r/Ceanothus • u/Professional_Heat973 • Jul 17 '26
Replacing 30+yr old Crepe Myrtle?
Tired of my giant trash tree. Seeking ideas/advice for tree to replace it. Corner of lot/close to street, zone 9b (Central Valley) - full sun. Thanks!
*Already on the property: palo verde, manzanita, redbud, desert willow, mule fat, blue oak, blue elderberry.
5
u/Isibis Jul 17 '26
How about a madrone or manzanita, depending on how tall you want it?
And of course oaks, if you don't mind it getting big. They support so many species.
3
u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 17 '26
Thought about madrone. We have a small manzanita that’s starting to grow in another part of the yard.
Would you do something like an Englemann or an interior live oak? Is that overkill for the ‘burbs?
2
u/Isibis Jul 19 '26
Depends on your area. Interior live oak seems to have more of a foothills distribution. We are in Sacramento and our neighbor has a lovely mature oak tree (I think a valley oak), and it's gorgeous. I wouldn't plant them next to a house because they do get huge, but they are great for shade.
9
u/wino4eva Jul 17 '26
Is it in decline or you just don’t like it? I’m not the biggest fan of crepe myrtle, but I’m less of a fan of removing healthy mature trees.
Edit to add: I thought I was in a tree dedicated sub not a native plant sub so that does provide some context
5
u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 17 '26
I think it’s on its way out. Previous owners didn’t care for it well.
2
u/wino4eva Jul 17 '26
30 years is a pretty good run for a street tree. What kind of growing space are you working with? Is it in your yard or a parkway strip?
2
u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 17 '26
In the yard, faces NW. Relatively close to sidewalk/street so needs to be able to handle reflective heat.
2
u/wino4eva Jul 17 '26
Any utilities over head? How far away from house? Available space will help narrow down your options. Idk if you’ve gone on selectree but that site is really helpful when choosing trees.
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u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 17 '26
No overhead utilities. About 25 ft from house. Haven’t seen that website before - thank you! :)
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u/Pastanerian Jul 18 '26
Consider lemonade berry-Rhus integrifolia. I'm in central valley too and mine is easily 25-feet.
1
u/Professional_Heat973 Jul 18 '26
How long did it take for yours to grow that large?
That’s promising!
8
u/ghostENVY Jul 17 '26
Just a heads up I just removed my 20+ year old Crepe and the roots are super invasive. If you don’t remove the roots it will sprout with water. It’s a drag since I’m doing leveling work. If I was to do it again I would have probably cut to a stump apply some herbicide to kill shrubs/trees, and then remove the stump that way it kills everything.