Conifers, Pines, Cypress....Oh My!

The Aleppo Pine is one of the largest trees growing in the city of Tucson next to the Eucalyptus tree. Many of our city parks utilize this giant in the landscape.  It provides lovely shade during the summer.

Ever get to a series of plants that just makes you....well....bored?  This would be the series that I wasn't looking forward to writing.  Mostly because they are overused and outgrow their spaces quickly.  On the East Side of town, they are quite common as it seems back in the 50's there was a trend for putting in gi-normous trees.  There is the little neighborhood of Winterhaven that utilizes this group of plants a lot.  To be honest, during Christmas, these trees make you believe that you are somewhere else and they do look cool.  I have experimented with many of them in some shape and form and if you have a hot dry area for these very large and dense plants, they will quickly take over and dominate your garden or yard space.  They add too much shade and take away from the outdoor fun of gardening. The plants that I'll share with you starting today will get large and love FULL sun.  Keep them away from too much water after they are established or you'll kill them quickly.  My issue with most of them was that I didn't give them enough sun PLUS they were outgrowing their spaces quickly. I also think that as they get older, they don't look as attractive.  Cypress also throws a lot of pollen into the air for allergy sufferers.  But I do get a lot of questions about these plants at the Gardens and so I'll introduce several of the major players here in Tucson.  Stay tuned for our first plant this afternoon.