Tree Selection for HOA Communities

Q. I am on the Board of Directors of a local HOA and we need to replace our plum and pear trees. We have lots of wind. Our landscaping company recommends a pistachio tree to replace the ornamental pear. Will that do well planted in the strips along our entrance and throughout the community?

Pistache like this 'Red Push' is a good mesic tree for HOAs with two story homes.

A. The Chinese pistache is a good choice in the desert as a general landscape tree, street, or lawn tree. The pluses: It has fewer problems than the pear tree and uses about the same amount of water. It handles wind better than pear or plum trees.

Chinese Pistache Negatives

            The negatives are possibly its size and water use. Chinese pistache is not a big tree and it’s not a small tree. It’s in between. It is mesic in water use, grows to about 30 feet in height and the same size in width. Don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t use as much water as the large Mulberry with its big leaves and fast growth.

Chinese pistache has great fall color but it is not a "small tree" suitable for single story homes. Remember, big trees use more water than small trees.

Single Story Homes Should Use Small Trees

            In terms of its size, it is best suited for a subdivision that includes two story homes. If your HOA has all single-story homes, then consider smaller mature trees in the 20-foot “at maturity” height range. Smaller trees growing among smaller homes is visually more appealing. Smaller mesic trees use less water than medium-sized mesic trees when mature. Smaller xeric trees use even less water when irrigated less often!

These trees were small when they were planted but now are out of scale with the single story home.

Grow a Mixture of Trees

            A word of caution when you are selecting replacement trees. Select a mixture of different kinds of trees in a community landscape. Having a mixture of trees reduces potential costly  outbreaks of diseases or insect pests that could sweep through a community of identical trees in the future.

Losses from tree diseases like ash decline can be minimized with a diversity of trees grown in an HOA.

            If you are having trouble selecting a plant, look online at the plant database found at SNWA. Cross reference your selection with Arizona State University’s plant database in Tempe Arizona. Select important trees used in your landscape that survive a low winter temperature of 20° F. Use a minimum temperature of 25° F for plants that you can afford to lose every few years.