Sorry...newbie to the forums too I guess. Here are the pics.

1) {{gwi:419925}}
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2) {{gwi:419928}}

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4) {{gwi:419933}}

5) {{gwi:419935}}

Hi steenbean18, I recognize several but can only remember the name of #4. Number 4 is a eucalyptus tree. I would give it another year or more at the most. It grows real fast and one day a wind storm is going to take it down.

Are eucalyptus not good trees to have here then?? It's been there at least 2 years based on the history we have of the house. Anything we can do to prevent it from blowing over (i.e. staking it, planting windbreaking plants around it, etc)?

steenbean18, you could try topping it and letting it bush out. I used to live near a a large grove of eucalyptus. They get big fast. It was always scary walking through the grove because limbs were always braking and falling. Not really always but often enough so you were always on the look out for falling branches. Our neighbor put one in their backyard a few years ago. A wind storm hit it when it was a little bit bigger than yours. Branches fell off and the tree bent about 2/3rds the way up. After that they cut it down. They were lucky it didn't hit their house.

Number 2 looks like a very sad and stressed oleander. Number 3 is a willow acacia, I think.
Number 4 is a eucalyptus. It is not necessarily doomed -- I had a really big one on my old property that was at least 30 years old. The trick is to water them DEEPLY and not too frequently. Frequent, shallow watering makes them grow shallow roots and tall tops, which makes them blow over in a windstorm.

I'm a newbie too, and also dealing with a new property and all kinds of new landscaping challenges. Fun, isn't it?? Welcome!

Hi there, welcome to the forum! We hope to see and hear a lot of updates about your garden. :)

#1 sure looks like one of the ash trees to me, and like several of the others it looks water stressed. I'd make sure to give it several nice deep soakings if you want to keep it.

#2 is a water stressed oleander like the others mentioned. It will appreciate several good soaks if you want to save it, and then it will appreciate infrequent deep irrigation.

#3 looks like a willow leaf acacia to me as well and it looks nice and happy.

#4 is a Eucalyptus like the others mentioned. I like them but most (not all) get too large for a smaller garden like mine.

#5 is Acacia aneura and it looks pretty good to me. Like the other trees it will want regular, deep irrigation.

Let us know what you do with your plants and garden and how everything works out.

Welcome again, post often. :)
Take care,
Grant

Here is a link that might be useful: Acacia aneura (

With ALL those trees, remove the stake. It's not helping.

The first one is a Shamel (Arizona) Ash. It might survive. Nice deciduous tree.

The eucalyptus is a trash tree - kill it.

Willow Acacia, needs some pruning up and thinning, but they are really hardy

the "wilga" (Acacia aneuira) is also a tough tree.

With ALL of them, regular, DEEP infrequent soakings are far better than frequent shallow watering.

Thank you so much for all of the responses!! Now I have TONS of questions ;)

About the shamel ash...we love how they look...BUT - They planted that tree about 12 feet from our master bedroom window and 8 feet or so from our back patio. We're concerned about size with it due to roots damaging the foundation/patio/walkway and the canopy damaging the roof. Will it get large enough that it'll need to be moved? If so, can we move it while it's still struggling or should we wait a while for it to develop more leaves?

Sad to hear all this stuff about the eucalyptus, because it looks great in the spot where it is! I'd feel so guilty just chopping it down since it's one of the few trees we have on our property and we can't afford to replace it yet (front yard will be first!). If we top it, do we just lop off the canopy or is that something that needs to be handled by a professional?

LOVE the willow acacia, but it's dragging on the ground! lol. We'll definitely need to de-shag him a bit.

Again, we really appreciate all the help. Gardening/yardwork here is so fun!!

Steenbean,

Your eucalyptus may be Eucalyptus microtheca - it can be hard to identify without a flower. The types of trees available now are not the same as the gigantic varieties planted back in the 50's and 60's, which can be vulnerable to winds. They got a bad reputation that was attached to the whole genus.

Take a look at this bulletin from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eucalyptus in the desert

Oops, forgot to mention NOT to top your tree (or any tree). 1) It destroys the natural form. 2) It creates branches that sprout near the cut and are weakly attached and vulnerable to winds. 3) The wound left by topping does not heal and is a perfect site where bacterial and fungal pathogens can invade. 4) It looks ugly.

Your tree looks really good! The only thing you would need to prune are dead branches, broken branches or crossing branches. Trees are extremely overpruned in our landscapes and often suffer because of it. In most cases less is more.

Here's a link to more information on pruning trees.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning Young Trees

The shamel ash would be very hard to move without killing it. They get HUGE and are shallow-rooted. Best for irrigated lots with lots of room.

Sad to say, but it's probably tops on your replacement list. It's wrong tree, wrong place, because the previous owners just stuck things into the ground.

Take some time and PLAN your landscape ... do it by activity and the purpose of the plants, the characteristics the plants have to have. Then find plants that are good for the purpose.

Start with the trees.