Hello, Our beloved Victorian Box tree died due to fungus, and we are looking for a replacement tree. My wife saw the following tree at her work, and we would very much appreciate it if somebody could help us identify what tree this is. These trees are located in Southern California (Santa Monica). Thank you very much. Stefan P.S. What other trees would you recommend? We are in hardening zone 10, Sunset 22 and have lots of clay in the soil. The tree would get full sun and we want a dense shady canopy. Ideally we want a medium/fast growing tree that doesn't drop much fruit, etc., is resiliant to fungus and is available in 36" containers. THANK YOU!!!
I cannot say with any degree of certainty, but it could be one of the gum tree (eucalyptus) sorts. Well, if it flowers, we may be better able to identify it for you. It is a nice-looking tree, isn't it.
Santa Monica has a list of acceptable trees for public parking lots and other locations in their city. Your best bet would be to contact them with the location to see if they can ID it for you.
So sorry to hear that your tree died. You hate to loose such a big tree in ones yard. We have been dealing with the Ash tree bore which is kill off a lot of large mature Ash trees. No cure when they are so big. So cutting them down and burning the wood is the only option. We have a neighbor who decided to cut down all of his Ash trees on his property. It's like why? He said it was to keep the Ash bore from spreading. OK--we do not have Ash bores here at this time. So I do not understand his logic. If they spread over to our trees then we will cut them down. But not any sooner. You might want to check on getting a Linden tree. I just read an article that stated that their roots are pretty non invasive, their fast growing, and they can grow under some pretty dry conditions. Here they plant them along the city curb sides to help with cleaning the air. They aren't bothered by car pollution as are some other tress. The trees do have a small white blossom in the spring and smells really good. But the blossoms turn into a small fruit and that is shed later in the summer. So there is some clean up with them. I think it would be worth looking into. Happy tree hunting.
