As a Landscape Pro, your customers turn to you to recommend trees for the Bay Area that will make their landscapes beautiful, green, and sustainable.
With so many choices, it can sometimes be hard to choose the right tree to meet the unique requirements of your project.
To help you with the challenge of selecting the right trees for the Bay Area, we have assembled a great group of beautiful specimens that many residents have fallen in love with. Our list includes trees with these attributes:
With so many choices, it can sometimes be hard to choose the right tree to meet the unique requirements of your project.
To help you with the challenge of selecting the right trees for the Bay Area, we have assembled a great group of beautiful specimens that many residents have fallen in love with. Our list includes trees with these attributes:
- | Do well in Bay Area microclimates
- | Grow well in specific conditions or location
A tree-friendly environment like no other
The Bay Area has a unique, highly-desirable Mediterranean climate that includes many micro-climates. This diverse environment presents an opportunity to plant a wide variety of trees that are both familiar and less common which will tolerate a wide range of conditions.It’s important to recognize all factors that can affect a tree in the location that you’re considering including:
- | Space—Between other trees + structures
- | Competition— Proximity to other trees reaching for air + light
- | Grade—Slope of landscape affecting drainage + access to nutrients
- | Soil—Composition compatible for growth
- | Wind—Potential stress for development
- | Sun—Right exposure for health + disease prevention
- | Water—Volume + frequency
- | Care—Sustained maintenance, fertilizing + pruning for long-life
It’s always better to choose a tree that aligns with the requirements of the location as it matures. Relying on excessive pruning to force-fit a tree into a challenging location can be a disaster.
Trees for the Bay Area that clients love
With the help of some experienced and talented Bay Area Landscape Pros, we’ve assembled a group of a dozen trees with unique qualities that their clients fall in love with. We recommend that these trees for the Bay Area be considered as “standards” | single trunk specimens.
Metrosideros excelsus
Common name | New Zealand Christmas Tree
Metrosideros excelsus is a great tree solution for a privacy screen. It grows very quickly and features beautiful, crimson, brush-like flowers that attract hummingbirds and bees and appear in fall. It is relatively deer-proof and drought resistant. The opaque-colored grayish leaves make the surrounding foliage of the other plants really pop. With a spreading, dome-like form, it is able to thrive in poor rocky soil and steep grades. Available in both a ‘standard’ and multi-trunked spreading tree form, it works well in salt air along the coast and on the SF Peninsula.
“As a multi with a little thinning out, Metrosideros excelsus looks incredible at night with low-voltage lighting.”
Michael Moore | Masterpiece Gardens
Arbutus Marina
Common name | Marina Strawberry Tree
Arbutus Marina is one of our favorite medium-sized, evergreen trees for the Bay Area. It grows to 50′ tall with a broad dense crown. Growth causes the older bark to peel away from the trunk and branches revealing the beautiful shiny red new bark underneath. The pendulous clusters of urn-shaped white-blushed-pink flowers are produced year-round along the coast with peaks in spring and fall.
The flowers are followed by red gritty fruit that is edible but not very tasty. Plant in full to part day sun. It’s drought tolerant but looks best with occasional summer watering. It will be challenged in compacted soils such as DG. It can also be a bit messy as flowers, fruit, spent inflorescences, twigs, and bark drop year-round. Consider installing with easy access for cleaning up debris. If you’re looking for great trees for the Bay Area, this is one of the best.
The flowers are followed by red gritty fruit that is edible but not very tasty. Plant in full to part day sun. It’s drought tolerant but looks best with occasional summer watering. It will be challenged in compacted soils such as DG. It can also be a bit messy as flowers, fruit, spent inflorescences, twigs, and bark drop year-round. Consider installing with easy access for cleaning up debris. If you’re looking for great trees for the Bay Area, this is one of the best.
“Arbutus marina is one of our favorite medium-sized, evergreen trees for the Bay Area.”
Eric Rosen | Arborist Now
Hymenosporum flavum
Common name | Sweet Shade
Hymenosporum flavum is a slender evergreen tree that grows to 40′ with light gray bark and shiny green leaves that form clusters at the ends of the branches. The fragrant flowers bloom spring into early summer.
Plant it in full sun to light shade with deep, infrequent watering. As a native from New South Wales in Australia, it’s appropriate for areas where a narrow upright tree is needed. It can also easily be maintained and pruned to have a tidy form.
Plant it in full sun to light shade with deep, infrequent watering. As a native from New South Wales in Australia, it’s appropriate for areas where a narrow upright tree is needed. It can also easily be maintained and pruned to have a tidy form.
Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’
CA Native Common name | California Lilac
Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman, originally selected as Ceanothus ‘Blue Sky’, is one of my favorite evergreen specimens for coastal installations. I planted one in my garden over five years ago and it has bloomed almost continuously since it was installed. The blue flowers are lightly fragrant, great honey bee attractors, and really sparkle against the dark green abundant foliage. It can require staking and maintenance to support it until it’s well established. Thinning in the autumn helps to prevent winter wind damage.
With its naturally twisted trunk and branching habits, it makes a great specimen for night lighting—especially downlighting over a path. It’s also very drought tolerant and fairly pest-free. As a CA native, it can grow to 15′ and does well in heavy soils or sand with an upright form. It can also be trained as a single trunk standard or low branched to work as a very effective hedge.
With its naturally twisted trunk and branching habits, it makes a great specimen for night lighting—especially downlighting over a path. It’s also very drought tolerant and fairly pest-free. As a CA native, it can grow to 15′ and does well in heavy soils or sand with an upright form. It can also be trained as a single trunk standard or low branched to work as a very effective hedge.
“The striking blue flowers of Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ are great honey bee attractors and really sparkle against the dark green foliage.”
Ken Coverdell | Blue Sky Designs
Pittosporum undulatum
Common name | Victorian Box or Mock Orange
Pittosporum undulatum is an evergreen tree and shrub that grows to about 40′ tall in a pyramidal form. It features dark green leaves with distinct wavy edges. Several months after abundant fragrant flowering in spring or early summer, small berries turn orange on woody fruit that attracts birds. This handsome plant prefers sun or part shade, little water, and is quite summer-dry tollerant once established. It is also an excellent fire-safe plant for a privacy screen hedge or windbreak. Sometimes known as Sweet Pittosporum, Victorian Box or Mock Orange, this fast-grower will perform well in many Bay Area landsacpes.
Tristania laurina
Common name | Water Gum
As a native to Australia, Tristania laurina performs well near the coast and along the banks of streams. Often, its trunks and branches tend to be shaped in the direction of a water current. It’s a slow grower and usually reaches between 15—30′ tall. It is often multi-branched and can be pruned to maintain a compact shape.
Flowers are bright yellow and have a distinctive scent that is attractive to bees. It usually blooms in the late spring or early summer. This beauty is an excellent choice for a medium-scale evergreen tree.
Flowers are bright yellow and have a distinctive scent that is attractive to bees. It usually blooms in the late spring or early summer. This beauty is an excellent choice for a medium-scale evergreen tree.
Parrotia persica
Common name | Persian pear
Parrotia persica is a deciduous tree that we use on the coast when we want beautiful light green leaves in the spring, the widest possible range of autumn leaf color, interesting branching habit in the winter, and fairly wind resistant dark green textural foliage in the summer. We do not put them in gardens right on the ocean or indirect winds. We use standards in some installations but prefer multi-trunked specimens for accents in the garden.
The Persian pear is somewhat dry tolerant, but it does need seasonal watering. This is a fairly pest-free tree. Autumn leaves are spectacular, even on the coast. It can grow to 40′ and as it matures, the bark exfoliates to patches of green, tan, and white. This beauty prefers full sun and likes acidic soil that’s moist and well-drained.
The Persian pear is somewhat dry tolerant, but it does need seasonal watering. This is a fairly pest-free tree. Autumn leaves are spectacular, even on the coast. It can grow to 40′ and as it matures, the bark exfoliates to patches of green, tan, and white. This beauty prefers full sun and likes acidic soil that’s moist and well-drained.
“Parrotia persica is a somewhat dry tolerant tree that we use on the coast when we want beautiful light green leaves in the spring and spectacular autumn leaf color.”
Ken Coverdell | Blue Sky Designs
Ginkgo biloba
Common name | Maidenhair Tree
As one of our favorite trees for the Bay Area, Ginkgo biloba is also one of the oldest trees in existence. It features a broad symmetrical crown and can often be found in urban landscapes and many public spaces because it has virtually no insect or disease weaknesses. This eye-catching tree has distinctive foliage with parallel venation in the unique fan-shaped leaves with a spur attachment point. In the fall, these iconic leaves turn a brilliant, stunning yellow, and drop in unison. The result is an easy cleanup. Since the tree is dioecious, with male and female reproductive organs in separate trees, it’s important to choose a cultivar such as ‘Princeton Sentry’ or ‘Autumn Gold’. These varieties don’t have the smelly fruit of the female tree.
“In the fall, the iconic leaves of Ginkgo biloba turn a brilliant, stunning yellow and leaf drop is almost instant.”
Mark Morgan | Davey Tree
Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’
Common name | Columnar Red Maple
Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’ is my new favorite City tree. Its distinctive conical shape is optimized to fit tight urban spaces and small back yards while still attaining reasonable height. As a deciduous tree, it grows quickly to 45′ with moderate to regular water. It prefers full sun and will tolerate heavy soil.
The classic, maple green, palmate leaves turn vivid orange-red in the fall. And for our Bay Area clients from the east coast, this beauty reminds them of the deciduous fall colors of the season.
The classic, maple green, palmate leaves turn vivid orange-red in the fall. And for our Bay Area clients from the east coast, this beauty reminds them of the deciduous fall colors of the season.
“The distinctive conical shape of Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’ is optimized to fit tight urban spaces and small back yards.”
Remy Hummer | Arbor Upcycle
Laurus nobilis ‘Saratoga’
Common name | Saratoga Bay Laurel
Laurus nobillis ‘Saratoga’ is a favorite evergreen tree for coastal installations. It’s extremely wind-tolerant with dense, waxy, leathery, and dark-green foliage that’s useful for cooking. It’s also very summer-dry tolerant when established and the fragrant foliage works particulary well for screening or as a wind barrier. This hard-working tree has interesting golden blooms and dark seed pods, yet it’s not very messy. It retains foliage well, performs best in cool coastal sun or partial shade, and it prefers little water. This tree can add interest to Bay Area landscapes with a well-structured form.
“Laurus nobilis Saratoga can provide year-round interest as an evergreen tree that stays relatively small. It features a generous display of small, pale yellow flowers in late winter and early spring and it’s an excellent choice for screening or as a wind barrier.”
Ken Coverdell | Blue Sky Designs
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Common name | Paper Bark Tea Tree
Melaleuca quinquenervia is a small to medium-sized tree that grows to 30–50′ high. Young growth is hairy with long and short, soft hair. The leaves are arranged alternately and are flat, leathery, lance-shaped in dull grey-green color. The flowers are arranged in spikes on the ends of branches which continue to grow after flowering.
It blooms from spring to early autumn and is followed by fruit which is woody, cylindrical capsules. What is especially interesting about this tree is the unusual, light-colored bark that splits and spreads with growth revealing the new bark beneath peeling layers of older bark.
It blooms from spring to early autumn and is followed by fruit which is woody, cylindrical capsules. What is especially interesting about this tree is the unusual, light-colored bark that splits and spreads with growth revealing the new bark beneath peeling layers of older bark.
“If space permits, Melaleuca quinquenervia is one of my first choices for a beautiful tree to plant.”
Jean Claude Rochat | Arborist Now
Lagunaria patersonia
Common name | Primrose Tree
Lagunaria patersonia is a fast-growing, evergreen tree to 30′ tall. It bears beautiful, star-shaped, pinkish-white flowers that bloom in the summer and last thru fall. It can thrive in a variety of soils and requires little to no water once established. Originally from the Australia region, it performs best in full sun but tolerates part-day sun too. This attractive tree is well suited to coastal conditions and is a reliable performer in Bay Area landscapes.
“My go-to tree lately has been Lagunaria patersonia with beautiful, star-shaped, pinkish-white flowers that bloom from summer into fall.”
Paul Spencer | I can Dig it Landscape
Helping Landscape Pros with trees for the Bay Area since 1869
If you’re looking for some great, tree solutions for your next project, we’ve got you covered. As both a grower and a plant broker, we’re ready to work with you to provide just the right trees and CA native, water-wise plants that will make your project a success.It’s one of the many qualities that has made us different from just an ordinary nursery for over 155 years. To get a plant material Estimate or to place an Order, just click on over to use our ONLINE ESTIMATE | ORDER FORM.Share your favorite trees for the Bay Area
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As the Founder of Pacific Nurseries, Don Baldocchi gets satisfaction from knowing the Bay Area is greener and more beautiful by helping landscape professionals succeed. Email Don or give him a call at 650.755.2330.
