big city name would probably help ... CA has many micro climates that need be taken into acct .....

as well as info on the ground space you have available ... perhaps even a pic of the spot ....

what is your base soil ... it can impact root issues ....

on some level .... roots would be the last variable i would be looking at ... trees.. aka conifers.. rarely create problems ... but can take advantage of preexisting issues ... what are the preexisting issues you are concerned about???

growth rate is a function of annual growth rate ... so that would be the variable you focus on ... but to be clear .. fast growing in trees could be as much as 3 to 5 feet per year ... and that is rarely a good decision on a small suburban lot ... all to soon ... you have a giant.. and potential giant problems ....

personally ... short of a commercial tree planting.. i would not recommend anything which claimed to be 'fast growing' ...... you simply arent that old ... lol ...

annual growth rate can usually be found ... when you convert to latin names ... the better resources use such..

ken

http://conifersociety.org/conifers/conifer-sizes/

Sunset zones are based on temperature, and as far as I know, don't take rainfall into account. Trying to grow a sequoia in southern California would be a problem. Fast growing trees usually have fast growing roots as well. The Cal Poly site you are using is a good source of information.

The Norfolk island pine grows well in Orange County.

Igteacher, I usually always turn to Cal Poly, but it identifies all redwoods as low damage (roots) except for 'Aptos Blue."

Ken. I live in Fullerton, however, my home wx station records lows between 2-6 degrees colder than the Fullerton X-port. The highs are nearly the same. At my location, Summer High/Low is 86/62. Winter 67/41. Annual precip. just under 14''.

Ground space is large, but my tree would be about 8' from my underground water-line. My soil is rich loam w/excellent drainage @ 7.8ph but It does not retain salts. My water is 7.8ph w/435ppm.

Always wanted a redwood, but roots are a concern. I love Monterey Cypress, but fear I may be too far inland (canker). As the crow flies, I am 12.4 mi. from the shore.

Most redwoods in my area, look good, except the 5 at St. Jude Hospital are failing. I don't think they are irrigating them. Oddly, they don't look good at the nearby arboretum, but the several in residential yards look good, 50-60' with a healthy lawn beneath and no evidence of roots. They have all been there forever. There are 2 that I have followed my entire life. One has been about 25' for decades, the other 25' and planted in a parkway with a 3x3' space w/ cement all around. Wondered how that one has even survived.

Thank you for the attention.

Ground space is large, but my tree would be about 8' from my underground water-line.

==>>>>

water line have to be.. well.. water tight ... roots do not carry small drills or chisels.. to break into such ... so i wouldnt be all that concerned about such ... perhaps in tree time.. say 100 years ... a root might cause some concern.. but i wouldnt be around to worry about it ...

also ... roots simply dont usually go all that deep... most trees have their roots in the top foot or two of soil .... and many water supply lines are much deeper than that .. BUT ... i am in ground freeze MI ... so they are 3 to 4 feet down.. perhaps CA does it different ...

most pipe concerns.. are related to old fashioned clay septic or waste pipes ... where small length clay pipes were fit together with oakum ... and over the decades... the packing breaks down .. and the roots seek the moisture and fertilizer ... and cause a problem ...

but today.. even these pipes have become sealed/fused pvc type pipe ... and the root issue is moot ...

sooo .. this is why i would consider this very low.. on my list of variables regarding tree CHOICE ...

i know nothing about CA horticulture.. so i leave that to others that do ... good luck

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=clay+pipes+roots&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images

An Arizona Cypress would be a suggestion. Most of them have a bluish-green color foliage. Also there are several other native species of cypress besides Monterrey and they tend to be more drought/heat tolerant. Sargent Cypress comes to mind.

I think that may be a great reccomendation. I was also thinking Eastern Red Cedar. Can you compare them ... pros & cons? Many thanks, Scot!

I have both growing in Z8 Tx with 32" rainfall. Eastern Red Cedar do well here and to west til about 24" . After that they seem to struggle without additional water. Both trees have similar shape and size and heat tolerance. ERC has male and female trees with females haveing the blue berries (seed cones). ERC has green foliage and tint with vary slightly with season and with its sex.

Arizona Cypress has both smooth bark and rough bark versions. Smooth bark (Cupressus glabra was its old scientific name, they have been changing that every few years now and I don't keep up with it) is commercially available, is less sensitive to excess moisture, and most people would probably prefer its scent to that of rough-bark (Cupressus arizonica). It should be easier to grow.

Blue Ice and Carolina Sapphire are two most common cultivars on market. Blue Ice has bluer color and more compact cone- shape. Carolina Sapphire grows faster, color changes slightly with season, and tends to grow in a more loosely shape. Seed cones of both are about 1" in diameter.

I have seen a stand of Sargent Cypress growing north of San Francisco area and liked them. They appear to be a smaller, more slender version of C. arizonica with nice gray-green foliage. They are not available here in Texas but may be in California.

Redwoods are way too big for your situation. And I can think of no reason why 'Aptos Blue' would be different from the others, all full sized redwoods are basically the world's biggest trees with extensive root systems in proportion to their towering tops - a 60-ft.-tall planted example will have a root system well in excess of 60 ft. across, except where diverted by a wall, foundation or other barrier. Any other kind of tree, including cypresses will also produce a root system that is wider than the tree is tall.

I would suggest looking for this one, the foliage is like smoke. Presumably it will grow where you are and has been in production on the west coast because a garden center up here brought some in last year. Including a few that were something like 8 ft. tall (I bought one of the small ones and have it growing at the front of my place).

https://www.conifers.org/cu/Cupressus_guadalupensis.php

That is a beautiful tree. I will look into it. I'm sure it won't be easy to find.

Thank you!

Searching 'cupressus guadalupensis price" I got three sources in Northern California (one wholesale, and offering a narrow-growing named selection) right off. If you do your own search using the same or similar phrase, scroll through several pages you may find a company down your way. I would also try telephoning independent garden centers there.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=cupressus+guadalupensis+price&qs=n&sp=-1&pq=cupressus+guadalupensis+price&sc=0-29&sk=&cvid=7CCFE414AFB9462B960D0CD85DCC1636&first=1&FORM=PQRE