Small, Drought-Tolerant, Evergreen, Flowering Trees for a Parkway

Question from Josh:
I have about 60-feet of parkway that I want to plant trees in. It’s right outside of downtown Los Angeles, on a bit of a slope, and is surrounded by Craftsman and Victorian homes (in case this helps). The trees will not get a ton of light because the large building next to the parkway will be blocking them. The building is right up against the sidewalk, so I can’t plant anything that will get too wide. I’m looking for trees that will grow 10-15 feet and about the same in diameter (or less). I know this is a lot of info, but any help would be appreciated. Last thing-they will be watered 1-2 times a month once established. Thank you!!!

Answer from Pat:
I am going to suggest two trees for you, but first I feel as if I need to tell you some of the facts of life regarding trees. Frequently people, especially non-gardeners, ask plants to do impossible things. The requirements you have named are nigh impossible for any live tree to fulfill.  Plants are living things, they are not machines made to jump through the hoops that humans set for them

You are asking for a tree that is evergreen, will grow 15 feet high and wide, will survive and bloom on a steep slope, with water only once or twice a month and little to no sun. Despite these difficult requirements, Indian Hawthorne tree (Rhaphiolepis ‘Magestic Beauty’) is a small and virtuous tree that might actually do what you want.  It is an evergreen flowering tree that, when mature, is exactly the size you require—roughly 15 feet tall and about 10 to 15 feet wide maximum. It has lovely pink flowers that blanket the top of the tree in spring. These flowers will usually be light pink for the first few years, then often they will become a deeper, even lovelier pink after the tree reaches 8 or 10 years of age. This tree is drought-resistant once established. It should look excellent with Victorian and Craftsman homes and it can survive in semi-shade, but it will need watering more frequently than once a month to get it established. Once established then you can lengthen out the waterings to once or twice a month but make sure the water reaches to the roots, which on a slope may be a problem. And please remember, this fine tree certainly will need a lot more water in the beginning to get it established. (Rainfall could help you here if you plant in fall.) This is a beautiful small tree, one of the finest and most trouble-free, but buying good ones would cost you quite a bit, so I caution you to take care of them at first or plant in fall and count on the rains to get them established. Purchase this tree boxed from tree farms or order them from Monrovia Nursery and get them the right height to begin with on the tallest trunk you can get. (The crown of the tree will grow taller and wider, but not the trunk.)

Plant Rhaphiolepis right now in fall if possible. (I am answering your question in November. November and December is not too late to plant.)  Don’t wait too long. Here is one guideline you must follow in order to have success with this tree: Prune it only once a year in June AFTER bloom. If you have hired gardeners, which I am guessing you do, draw them a picture of an umbrella on a straight handle. This is the shape you want these trees to have, flat across the bottom and rounded on top and the trunk is the handle. Have your gardeners shear the top of the trees once a year in June, cutting off all the dead blooms and seedpods plus a little foliage. Never allow gardeners to prune these trees before bloom or you will get no flowers! This means you must never allow gardeners to prune this tree in fall or winter or early spring you will get no flowers in spring. (I cringe when I drive around and see ignorant people pruning rhaphiolepis at the wrong time of year!) Each year when your gardeners (or you) prune in June after bloom, the correct pruning method is to shear the tops of the trees into a formal umbrella shape. Cut nothing off the bottom except to keep the bottom edge straight. Don’t let gardeners make these trees into round blobs like a row of lollypops. Shear the tops this way every year allowing the size of the umbrellas to get a little larger every year until they have reached just the size you want. Then after that shear the tops to your desired size each year after bloom. Fertilize these trees every year in March with a balanced granulated fertilizer recommended for trees and water in thoroughly unless the rains do the job for you. Also use planting pellets in the planting hole when you plant.

My second suggestion is Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo.) As with the Rhaphiolepis suggested above, you will need to purchase these already pruned and trained and boxed in tree form. Again, go to a tree farm to look for these. Do not allow them to talk you into the Arbutus ‘Marina’. It is too big for your needs, and the fruit is messy.
I have a third suggestion which is yew pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus), but these need regular water. If you cannot water them more often than your requirement states, they most likely will die. A smaller type of yew pine Podocarpus ‘Maki’ is also another elegant choice. These trees are evergreen and have a dark green characterful look. They are narrow growers and they take wind. They do well in shade and are heat resistant, but they do not bloom. However, podocarpus trees need regular irrigation. Unless you can give them regular irrigation once a week, don’t choose yew pine. Otherwise this would be a good choice.