Tips on Choosing Plants for Landscaping

This is one of many in a series on how to choose plants for your garden. Most of landscaping plants we recommend are considered deer resistant; the starred plants for landscaping have the added advantages of being drought tolerant and fire resistant as well.

TREES

Acacia bailyana - Mimosa. 20-30 ft. high, 20-40 ft. wide. Yellow flowers in midwinter. Evergreen.

Acer circiatum - Vine maple. 5-35 ft. high. Grows well in shade. Deciduous.

Acer palmatum - Japanese maple. To 20 feet high. Many varieties, some do well in shade. Deciduous.

Albizia julibrissin - Silk tree. To 40 feet, about as wide. Pink flowers in summer. Deciduous.

Arbutus unedo* - Strawberry tree. 8-35 ft and as wide. Red bark, attractive fruit and flowers. Evergreen.

Cercis occidentalis *- Western redbud. 20 ft high, 15 ft wide. Native, deciduous.

Dodonea - Hopseed bush. 12-15 ft. tall. Effective when trained as tree. Evergreen.

Sambucus* - Elderberry. To 30 ft. and as wide. Edible berries in summer. Deciduous.

Ficus nitida - Indian laurel. To 40 ft and as wide. Large glossy leaves. Evergreen.

Gingko bilob - Gingko. To 50 ft or more. Beautiful golden fall foliage. Deciduous.

Maytenus boaria - Mayten tree. To 40 feet, 20 feet wide. Like willow, but well mannered. Evergreen.

Metrosideros - New Zealand Christmas Tree. To 30 feet. Red flowers in early summer. Evergreen.

Myoporum laetum* - To 30 feet high, 20 feet wide. Very fast growing. Evergreen.

Olea* - Olive. To 25 ft. "Swan Hill" variety is non-fruiting. Evergreen.

Podocarpus gracilior - Fern pine. To 50 ft. Evergreen.

Schinus molle* - California pepper. 25-40 ft high, dense foliage, aromatic leaves. Evergreen.

VINES

Bougainvillea - Landscaping plant needs support to climb, or use in covering slopes. Brilliant color in summer. Evergreen.

Clematis - Beautiful flowers, lush foliage. Of the many varieties, texensis’ is most drought tolerant. Twining growth for arbors or trellis. Deciduous.

Ficus repens - Creeping fig. Landscaping plant used to cover eastern or northern exposure walls. Evergreen.

Gelsemiun sepmervirens - Carolina jessamine. Fragrant yellow flowers in late winter, early spring. Evergreen.

Hardengergia comptoniana - Lilac vine. Purple blooms in early spring, airy growth pattern. Evergreen.

Jasminum polyanthum - Jasmine. Fragrant blossoms, good choice for trellis in sunny area. Evergreen.

Pandorea pandorana - Wonga wonga vine. Flowering vine that grows well in sun or shade. Evergreen.

Solanum jasminoides - Potato vine. Fast growth, long blooming season. Evergreen.

Solanum rantonnetii - Nightshade. Periwinkle blue flowers. Use as vine, groundcover, or train as standard. Evergreen.

Trachelospermum jasminoides - Star jasmine. Fragrant, small white flowers. Needs support to climb, or let sprawl as ground cover. Evergreen.