Leaf and Vine maples but even they would succumb to summer's drought.

I would take @Silas_Sancona advice, so many better adapted and better looking trees for your climate.

Expand  

Yep, even in the Bay Area ..or down in S.Cal. ( ..and here ). Only place you'll see the native maples is up in the mountains, near streams.

Agree as well regarding the aggressive root issue / limb breakage if in a confined space / not getting the water they want. ( Had a limb off a Silver Maple ( ..perhaps the most damage - prone Acer sp, ** imo of course ** ) smash through our sliding glass door during a bad thunderstorm while i was seated in front of it.. They and what red maples were planted there were often among the biggest casualties after such wind events, or winter storms as well..

While i do enjoy some " leafy " fall color in the yard,  i'll stick with heat / drought adapted trees like the species in my Bursera collection that color up,  Pseudobombax, a couple Jatropha sps from Mexico, ..and/ or any of the deciduous  Erythrina sps  to achieve that splash of " traditional " fall color.

One of the coolest " Fall " contrasts i recall seeing while heading home from a plant buying trip to L.A. / San Diego was a couple 15ft tall Erythrina coralloides ( *** Which has apparently been lumped into E. americana now ) completely covered in bright yellow orange leaves, with a massive Floss Silk Tree -in full bloom- towering above and behind the Coral Trees at the same time.

Wish i had the space to recreate that scene, and add some other winter bloomers like Cascalote, and Senna splendida / macranthera.

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/9/2024 at 11:00 PM, Hamandah said:

Great info! I need to look more at all of those types. One of the landscapers we were talking to suggested an Acer Rubrum Red Maple. They look like such a pretty vibrant red color. I would love a tree that didn’t drop all of their leaves every year. Some here and there is east but the ones that drop everything all at one time and look like sticks for half the year, I don’t know? We used to have 2 giants oaks and the leafs were crazy when they fell! 

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Love Oaks,  but yes, lol ..they can drop a ton of leaves ( Fantastic natural fertilizer if you grow your own veggies / herbs, etc edible stuff ). Luckily, a majority of the species native to CA ( ..and where they grow here in AZ ) aren't as big of a mess maker as others that grow back east.  Many of the species from here and next door in Mexico are quite drought tolerant too. Being planted more out there. Most are evergreen / shed leaves only ..right about now.. as new growth starts, or only sporadically throughout the year.


I'd be extremely skeptical of any landscaper who'd suggest Maples ..or any heat / drought intolerant tree for that matter.  Many " Landscapers "  would sell a client invasive weeds if they could make some $$$.

 

[Hamandah]

  On 4/10/2024 at 12:33 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Love Oaks,  but yes, lol ..they can drop a ton of leaves ( Fantastic natural fertilizer if you grow your own veggies / herbs, etc edible stuff ). Luckily, a majority of the species native to CA ( ..and where they grow here in AZ ) aren't as big of a mess maker as others that grow back east.  Many of the species from here and next door in Mexico are quite drought tolerant too. Being planted more out there. Most are evergreen / shed leaves only ..right about now.. as new growth starts, or only sporadically throughout the year.


I'd be extremely skeptical of any landscaper who'd suggest Maples ..or any heat / drought intolerant tree for that matter.  Many " Landscapers "  would sell a client invasive weeds if they could make some $$$.

 

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I think I’m looking for a unicorn! I want a beautiful, colorful tree that isn’t deciduous and doesn’t drop all of its leafs every year! 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/10/2024 at 1:34 AM, Hamandah said:

I think I’m looking for a unicorn! I want a beautiful, colorful tree that isn’t deciduous and doesn’t drop all of its leafs every year! 

Expand  

Unicorn?, naah.. There are a few options that may fit the bill..

Take a look at:

Gold Medallion Tree https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=cassia leptophylla&plant_id=359&page=

Brisbane Box https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=brisbane box&plant_id=1016&page=

Water Gum / Tristaniopsis https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=tristania&plant_id=1563&page=

" Mariana " Strawberry Tree https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=157

[Chester B]

I like Pacific Madrones/madronas depending on where you’re from. Nice red bark, deep green leaves and beautiful flowers and berries. Really a four season plant and a great west coast native. 
 

Another favorite would be Quercus hypoleucoides also known as the Silver Leaf Oak. 
 

Both are well adapted to the west coast. 
 

Another unusual tropical looking oak I was growing was Lithocarpus henryi. Huge evergreen leaves and some exotic looking flowers. Needs some water in summer though. 

[Josue Diaz]

  On 4/9/2024 at 10:13 AM, L.A.M. said:

No, it's not weird. Despite the reputation maples have as temperate trees, scarlet maples are actually native to tropical South Florida. There's also a subtropical southern sugar maple that's very closely related to the temperate northern one; it's just smaller, little-known and not common in the wild. I'm actually trying to grow scarlet maples and southern sugar maples here in Tennessee so that if something happens to our omnipresent northern sugar maples, other types of native maples can pick up the slack. Scarlet maples plus Brazoria and dwarf palmettos (in marginally subtropical areas that cabbage and Miami palmettos can't last) would make for a great Miami-style tropical garden look, especially in combination with southern wax myrtles, sweetbay and southern magnolias, bald cypresses, laurel oaks (both sand and swamp) and escarpment live oaks (again, the more widely known southern live oaks can't last where I'm from)! Needle palms and dwarf palmettos actually tend to blend in pretty well in a casual inland woodland setting too or add to a preexisting jungle feel.

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Maples (and Liquidambar) are native throughout the tropical pine-oak forests of Southern Mexico and Central America. This is where a lot of the highland agave and palm species come from - a lot of the Brahea, some Sabal, Attalea, Chamaedorea, Bactris, Acrocomia... plenty others also - along with some of the greatest diversity of Pinus (pine) and Quercus (oak) species anywhere on the planet. 

  On 4/9/2024 at 4:57 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Like the look of big leaves? Ficus auriculata / roxborghii ( Roxburgh Fig ) is one of the hardiest ( and quite tropical looking )" big -leaved " trees options. Not sure how they'd take full sun when starting out out there though.  @Josue Diaz in Fresno is growing this great tree there. 

This ficus is pretty easy in the central valley. Some minor damage happens in cold years and some warm winters there is no damage at all. It's not a big shade tree though, at least not yet. 

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This ficus is pretty easy in the central valley. Some minor damage happens in cold years and some warm winters there is no damage at all. It's not a big shade tree though, at least not yet. 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/10/2024 at 5:59 PM, Josue Diaz said:

 

This ficus is pretty easy in the central valley. Some minor damage happens in cold years and some warm winters there is no damage at all. It's not a big shade tree though, at least not yet. 

Expand  

 That makes sense.  I remember that the bigger one in Sarasota at Selby was pretty wide, but not as tall as id assumed it might be given it's age ( ...how long since it had been planted anyway ), even in one of the more ideal climates in the U.S..

Wish i had more canopy. Bet they'd do ok here, minus sun exposure and a 2x week deep soak, this time of year esp.


 

 

  On 4/10/2024 at 3:26 AM, Chester B said:

I like Pacific Madrones/madronas depending on where you’re from. Nice red bark, deep green leaves and beautiful flowers and berries. Really a four season plant and a great west coast native. 
 

Another favorite would be Quercus hypoleucoides also known as the Silver Leaf Oak. 
 

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 Native Madrones are definitely attractive trees.. Kind of stinks that they are often a challenge to grow  away from ideal areas.  Even in San Jose, try growing one down in the valley and ..chances are higher that it won't survive ...though i'm pretty sure there are a few longer term specimens planted. 

Don't know how true / un true it is, but had heard a couple times that TX. Madrone might be a little easier to grow outside it's preferred locations.

Q. hypoleucoides = 3rd favorite " AZ " Oak.  In Madera Canyon, you knew you'd crossed the 5300ft Elv. mark when turning a corner on the road that goes to the back of the canyon, and the dominant Oak in view is now that species..  See a few here and there below that elevation, but, once past the Chuparosa Inn, and headed to the parking lot where the Old Baldy Trailhead is located, they're everywhere.

When i can get down there, will be interesting to see if there is a similar elevation- related distribution pattern in the Huachucas.


Hearing it is being planted more in CA after trials showed it handled Wx conditions out there well. Know they have thrived since being introduced / trialed  further north.

[Hamandah]

  On 4/10/2024 at 2:20 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

Unicorn?, naah.. There are a few options that may fit the bill..

Take a look at:

Gold Medallion Tree https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=cassia leptophylla&plant_id=359&page=

Brisbane Box https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=brisbane box&plant_id=1016&page=

Water Gum / Tristaniopsis https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strSearchText=tristania&plant_id=1563&page=

" Mariana " Strawberry Tree https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=157

Expand  

Any more colorful trees that you can think of that don’t drop leaves? Like maybe red leaves? Maybe that doesn’t exist! 
 

I appreciate all of your input!!

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 4/11/2024 at 11:37 PM, Hamandah said:

Any more colorful trees that you can think of that don’t drop leaves? Like maybe red leaves? Maybe that doesn’t exist! 
 

I appreciate all of your input!!

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Evergreen,  with red leaves,  that will handle heat and drought is pretty much non existent unfortunately ..anything i can think of at least.

There are trees like Cotinus ( Smoke Tree ), Purple - leaved Plum ( Not the best drought / heat tolerance ) and Crepe Myrtle, but all drop their leaves. W/ Crepe Myrtle, you'll also have lots of flower and seed pod debris as well. Grand parents have several in their yard i wish i could remove, lol.

Red Tipped Photinia would have reddish new growth, and are evergreen, but many people are allergic to the stinky flowers. Give me bad headaches.  Also not at their best in heat / extended dry conditions either. Kind of boring too.

Some Loropetalum cultivars have purplish leaves, but i've noticed they can revert to more green in time.