How Does Our Garden Grow – March 2022

With the City of Temecula hosting an Urban Forest Summit in March, we should recognize that we already have an Urban Forest area at Rose Haven as well as having other trees scattered throughout the garden. When looking at the garden it seems to be almost treeless because we have constraints on the location and height of trees that can be planted in the garden. The major constraint is the huge water pipelines that bisect the garden. The pipelines, carrying water to San Diego, were built about 1943 and are 30 feet underground. Metropolitan Water District has the final word on our plantings of trees. Thus we cannot plant trees that grow over 20 feet tall. We have, so far, had to remove only one tree for exceeding the height requirements – a Peppertree that was growing near the easement road above the Dry Stream Bed.

There are other trees in this same area: Desert Willow, Mountain Mahogany, Chaste Tree and Western Redbud. The Mountain Mahogany is not a true mahogany but is so named because of the hardness and color of the wood. Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus) is actually a small tree in the rose family. It can be planted in all soil types including dry clay. Once established (about two years) no irrigation is required.

There are about 20 different varieties of trees on the property. When visiting the garden, take time to check out our trees.