TREES TO AVOID IN PHOENIX LANDSCAPES ENTRY #1.

Pictured above are a few Acacia Salicina, AKA "Willow Acacia". I took these particular pictures in Gilbert, but it is not unusual to see them used throughout newer (1-20 years old) developments in Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, and others, both residential and commercial. Very often, I would say 1/3, or more, they look like the ones above. For some reason they are used as parking lot and street trees a lot. I just don't get it.

OK, so before I go on breaking down just how bad of a choice planting these trees in Arizona Landscapes can be -especially in above mentioned situations- let me say that every tree has it's place and I am not knocking the tree, the way in which it is used. The trees don't choose where and by whom they are planted !

Cons to Acacia Salicina for city use:

1. Require a lot of trimming/maintenance (which also means lots of man-power, dump trips, etc)
2. Branches are quite likely to break in the wind because of rapid, erratic growth
3. VERY shallow (and invasive) root system (you can see the surface root top left, just waiting for a combination of rain and wind - hmmm... Arizona Monsoons? This is one of the most common trees you see blown over during "micro bursts" or even moderate storms)
4. Inconsistent growth rates, inconsistent structures in general. Not a plus for a city street tree or providing shade.
5. Consistently produce pollen, pods, cycle through leaves, creating a need for more maintenance, clean-up, gas blowers, dump trips, etc. (mess level - 8.5/10)

So after all this hard work, keeping it in line, cleaning up, dealing with emergency service bills ($) for broken branches and fallen trees, here is the toughest part to swallow.......drum roll......
A lot of these trees, after all the investment our tax dollars (or personal dollars) and the energy of the maintenance crews put in..... A very large amount of them will have to be replaced, thus requiring costs of removal -labor, hauling, dump again, costs of buying a new tree, labor to plant it. And finally our city's or our neighborhood's maturity and character (which is SO essential, especially in the rapidly growing, culture struggling to keep up Valley we live in) starts all over after all this work ! And it's quite possible the replacement could be another Salicina !


Now I am feeling bad for harping on the tree. It didn't decide to come from Australia to Arizona. Somebody realized they were easy to grow, fast growing, and inexpensive. ($$) This is similar to what seems to have been a Eucalyptus craze in the eighties. And the more current Sissoo over-use :)

I will end with some pro's: fast growing, beautiful weeping look, great for farms or riversides, especially in Australia :) See, isn't that better !



Adam Bruce

PS - I don't want to be cynical often in this blog, but this has been bothering me for about a decade. Please hire a professional to help you select trees and locations, it makes a big difference for all of our futures.

PSS - Another culprit with strikingly similar issues is the Chilean Mesquite (there are many types of Mesquites that grow well here and are reliable, it's just this particular one and it's over-use that is many times a true waste of resources)

Phoenix landscape design Scottsdale landscape design Chandler landscape design

Arizona Landscaping; Some Very Special Caciti/Succulents

In this one picture, a lot of the different textures, shapes, and colors available to an Arizona landscape designer are shown. Let me 1st tell you what all is pictured above, from nearest to furthest away with a short description and then I will rant about it a little:

1 - Left corner Aloe, a "Blue Elf" I think (just the tips are shown) - dark and light green contrast, flowers orange/yellow at the tips of interesting "stalks".

2 - Next to the right is the Agave Parryi (such a useful Agave in designs) provides an almost perfectly symmetrical shape and, as you can see, brilliant (and year round :) blue color.

3 -Next to the right - the fuzzy looking vertical ones - Cleistocactus strausii or "Silver Torch". Again, provides year round color (white of course), beautiful pink flowers in the spring, and an a unique shape and texture as well.

4- Behind the Silver Torch is an Argentine Giant. They have an AMAZING flower in the spring that makes everyone drop their jaw ... everytime. There is a picture in our potrfolio of the Trico Cereus, which is quite similar

5 - To the far left you have the native Ferocactus wislizeni or Fishhook Barrel. With its red "hooks" and yellow fruit, round shape AND orangish flowers. Yes, it brings a lot to the landscape.

6- In the background you have the Green Desert Spoon (wispy one), a Purple Prickly Pear, and some more Agave.

So... the point I am trying to make here is that there is plenty of character, color, texture and style to create a really beautiful, diverse landscape using all cacti/succulents whilst NOT using all the water from the Colorado River to grow a few Hibiscus or Ficus that will freeze and need replacing/ heavy trimming like this year (I am not anti-Hibiscus or totally against using tropical plants here and there. I even have large Ficus that was already there when I bought my house. Just using those as a comparisons)

Guess how much trimming the above grouping of cacti need? Zero. Water? Minimal to None once established. This means no dump trips, no waste, a lot less money/time, fuel etc etc. They also gain consistent, real VALUE and character for the landscape as they mature.

Also, these are all pretty slow growing varieties that don't really ever get to big to control. If the Prickly Pear or Aloe gets a little big for the space, you can cut a piece off and RE-USE it somewhere else, or give it as a gift to your favorite sister or something. Pretty awesome right !

If your interpretation of "Arizona Landscaping" is what you see at Sky Harbor airport, or in the medians.... Please go to Arizona Cactus Sales and look around or call us to design something special just for you. The more I learn about Cacti, the more I fascinated I become.



Adam

Publish Post

Landscape Lighting/Saguaro/ Fountain Hills

This Fountain Hills landscape was recently designed and installed by Ultimate Landscapes. The landscape lighting really turned out great. (Especially because this home is in Fountain Hills and it's darker at night!) We planted to the large, specimen Saguaro pictured above along with many other unique cacti and succulents. To find that particular Saguaro, the homeowner and I met at a salvage yard in Phoenix. This one struck both of us immediately, I think the homewoner experienced "love at 1st sight" even :)


Above is pictured a slate sidewalk and porch. This front area has a pretty strong slope (hard to see in the pic) and after racking our brains, we came up with this little nook instead of doing a retaining wall. It now blends in and looks like it was there all along.

The lighting pictured is all manufactured by FX Luminaire. Unlike plastic / metal kit lighting, the FX system is comprised of architectural grade components engineered to be specified and installed by professionals. The effects shown on this page cannot be performed with “kit” lighting. There is a big difference. These lights will usually go 10-20 years without much maintenance other than the occasional bulb change. They cost ~$120 per fixture installed are well worth it.

Adam

OLIVE OIL IN ARIZONA ?

"Why, YES, of course!" says Queen creek Olive Mill. And now I am hoping to get on board. You see I have an Olive tree that I absolutely love, however, I have always seen the actual olives as either: 1. a mess OR 2. a cost to spray so the tree does not produce olives. After learning to make Spanish Tortilla from my brother (long story) and picking up on the passion of good Olive Oil and cooking from a dear friend, I gained a whole new and long overdue appreciation for Olives. So I wondered, "What can I do with all these Olives? There must be SOMETHING!" I started to research to learn about what type of Olive tree I had and what purpose the fruit could serve. I had a tough time finding any good info. Even the all powerful google didn't seem to know. Then I remembered a nice visit to the Queen Creek Olive Mill this year for lunch. I had a great time there sampling wine and olive oil. I was truly just reveling in the fact that a local business here in Phoenix was actually producing foods all itself and promoting sustainable farming, etc. In my travels I had seen many places like this but never here in my own town!
OK, I am beginning to ramble. Just check it out. I will be trying to have them press my olives this year and I guess they split the oil with you. Exiting. No mess, an nice excuse to be outside in the yard, AND a really great holiday cooking bonus! Happy Holidays!

Adam

PS: ON a landscaping note, Olive trees are no less than AMAZING. Very clean (you can get fruitless Olives too), very nice, versatile style, low water, easy to maintain, totally reliable, and..... get this.... they can lived over a thousand years old, needing less and less water as they mature. Planting them is really, really good for the future of this valley ! Why they are not used more by cities, homeowners , and businesses always surprises me. (I must add, that there are some allergy issues, so look into that before planting)

Arizona "Fall" And Outdoor Living

If one can create a good environment, sitting outside in Arizona in late October can be very, very comfortable. Things somehow even seem a bit more quiet now that we are not baking in the concrete oven. The pool that was attractive in May has been long off the radar since late August when "taking a warm bath" didn't seem all that appealing. So now its the the patios, the fire pit, and, especially, the plants that will draw us into enjoying the landscape. Even though they do fine in the summer, many of the more tropical plants are starting to seem more relaxed or something. Like they too understand the relief and celebration of the "end of summer" here in the desert. This Sago Palm (Cycas Revoluta) has the right idea. "Ah. . . . . . ."

One of my favorite trees, the Tipuana Tipu

The Tipu Tree is easily one of my favorite trees to plant in Arizona. Besides being about the fastest growing tree I have ever seen, the Tipu has a very unique shape and structure. It can blend in nicely with a desert landscape or even compliment a sub-tropical landscape. It is important to know that with any fast growing tree such as Tipu, Sissoo, Mesquite, and Acacia, the proper maintenance of the tree's structure is essential. This is especially important during the 1st few years when the main branches are easily accessable and the ground work is being layed out for the long term shape of the tree. I once planted a 24" box Tipu for a client (7 ft tall, 3 ft wide canopy) and with good watering and care, I watched that tree become a huge assest to the landscape in about 2 years when it reached about 20 ft high and 15 ft wide. These trees continue to amaze me.

Vibrant Desert Landscape Design

This Scottsdale Landscape Design completed by Ultimate Landscapes in the summer of 2008 shows the power of multiple textures, colors, and shapes in the landscape. The plants range from desert to sub-tropical and the goal was certainly to create a unique desert landscape - but a bit more lush and tropical looking. This landscape is very low water use and low maintenance as well.

The rock/ground finish used is called 1/4" minus "Madison Gold." The boulders are real, collected surface boulders that were built into the natural flagstone walkway. The landscape lighting fixtures are "Sedona Brown" in color and made by FX Luminaire. "Saguaro Pettite" is the style of the path lights used.

Some Plants pictured above: Aloe Striata (foreground, right side), Totem Pole Cactus (small "knobby" green cactus in the middle), Bougainvillea (bright pink in the background, right), Yucca Aliofolia (straight center), Twisted Myrtle (right side, dark green) Angelita Daisy (small, yellow flowers). These are all some personal favorites of ours.

Thanks to the homeowner and the crew! I can't wait to see this beautiful landscape thrive and mature for years to come.

Adam Bruce
Ultimate Landscapes
"Family Owned and Operated"