We all love the look of the graceful weeping willow - and it would look so incredible drooping in front of your wonderful historic bungalow/Spanish Revival/Mid-Century Modern home, wouldn't it? See the picture below left. Wait! Do you have a small creek or stream running through your property?! Do you have a large budget dedicated to the betterment of the Department of Water and Power?! Don’t do it!!!! Yes, I know that you love that incredibly expensive, beautifully burgundy, filigree-leafed Japanese maple, but are you willing to move to the Great Northwest? Install a yard full of misters filled with distilled water? Mound up your clay filled soil in a dream of better drainage? Don’t do it!!!! Before you choose a tree, look carefully at its water and soil requirements and eventual size. If you like the look of a certain tree that is not appropriate for your area, there are many others that will substitute. For instance, in Southern California, that weeping willow can be replaced by the beautiful Mayten Tree (Maytenus boaria), the Peppermint Willow (Agonis flexuosa), or, see the picture below - the wonderfully steely Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula). Instead of a burgundy Japanese maple, plant the always incredible Cercis 'Forest Pansy' or Leptospermum 'Dark Shadows'.

To be truly sustainable, the tree you choose should not only be drought tolerant, but also, require ocaissional minimal trimming, rather than heavy pruning annually. To shade a typical one story house, you need only a 20 to 30 foot tree. Most modern lots are very small and can barely fit one tree on them. Remember that most trees grow as wide as they do tall – plant them at least 10 feet from your foundation. Consider all other aspects of the tree as well. Is it brittle? Have invasive roots? Disease prone? Short-lived? Too messy for you or your patio? Will it burn like a torch at the least provocation? Will it procreate all over our nature reserves or your neighbor's yard? Choose carefully!

Another issue is the proliferation of phoenix/king/queen palms et al in Southern California. They look great in Waikiki, at the end of a spacious yard, or down Canon Drive in Beverly Hills, not in front of your window on your tiny lot. At 6 feet they are lovely. At their full grown height, they are large trunks, blocking your view, that need a cherry picker to constantly trim, lest the fronds fall on your head and concuss you, with fruit you could slip and kill yourself on! Instead, try the much smaller Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelinii) which will look wonderful from your living room forever.

Whatever the tree you do choose, please, please, please – don’t EVER “top” your tree! It will weaken the structure, destroy the natural form of the tree, make it prone to disease and insect infestation, and contribute ugliness instead of beauty to your fair city. And please, when you do choose, no cheating by saying that you are planning on moving before the Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) takes out your foundation! We should choose our trees with an eye to longevity, not instant gratification. Planted and situated correctly, a tree will be something to be enjoyed for generations, not an annoyance to be removed within a few years.

I will be teaching a short course called 'Beyond Xeriscape, Gardening in the Time of Global Warming' on sustainable landscaping at California State University, Long Beach, Continuing Education, in September.  It will cover basic aspects of landscaping such as soil, plant choice and design, with an emphasis on California Native and low water use plants from around the world. Guest speakers will include Bart O'Brien, one of the authors of the book, California Native Plants for the Garden and Director of Special Projects, from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and Barbara Paul, local Landscape Designer and Board Member of the Mediterranean Plant Society.  Please go to the following website for further information.

In my last month’s article on earthworms, I made the following statement: “Knowing this, it is easy to see that we should not EVER use poisons in the soil. They will affect the health of the earthworms and by being absorbed into their systems, the poison will be passed on to other animals for whom they are dinner. For this same reason, avoid products made with sewage sludge – the heavy metals and chemicals often present in bio-solids can cause harm to the worms and their predators.”

I received the following response from Scott Hunter of Kellogg’s Garden Products: “As a proud member of the recycling community, I ask you to dig a little deeper in the bio-solid issue. While heavy metals can and are present in biosolids/sludge as a whole, you’ll find that products sold to consumers start with Class A bio-solids, which have passed the EPA-mandated tests for heavy metals/pathogens. In our case, they are fully composted and tested before we begin our own process of testing, blending, composting, and more testing.”

I appreciate Mr. Hunter’s response and the attention that is being paid to this issue by his company.