Fruitless Olive trees. Olea europea âÂÂWilsoniiâÂÂ

Thank you for the suggestion rugbyhukr, but at 25-30 feet high with an equally large spread, fruitless olives are way too big for my yard. Sunset says they will become "massive" whereas I am looking for something small that won't overwhelm my small landscape area. Anything else you can think of?

seriously, sadly, there very few plant that does not "produce or drop any kind of flower, berry, or seed" (not to mention most all including the nominally evergreen types will drop leaves at some time during the year as well---it's what plants do normally as living things and quite frankly it's also part of what makes the plants attractive in the first place. you might consider bronze loquat (eriobotrya deflexa) as a tree of roughly the right size and shape I think but it still produces flowers and some fruit. some of the crepe myrtles might also be of good size and shape but again they do produce flowers and fruit but are generally not regarded as "messy" plants. good luck in your search.

Thank you, georgeinbandonoregon, and of course, you are right. I guess I should have been more specific in specifying the "least messy" varieties. Even though they are evergreens, the carrotwoods that I have now do have periods when many leaves are dropped, and that isn't a problem all by itself and it is something I could very easily live with. It is the constant dropping of things that makes the trees a problem. They are messy nearly all the time, and I guess what I'm really looking for is a tree that produces less mess, less often. We have a really big crow population here, and trees that produce fruit can really attract those crows and a lot of them! I honestly think these trees produce more seed pods than leaves.

Thank you for your advice. I will keep looking and try to keep my wants in check with reality. I'll have a look at the bronze loquat you suggested.

thanks for your gracious response. you might also consider acacia pendula as an attractive small (15-25' tall) with minimal spread (10-15') "weeping" plant with grey foliage but relatively small flowers. you might also look at ceanothus arboreus and its forms like "cliff Schmidt" or it's hybrids like "ray Hartman" or some of the larger leptospermum ("tea trees") like l. petersonii or l. "dark shadows". again good luck finding the right plant for your needs..

This post was edited by georgeinbandonoregon on Mon, Dec 15, 14 at 17:43

Apologies. I was under the impression that you wanted a tree of equal size to the carrotwood.

You may try Little Gem Magnolia, Majestic Beauty Indian Hawthorn or try a large shrub that can be trained into a small tree (Hakea, pittosporum, toyon, malosma, pyracantha, Hollywood Juniper, Tropical Hibiscus)

Thank you rugbyhuker and georgeinbandonoregon! I will research each of those suggestions. In the meantime, do either of you think that Japanese Maple might work? I know they lose their leaves and I don't have a problem with that if they are relatively easy to care for otherwise. In pictures, they look beautiful and it looks like there are several varieties that would be just the right size at maturity.

If you are within a mile or two or three of the ocean, japanese maples can take considerable sun, but more inland they need some shade to look their best-the leaf tips will scorch in too much heat and they will struggle to establish.

Crape myrtles work well if deciduous is acceptable. There are many different selections of different sizes.

The suggestion of large shrubs (a large shrub can be 25'-30 tall) is a good one.

The Acacia pendula is a gorgeous small tree. There's a beautiful specimen in the parking lot of the San Diego Botanic Garden.

Have a look at Metrosideros 'Springfire'; it makes a lovely small patio-sized tree (though it will take a while to get tree-sized) and the flowers attract hummingbirds.

Consider also the weeping bottlebrush, Callistemnon viminalis, but that drops flowers in season.

Here is a link that might be useful: metrosideros 'Springfire'

hoovb, thank you, I will look at your suggestions as well. I have made a list of every suggestion and will look at each one. I had no idea that shrubs could grow to 30 feet!!

I am five miles from the ocean in So. Cal. Is that within range for planting Japanese maples? I see them at the local nurseries here at certain times of the year.

agree with hooyb about considerations for Japanese maples. I would say that they are indeed not "xeriscape" or water conservation plants for southern California. many of the common cultivars are dwarf and/or rather slow growing so not especially good as trees to shade or shelter your lawn or driveway unless you buy them as mature specimens (very expensive). some of the taller growing types like "bloodgood", "emperor" or "crimson prince" among others might be what you're looking for. anywhere outside the "fog belt" near the beaches (sunset zone 24) all of them will likely need afternoon shade (or planting under taller trees as hooyb mentioned) and regular water during the summer even after establishment. IMHO, Japanese maples are wonderful trees in the right place and climate but yours MIGHT not be entirely optimal and there are possibly other trees that might be even better adapted to your climate and your needs---MAYBE even some of the other plants already suggested??? good luck.

This post was edited by georgeinbandonoregon on Wed, Dec 17, 14 at 20:54

Thank you all for that great advice. The last thing I want to do is plant another unsuitable tree!

Can I ask what tree you ended up going with? I too live in SoCal (San Fernando Valley) with the same asks of a tree (good shade, not messy). My gardener suggested Carrotwood but reading this I do not want that. What did you choose and how is it going?