[Arid_gardener] arizona ash too big for my yard, carolina laurel charry poisonous?

[Dick Gross]

Clair, since this tree will be a major fixture in your yard for a longtime, I suggest that you do a little more research so that you don't waste a lot of time you can't make up if your choices are regretable.

Spend a lot of time in commercial nurseries. If you spy a specimen that appeals to you, write down its name and and ask the nurseryman if he or she knows of a mature tree in the area. Go look at it. You will have to mentally visualize each specimen in place.

Drive up and down streets in older neighborhoods looking at landscapes. I still drive alleys to see what people have hidden. If you see something you like, knock on the door and ask the home owners about it. They will be pleased you did. If you have a digital camera, take lots of pictures. 

Take a close look at the City and State grounds where you can observe hundreds of mature specimens and novel landscaping.

Visit the resorts where great pride and care is taken to keep the grounds attractive to guests. Camelback Inn is great one. There are many others with marvelous landscaping. You can explore at will but don't lift any cuttings without permission. Treat your better half to lunch in their restuarant.

Don't overlook fruiting vines and trees. Most thrive in the Salt River Basin. Virtually any citrus is fluent here with minimal care. A whole bunch of subtropical fruits and vines love our climate. I have full side yards and front and back to bear witness. To name a few, banana, guava, carambola(star fruit) all citrus,  and many others can make your yard the neighborhood envy. I have a beautiful, thirty year old bearing mango in my front yard. 

Remember that employing prudent sculpturing with a sharp saw and pruning shears, you can use gentle persuasion to get a specimen to blend to your specific geography.

If I raise questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
University of Arizona Maricopa County
Cooperative Extension.



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Clair Spackman 
  To: arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu 
  Sent: Monday, October 16, 2006 3:48 PM
  Subject: [Arid_gardener] arizona ash too big for my yard,carolina laurel charry poisonous?


  I am finally putting in my backyard landscape and have researched trees over and over these past few weeks.  On Sunday I went to a nursery and they talked me into an Arizona Ash, not something I had considered or researched, but it looks like a tree (I'm English) but is a native which is fairly important to me.  The tree will go in my patio area.  I want a deciduous tree as its the south side of our house.  The space it has to go in is 12ft wide and 16ft deep before it spreads into neighbors yards.  Our house is 2 stories as is the one opposite however next door is one story as is the house directly behind us.  I am also looking for light shade in the summer as I will have raised planter beds around the edge of the yard and wish things to grow in them, i.e. not too heavy shade.  So I came home and looked up Arizona ash and find that several sites say its grows far bigger than the nursery said and now I'm worried I bought the wrong thing!  I was hoping to find a Mexican redbud but no-one had one.  

  Then I need a 2nd tree to shade/hide my AC units.  They suggested a Carolina laurel cherry which I preferred to a ficus as at least it flowers.  I asked if the cherries were a problem for my dog, they said no.  Then again on getting home and looking it up I find they are poisonous and many people say theya re a terrible tree because of volunteers.

  Should I cancel my order?  If so, what to buy instead?  

  Clair Thunes, PhD.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  Arid_gardener mailing list
  Arid_gardener at CALS.arizona.edu
  http://CALS.arizona.edu/mailman2/listinfo/arid_gardener
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://CALS.arizona.edu/pipermail/arid_gardener/attachments/20061018/a3480ad2/attachment-0001.html