Suggestions for fruit/shade tree

We're looking for a non-deciduous tree we can plant next to our stream to screen the afternoon sun from a bench. The site is in shade of pine trees in the a.m., then in full sun the rest of the day.

We're thinking of a fruit tree because I'm allergic to so many 'regular' shade trees. We realize there will be some dropping leaves, buds, etc., but obviously would like to keep it to a minimum because of the stream. If the fruit is only good for the birds, that's fine. I suggested a trellis with a vine or similar, but DH is adamant about wanting a tree. What's a girl to do?

Any ideas?

Kathleen

The only fruit trees I can think of that aren't deciduous are Citrus which ought to work in San Diego. I am just not sure they would work in the Shade. You could try a banana tree, such as musa basjoo. For citrus, you could grow orange, tangerine, lemon, lime or grapefruit. You could grow avocado, but again, I think they might not tolerate shade and they do eventually get quite tall, as I recall.
Small magnolias like Sweet Bay or others ( see Forest Farm for a selection) are often evergreen and bear no fruit and often have lovely flowers. They also like some shade. Just don't buy one of the 90 ft. tall ones.
http://forestfarm.com/search/search.asp?aPage=1&index=common&field-keywords=Magnolia&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

Thanks for the reply. I have worked my way around to citrus and I'm looking for a variety that will grow in our conditions. Height is not an issue, as the location is not near the house. We've been wanting to plant citrus anyway, so perhaps this will work for one tree, at least.

I'm afraid magnolia would look out of place in our rather rough looking landscape, but I do love them.

We have chokecherries all over in our town. I've seen them in sun and shade. They are not real big and the birds like the chokecherris. DM

Thanks, DM.

there are some sort of rough looking native magnolias - the big leaf and cucumber magnolia. The cucumber is great because you can sit under it when it rains and you don't get wet. Their blossoms are sort of characatures (sp) of Magnolia Grandifloria. They are native to the humid s.e. though, an avacado might do better in San Diego. The big guatamalean type has an interesting fruit and leaf.

The evergreen magnolias are medium on the allergy scale, so that's good.
The big-leaf/cucumber is deciduous http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/80566/, which won't work because we want to shade the bench in winter, also. Love the leaves, though!

I'll look through the others and see if I find something that fits. Thanks for the idea.

Back to looking at cherries again. There is a native cherry that's very nice Prunus "lyonii" - but I'm wondering how it would look trimmed up so we can walk under it? Not a lot of photos around. And would we be getting hit with cherries all the time? lol Otherwise, it's a good choice - I'm sure the birds would love it.

An evergreen cherry? The cherries that Ive seen pretty much all come at the same time. If you get in there and pick them, they don't make that much of a mess. Getting bonked with a cherry shouldn't do to much harm. How about some of the sasanqua camellias. They get pretty tall, and they do great in San Diego.

There used to be an old Japanese Garden at the back of Balboa Park (1960-70) that was planted about 1909 for a World's Fair Exhibition. There were some camellias in there that were really big.

If you can go for a woody vine with fruit, there is the kiwi.

Gloria, not so worried about getting hurt by the cherries, just the mess. :-) I'll ask about the fruiting habits. DH now tells me he wants something 30ft tall and 20ft wide. This is optimum for the native cherry, but no telling if it will achieve this.

I tried to interest him in an arbor and vine, but he won't have it. Simple (and good) solution won't do! I would love to have kiwis.

How about a Kwanzan or one of the white Japanese cherry trees. See:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011_species.html
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/558717399qBhUJk

These trees have no fruits and are happy in very warm climates like Tokyo. They are deciduous but they bloom very early in the spring and keep their leaves well into the fall. Their blossoms are absolutely magnificent. The pink ones we see at the tidal basin in Washington, DC in the spring, and are a sight that is completely unforgettable.

It is also possible to get a weeping cherry tree which has no cherries, but I know less about them except that they are very beautiful.

I agree with the person who recommended Camellia sasanqua and I would add Camelia Japonica. They do grow well in California and produce magnificent flowers and no fruit. They are evergreen and in time can be pruned into a tree. A truly magnificent evergreen.



This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 5:51 PM

You could plant a nonfruiting tree that you like and plant current bushes around or near it.