Do consider the need for shade when installing a succulent garden, especially if you---like me---live in a hot, dry region of the Southwest where winter frost is also a concern. Tree canopies moderate temperature extremes and create the dappled sunshine succulents love.
Dappled shade enhances my garden's succulent sitting area
Of course, not all succulents are the same. Twenty or more miles inland from the ocean, graptopetalums, echeverias, kalanchoes, small aloes, and aeoniums do best as understory plants. Same goes for succulents that are crested or variegated. Others---especially those native to the Americas (cacti, dasylirions, beaucarneas, yuccas, and agaves)---are usually fine out in the open.
Aeoniums thrive beneath Texas privets trimmed to show their branching structure
You and your family, guests and pets benefit from dappled shade, too. Trees create a sense of sanctuary, make sitting areas inviting, and frame views. Because they take years to mature, it's smart to get trees in the ground ASAP.
Can't plant trees or don't want to wait?
Alternatives include sun sails, patio umbrellas, pergolas and other free-standing shade structures. (Affiliate links). Also keep in mind that trees that you can see from your yard serve as "borrowed landscape." They provide greenery and focal points that can beautifully extend your garden beyond its boundaries.
Unfortunately no tree is perfect
All trees have pros and cons. Consider: every leaf and flower eventually dies and falls to the ground. The plus side is mulch; the downside, mess and maintenance. Mature trees need trimming every three to six years to remove dead, crossed or downward limbs; to enhance air circulation; and to show off their branching structure. This last is "lacing."
Those shadows! At upper right is a recently laced Acacia baileyana. The oak at center is borrowed landscaping.
"Topping" a tree---a quick way to gain a view---is unnatural and (ironically) can cause denser regrowth. It makes me crazy how, in a matter of seconds, a chainsaw-wielding chimpanzee can transform a tree from overgrown to awful. But really, isn't it we homeowners who should know better?
Your personal park
One joy of getting older is that trees you planted decades ago now tower overhead. During the past year, I had the largest ones on my half-acre professionally pruned: two acacias, two oaks and a podocarpus.
View from the deck: coast live oak on right, podocarpus on right. The oak was about a third that size when we moved here 33 years ago. It had survived a wildfire, and had a large scar that slowly healed over the ensuing decade.
Pleased with how the garden looks, I took the photos above to show you. Compare them to others of my garden here on my site and on my YouTube channel, and I think you'll agree the difference is striking. Trees lend a sense of grandeur and lots of green. Having a personal park makes me wonder: Exactly why do I need succulents? (Don't quote me.)
My "tree guy"
Tree trimming specialist Jesus Leon
If you live in San Diego's North County, do call Leon Tree Service. I've known the family for decades. When he was 7, I asked Jesus Jr. (above) to climb my live oak to retrieve a toy airplane...and look...now he climbs trees for a living! (Should I take credit?) Jesus ("Hay-soos") laces like an artist, keeping trees' health and potential in mind. He doesn't trim if the time of year isn't right, and he knows how a pruned tree will look months---even years---afterwards. No disclaimer needed; I'm not compensated for this. It simply makes me happy to share Jesus with you.
Considering queen palms? Uh...
In my recent video about Arizona gardens, I mention that palms are good around pools and water features. I should have known better than to recommend trees I don't grow myself and have only a passing acquaintance with. A Phoenix viewer set me straight:
>I am no palm expert, but I can tell you from sad experience that Queen Palms are "low litter" only when properly maintained (that is, trimmed annually to remove the seed pods before they open and flower). If they are not properly managed, they will DUMP flowers (which the wind carries everywhere!), tiny baby seeds (that get into your mulch, top dressing and potted plants and are a right pain in the behind to pick out!) hard, green, grape-sized older seeds (that smart when they fall and hit you on the head, grr!), and ripe orange "berries"(which draw rats, ick!) all over the place. If you don't stay on top of sweeping or vacuuming them up promptly, they will burrow into the soil (even through a lawn!) and sprout! Seriously, if you can't keep up with the annual maintenance, I do NOT recommend planting these anywhere near a water feature, or anyplace else you want to keep clean and tidy!<<
My reply:
>Hi Janet -- Thank you for your valuable perspective. It goes to show, any plant---especially a tree---is potentially a nuisance in the wrong spot. It's also my observation, having lived for 3+ decades with over a dozen different kinds of trees---ranging from edible (citrus) to native (oaks) to ornamental (acacias, palo verdes, yuccas)---that each has benefits and drawbacks. Sometimes so much so that removal is the best option. Btw, I don't have queen palms, but I'm grateful for neighbors who do, because orioles that nest in the tall palms frequent my feeders. I placed pots of yellow jade nearby, and the color repetition is breathtaking. (I digress.)>>
What do you think?
Do you have a favorite landscape tree, or one you wish you'd never planted? Please tell us in the Comments!
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See Debra’s Idea-Filled Garden
Welcome to my site’s “Debra’s Garden” page. This is where you’ll find photos of plants in my half-acre succulent garden, as shown in my recently released, 15-min. video:” See My Idea-Filled Succulent Spring Garden.” The video came about as a result of my garden looking amazingly beautiful after a rainy April here
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