Do NOT plant a Sissoo tree whatever you do!!! (popular in Phoenix area) (landscaping, live)

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

Didn't know Sissoo had these problems, thanks for the heads up, as it was a tree I was considering for the new house. Guess not anymore.

A nice tree you might consider for your new house is the southern live oak. I have one and I neglected it for years - no water - but it was still alive. So last year I pruned the dead branches and put it on the irrigation and it is just gorgeous now. It has very dark evergreen leaves, makes good shade and does not seem to litter very much. It does sucker but the suckers are all near the base and easy to keep down. I kind of wish I had planted one instead of my sissoo, but I like that too and it grows so very fast compared to the oak. My sissoo is 20 feet high and as wide in about 3-4 years.

[Finger Laker]

Good information as I too really liked the shade the trees put out

Anyone have any experience with Chinese Elm?

[HX_Guy]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

A nice tree you might consider for your new house is the southern live oak. I have one and I neglected it for years - no water - but it was still alive. So last year I pruned the dead branches and put it on the irrigation and it is just gorgeous now. It has very dark evergreen leaves, makes good shade and does not seem to litter very much. It does sucker but the suckers are all near the base and easy to keep down. I kind of wish I had planted one instead of my sissoo, but I like that too and it grows so very fast compared to the oak. My sissoo is 20 feet high and as wide in about 3-4 years.

I know those are popular but I personally don't like how dark the leaves are, they are too dark green in my opinion. My favorite is still the Fan Tex Ash.

[AZgarden]

OP, one of my sissoo trees is about 8 years old and gets no water at all. And it does just fine. The other Sissoo is in the middle of grass and only gets "sprinkled" with the grass and is fine also. Maybe you could try shutting off the water to the tree and see what happens?

[LBTRS]

We have a bunch of live oak in our neighborhood and a couple things I've noticed is that they are very slow growing and don't look much larger than when they were put in 5 years ago. They all still have their stakes holding them up against the wind.

Also, they drop a ton of acorns at certain times of the year. The sidewalks are covered in acorns and I'd not want that in my yard.

I had two Chinese Elm's put in my front yard when we moved in. One of them was blown over and killed in a windstorm (a really bad storm) and the other one is doing great. Only problem is that they lose all their leaves once a year so you'll have the mess to deal with and a bare tree for the winter.

We replaced the Chinese Elm that blew over with a Brazilian Pepper tree and so far so good, it doesn't lose any leaves and is growing great. Not very old yet so can't comment on the long term of it.

[HX_Guy]

All trees lose their leaves, it's just a matter of if they lose them all at once or slowly throughout the year. We had a Ficus at the old house and there was always a mess under the tree...not a big mess, but it would accumulate throughout the week until the landscapers came, definitely noticeable. I actually prefer a deciduous tree now, it loses all it's leaves in a week or two and then it's clean the rest of the year.

[LBTRS]

So far our Brazilian pepper tree hasn't lost any leaves, not quite a year since planting it so maybe it will at some point but it kept them all winter and there are never any leaves under it.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

All trees lose their leaves, it's just a matter of if they lose them all at once or slowly throughout the year. We had a Ficus at the old house and there was always a mess under the tree...not a big mess, but it would accumulate throughout the week until the landscapers came, definitely noticeable. I actually prefer a deciduous tree now, it loses all it's leaves in a week or two and then it's clean the rest of the year.

I have a china berry tree that was here when I moved in. The realtor told me how awful it was and suggested I cut it down. I did not and it is like what you describe. All the leaves come down in a week. The hard berries fall off in spring. Other than that it is a very clean tree with great shade. It struggles though in June and gets burned. I saw a huge one once down in Tombstone. The heat here just seems to limit mine. In the old neighborhoods you also see a really nice deciduous shade tree that most HOAs ban - the mulberry. My MIL had a really huge one in her yard in Maryvale.

[HX_Guy]

Love Mulberry trees...used to eat the berries when I was a kid back in Romania and I've even gone down on Central Ave a couple times and picked some off the trees that are long the road, yummy stuff.

[wit-nit]

Male mulberry trees have been banned by the City of Phoenix and other areas due to their high pollen count. They are also considered as high water users and very messy.
Female mulberry trees drop a lot of fruit and are considered very messy. Very few, if any, Nurseries sell these trees anymore in AZ. Have you ever seen any of these trees in the older residential sections where they are butcher pruned every year and all those unsightly knots.
All trees have their plusses and minuses. It's a matter of what you like and what is allowed that you make a personal decision on. Everyone has a different opinion on their trees. But before you buy and plant any be sure to look up the characteristics and maintenance of the tree and see if it fits your needs.