based on the pic provided... i just dont know ...

why did you plant EASTERN RB in z9 CA???

if not trained to tree form.. its probably not proper for a thin parking strip ... though i am not sure what you mean by that term ...

sprouting from the bottom.. usually means there is something going on above, and usually not good ... and thats why a pic might help ...

ken

"why did you plant EASTERN RB in z9 CA???"

Presumably because the 'dealer' was completely unaware of the existence of Western Redbud or the Judas Tree?

Depends on which look you like, single trunk or multiple. I tend to lean more to single. They should grow ok there.

For future, there is a native California redbud. The Texas Redbud is used more here (Tx)than the Eastern. It is slightly smaller but more heat and drought resistant.

I am sorry I asked, really. I wasn't looking for judgement about my tree choice. It was not really my choice, but the city that decides what you get to plant in your neighborhood. If they don't like your choice they pull it out and slap you with a fine, as happened to my next door neighbor. If you are lucky your planting is in their approved list and you only get fined for planting without a permit.

I asked the San Jose sidewalk tree planting officials for a different tree, multiple different trees in fact. It took nearly nine months for them to agree on their preferred trees for my site- I simply asked for small canopy, minimal shedding, deciduous trees. These trees are everywhere here, gardens, roadsides, even in municipal projects- often in the planting strip dividing wide shopping streets and major thoroughfares, as well as freeway margins etc. western redbud is not approved for street trees here. In fact these trees were provided by the city forestry nursery.

I have a windy street, small cut outs and wires 30' overhead so this tree, olive (I'm allergic to olive) arbutus (evergreen here), or crepe myrtle (sheds like crazy and subject to breakage by wind) were my only options. This was the least shedding tree, and with a busy walking sidewalk I thought it was the best of a bad lot. I wasn't going to plant gingko to go in the wires and get carved up by tree trimmers or pepper trees to drop limbs into the street like some of my neighbors have.

If you think a photo will help I will include one but honestly, the trees are happily taking 90-100 degree weather and daily winds from San Francisco Bay, they flowered for weeks and have deep green lush development up top. I have seen no canopy problems aside from washing off some bird poo from a passing flock of starlings drunk on fermenting fruit.

Thank for replying to my question. Hopefully I have answered some of yours.

By small cutouts and narrow planting strip, this is city-defined as "less than four feet"- mine is 3 feet 10 inches wide and 36 feet long. City told me what to plant how to plant and precisely where to plant by tagging my sidewalk with neon green paint.

Photo attached. Please note 4" wood mulch, 10 gallons of water /week, city provided tree and stake.
Pea

"western redbud is not approved for street trees here"

They would never have noticed....

Hi Smivies,

with much respect for how it may work in other cities, including several cities I have lived in before, the only way we can plant street trees here in San Jose without getting fined for it, is to go through the City forestry nursery.

Western redbud is one of the trees I requested and was told no. The only way a non-approved tree isn't cut down by the city and billed to the homeowner, is if the city has approved it in the past for street trees. According to the city, Western Redbud can't provide high enough clearance for traffic, and I have no parking on my side of the street.

Our entire valley used to be fruit orchards before the aerospace industry in the 50s and then the silicon valley boom took all orchards away to make tract housing.

They really want every inch of ground to be tree-covered here to cut down on heat and pollution, but they sure don't make it easy.

Pea