Incense cedar as a windbreak. Credit: JoAnne Skelly

By JoAnne Skelly — I love trees, but all trees are not equal for use in a home landscape. Some trees have shallow roots and break easily such as poplars, also known as cottonwoods and willows.

Their roots are not only shallow, but quite invasive, finding any water leak, whether in an irrigation system or a home pipe. Therefore, they can wreak havoc on pipes and even foundations. Other trees such as evergreens can add to wildfire risk.

JoAnne Skelly

I do have a few favorite trees though. I love the Amur maple, Acer ginnala, which unlike most maples, is drought tolerant. It is not one of the tall maple species, reaching only 25 feet in height. My favorite form is a multi-trunked tree rather than one with a single trunk. Once it is established, it can be watered deeply every 10 days to prevent surface rooting. If you decide to plant one, get a variety with good red fall color. 

Another favorite is the incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens. Yes, it is an evergreen so it must be placed away from structures to reduce wildfire risk. Its’ size can be a disadvantage for small yards. It is a big tree, reaching 60 feet to 75 feet in height. It is drought and heat tolerant. It has beautiful reddish bark with dark green flat sprays of needles. I love the scent of cedar. It can be used as a specimen plant or in a group as a windbreak or visual screen. I love it because it reminds me of the mountains.

Arizona cypress. Credit: JoAnne Skelly

The Arizona cypress, Cupressus arizonica, is another of my preferences. I have some I do not water at all, and they have grown to over 30 feet with a 20-foot spread. The ones that do receive water are over 40 feet tall. Again, being evergreen they can be fire hazards, but I have planted them on the outskirts of the property far away from any structure. They need no attention at all, my kind of plant. 

I also love the scarlet oak, Quercus coccinea. It grows at a moderate rate to 40 feet to 60 feet with a 30-foot wide spread at maturity here in Nevada under good conditions. It does need a rich soil. Fall color is stunning, but the leaf litter and acorns can be messy. It makes a good street or lawn tree. 

As fall leans to winter, I hope your holidays are peaceful. I’ll be back to writing in February. 

— JoAnne Skelly is an Associate Professor and Extension Educator, Emerita, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. She can be reached at skellyj@unr.edu.