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FWIW, big leaf magnolia (magnolia macrophylla is generally NOT evergreen). IF you are in the PNW (if you're not the madrone (arbutus menziesii) may not be a happy tree.
some other trees/large shrubs that can be trained as trees to possibly consider:
English laurel/prunus lauracerasus
Portugal laurel/p. lusitanica
Carolina cherry-laurel/p. caroliniana
holly oak/quercus ilex
canyon live oak/q. chrysolepis
Japanese live oak/q. myrsinifolia
silverleaf oak/q. hypoleucoides
wax myrtle (either the western myrica californica or the eastern m. cerifera
strawberry tree/arbutus unedo
"red neck rhododendron"/daphniphyllum macropodum
eucalyptus neglecta
photinia serratifolia (and p. x fraseri/"red tip" too often used as a hedge but makes a nice small tree)
viburnum tinus
v. rhytidophyllum
myrtlewood/umbellularia calfifornica
tanoak/lithocarpus densiflorus
henry tanoak/l. henryi (very rare but a wonderful tree with lush "tropical" looking foliage).
a good book on evergreen trees for a variety of areas is "trees for all seasons" by Sean Hogan.
FWIW, big leaf magnolia (magnolia macrophylla is generally NOT evergreen). IF you are in the PNW (if you're not the madrone (arbutus menziesii) may not be a happy tree.
some other trees/large shrubs that can be trained as trees to possibly consider:
English laurel/prunus lauracerasus
Portugal laurel/p. lusitanica
Carolina cherry-laurel/p. caroliniana
holly oak/quercus ilex
canyon live oak/q. chrysolepis
Japanese live oak/q. myrsinifolia
silverleaf oak/q. hypoleucoides
wax myrtle (either the western myrica californica or the eastern m. cerifera
strawberry tree/arbutus unedo
"red neck rhododendron"/daphniphyllum macropodum
eucalyptus neglecta
photinia serratifolia (and p. x fraseri/"red tip" too often used as a hedge but makes a nice small tree)
viburnum tinus
v. rhytidophyllum
myrtlewood/umbellularia calfifornica
tanoak/lithocarpus densiflorus
henry tanoak/l. henryi (very rare but a wonderful tree with lush "tropical" looking foliage).
a good book on evergreen trees for a variety of areas is "trees for all seasons" by Sean Hogan.
hope this helps.
for the sake of clarity, this (incomplete and tentative) list does not mean that all of them will do well wherever you are and anywhere on your property you choose to plant it. especially in the colder areas or microclimates of USDA zone 7 many "BLE'S" may benefit to a greater or lesser degree from being planted in a spot sheltered against cold winter winds or at least as small newly put in plants given some protection (mulching around the base of the plant, covering the entire plant temporarily) against really cold periods during their first couple of years.
some plants that really like a "west coast" zone 7 (wet winters but dry summers) like the madrones and strawberry trees or some western natives like lithocarpus densiflorus and canyon live and holly oak for example will probably not be happy in an "east coast" zone 8 (warm humid, moist summers). OTOH, the daphnophyllum, Carolina cherry-laurel, some forms of the English laurel (schipka for example), Japanese live oak (perhaps even some forms of the southern live oak/q. virginiana), the eastern wax myrtle and others either on or not on this list may be much more adaptable. the eastern native holly ilex opaca may be better for the east than the English holly I. aquifolium and so on.
FWIW, some folks in favorable microclimates and sometimes with protection in the worst winters have successfully grown palm trees like trachycarpus fortunei or sabal minor for a little extra exotic "pop" in their gardens.
yes, already mentioned the holm (or holly oak/quercus ilex) and strawberry tree/arbutus unedo (lovely plant!!!) in my initial response to the O.P. since the O.P. has yet to respond with more info for exactly where his "zone 7" is can't be sure if either of those species may be good doers for him---both can struggle and die growing on the east coast of the U.S. with it's warm wet summers but OTOH are suitable for the west coast of North America where summer conditions are generally different.
FWIW, box (buxus sempervirens) can indeed become a tree but it is very rarely used for that on this side of the pond and instead is used mainly for hedging (as it is of course often used in Europe and the U.K.).
hopefully, we will get more input from the O.P. that might make things more clear as to his growing conditions and other useful info so our individual and collective suggestions may be more appropriate for his needs and wants.
Thank you so much!
I live in a high desert, dry summer and wet winter.
the "high desert" (wherever that is as parts of central and eastern Oregon and Washington are called "high desert" and are in fact USDA 5 and 6 while parts of eastern California and Nevada are also called "high desert" aka "Mojave desert" in some parts and may be in USDA 7,8, or even 9) can have problems beyond potential cold winters. such areas often have a combination of winter wind and cold that can "freeze dry" unprotected evergreen foliage AND hot dry summers equally stressful to such plants. because of this might strongly suggest that you consider not only placing whatever evergreens you plant in a wind sheltered spot, mulching around the base of the plant to conserve soil moisture especially in the summer, AND regular/consistent watering during the summer (think planting in a lawn for some of them) or it's very possible that it MIGHT be the summer heat and drought that may damage or kill broad leaf evergreens in the area rather than the winters.
some plants to consider for the California/Nevada type deserts might include arbutus unedo, quercus ilex, q. emoryi, q. fusiformis, q. turbinella, q. reticulata, and q. virginiana, eucalyptus neglecta, e. gunnii, e. microtheca, viburnum tinus, vauquelinia californica, and pehaps also look at some of the "tree" yuccas like aloifolia, gloriosa, brevifolia, elata, recurvifolia ,rostrata, and rigida and the similar looking dasylirion and nolina species.
some good books to consult is "plants for dry climates" by Duffield and Jones, "landscape plants for dry regions" by Warren Jones, and the "sunset western garden book" (which generally regards the California/Nevada "high desert" as their zones 3, 10, and 11 as opposed to the USDA ratings).
Anybody knows about Eucalyptus pauciflora( snow gum) in the US? I remember saw them in the ski resort in Australia. It has to be one of the hardiest Eucalyptus.
Anybody knows about Eucalyptus pauciflora( snow gum) in the US? I remember saw them in the ski resort in Australia. It has to be one of the hardiest Eucalyptus.
pauciflora and it's sub-species niphophila (which is what you may have seen at the ski-resort) and duebuezvillei are regarded as among the cold-hardiest eucalyptus but their resistance to the hot, dry conditions of a Reno summer and the possible cold dry winds of a Reno winter is probably unknown. you might also try perrinniana, parvula, and archeri. I grow numerous eucalyptus species here on the Oregon coast and they are generally all extremely drought tolerant once established in our very dry (but very cool) summers but likely most all of them would be less happy/less drought tolerant/more tender in the stressful climate conditions of the Reno area. many of the broadleaf evergreens may do best with the shelter of being planted "in the lee side" of a building or other windbreak like a row of hardy trees (preferably evergreen themselves like pines) to keep away cold or hot drying winds.
you might try some of the native "desert mahoganies"/cercocarpus like c. montanus (betuloides) and c. ledifolius. you might look to see if there are local selections of the evergreen large shrubs arctostaphyllos patula and ceanothus velutinus that might work.
some of the 'non-desert" plants suggested may be sensitive to alkaline soils if you have them and show chlorosis.yellowing of the leaves and may require iron supplements in various forms to stay healthy and green. ALL the plants 'desert" or otherwise will need some to much watering their first couple of years in the ground. check with a GOOD nurseryperson or your local extension agent for more care instructions and potentially more ideas for plants.
good luck.
Last edited by georgeinbandonoregon; 01-21-2017 at 09:48 AM..
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