Exotic, and unique tree... what should I plant?

Hey guys,

I live in zone 10b in South Florida (Broward County). I have a patch of land that sits on a cul-de-sac in my neighborhood and I'd really like to plant a tree there.

There are some restrictions of course:

1 - It cannot be an edible fruit tree
2 - It cannot be poisonous
3 - It cannot get taller than 80 feet
4 - It should be fairly flexible and wind tolerant.


Can anyone think of some of the most unique and exotic (non-invasive) plants that I can plant on my cul-de-sac? Something that doesn't require a lot of raking would be nice too...



Thanks!!!

 

Hi their are numerous collector palms that would do nice their and that would not get that large,,and you wouldnt have to worry about leaves,,just my thoughts!! Take care-Jay.what i mean by collector is that you would be the only one in your area to have this palm,,so you wouldnt have to have the same old palm that so many people plant down in florida.youd be unique!!

 

Some have said that Paulownia Tomentoso is an invasive species of tree, but I have a seedling, and there is another older one in my yard also, and it was never invasive, they are beautiful, and can grow up to ten feet per year, they have beautiful purple blooms, but the blooms are quite messy, so you might not want it, but who knows, it might be the tree for you, check it out a www.dragontrees.com
Just a thought.
Good luck.

 

Hey Palmlover, I really like that idea. Are there any you would recommend? For what it's worth, I got my hand on some "Redneck" palms, so known for their red necks (as apposed to bright green). But I could NOT get any of them to germinate! What is the trick? I think I've pretty much wasted the seeds.

Any ideas on what I can grow?

Thanks Farrissophie, I actually have one of those plants on the side of my house. It's in the Paulownia family, but not the Tomentoso (I forget the name). It's visible from the cul-de-sac, but it did grow really fast. The only dissapointing thing is that the flowers never seem to grow very vibrant, and they fall off almost as soon as they appear. But the leaves are pretty spectacular. The leaves on mine are about a foot in diameter.




Thanks guys!!!

 

I'm not entirely sure what is "common" in Florida, so I'll assume Magnolias and Washingtonia Palms are dominant (like Guayaquil), and base my suggestions from there:

Phoenix canariensis comes to mind; it fruits but it's not really edible. As Palmlovur suggested, "collector" palms are also very suitable. I'd suggest something really rare and interesting, like Parajubea cocoides (again, technically edible, but it's nuts and it's too much work to bother eating them.) Conversely, a Morete palm is also very striking.

You could also probably start one of the tropical hardwoods, like a Cedron (Cedrela odorata) or one of the tree Crotons, like Sangre de Drago (C. lechleri) which forms a handsome tree with variegated bark. Everything I've mentioned thus far is evergreen. Sangre drops a few leaves, but not terribly and not all at once. I'm assuming that you want a longer-lived tree; in this case stay away from Balsa and Cecropia. They're lovely, but they only last about 20 years and they tend to have shallow root systems which makes them totally useless in a hurricane.

If you want something with amazing flowers and good wind resistance, try Delonix regia (flower pic below). Other trees with eye-catching flowers include the Sennas (some of which may be invasive in your area), and Tabebuia. Also, if it's not terribly common down there already, Jacaranda has lovely flowers and forms an attractive tree. So does Cinchona oficianalis.

You can also get away with things like Ensete ventricosum, which has the look of a banana tree, but gets taller, lasts a whole lot longer and does not produce fruits. Or for an evergreen of a different and striking sort, there is always the Parana Pine (Araucaria angustifolia), which is a type of Monkey Puzzle. A bit slower growing, but a very rewarding tree in the end. And finally, a really nifty tree that probably isn't growing in Florida is Clusia, which produces so-so flowers but really interesting fruit bracts.

Trees I've purposely not mentioned, like Plumeria, are lovely, but they're toxic so they don't meet your standards. Equally, trees like Cashew (one of my faves) are fruiters.

 

WOW!!! I really appreciate all of this! I'm going to look into all of these when I get home tonight. I really appreciate it. Those flowers are awesome!

 

Here's a question - it can't get over 80 feet period, or it can't get over 80 feet in your lifetime?

Here is why I ask: a Ceiba tree is beautiful and unique, and it won't go over 80 feet for about 100 years. However, science hasn't determined a height limit or maximum age for Ceiba; I have seen ones well over 200 feet down here, which were recorded by the original conquistadors and are still going strong.

Conversely, Ceibo won't get too tall, and have striking red flowers.