(House Pine, Monkey Puzzle Tree)

Sparse, architecturally interesting branches laced with sharp, triangular needles makes monkey puzzle tree one of the more odd but entertaining trees for mild temperate zone landscapes. A tall evergreen tree native to the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Chile and Argentina, it has dark grayish brown bark and produces cones. It is pleasingly pyramid-shaped when young, looking like an artificial Christmas tree without the wiry needles yet extended. With time, its shape become tall with a rounded upper...

(Bunya Bunya Pine)

With shiny, prickly foliage concentrated in tufts at the ends of branches, bunya-bunya pine is known for its spiny, heavy cones that drop like bombs to the ground below. Only found naturally in the coastal and inland rainforests of Queensland, Australia, it is a tall evergreen tree that attains a triangular dome canopy at maturity. When youthful, the tree has a pyramid-like habit with a tall central leading tip. The leaves are dark green, brighter when new, and waxy, stiff and notably sharp at their...

(Marina Strawberry Tree, Strawberry Tree)

The parents of this small ornamental tree come from Mediterranean regions where winters are mild and rainy and summers long, hot and dry. ‘Marina’, which is a cross between Arbutus unedo and A. andrachne, has exceptional tolerance to summer drought making it the perfect evergreen for arid western gardens.

This ericaceous tree is noted for its beautiful cinnamon-colored bark that sheds periodically helping it maintain good color. The branches bear large, dark green, serrated...

(Cyprian Strawberry Tree, Eastern Strawberry Tree, Greek Strawberry Tree)

This large shrub or small tree is grown for its colorful bark, handsome evergreen foliage, white spring flowers, and orange-red fruits. Mature specimens have picturesque, gnarled branches and a vase-shaped to rounded habit. Arbutus andrachne is native to rocky slopes and outcroppings from southeastern Europe to northern Iraq.

The lustrous, leathery, oval leaves of Greek strawberry tree are dark green with pale green undersides. They are borne on sinuous, upright to spreading branches...

(Arizona Madrone)

A picturesque tree, the Arizona madrone develops a rounded crown of leathery foliage atop a twisting frame of branches. Clusters of tiny white flowers are followed by edible reddish fruits. This evergreen is native to the forested foothills and lower mountains of southern Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico.

The satiny oval leaves are long, narrow and persist on the tree for about one year before being shed. Each leaf is medium to deep green with a paler green underside. Leaf edges may...

(Madrone, Madronio)

Madrone is a large round-headed tree with amazing smooth cinnamon-colored bark that flakes from the trunk. Small white or pink flowers emerge in early summer on this tree native to the Pacific coast in the western United States. Red and orange fruits develop over the next year, ripening that second autumn. Bees pollinate the flowers.

Madrone is best suited to climates matching its native habitat. Acidic, well-drained soils in a climate that is cool and dry in summer and cool and wet in winter...

(Strawberry Tree)

The elegant strawberry tree is best distinguished by its highly ornamental fruits that turn from gold to red. It is a broad, upright large shrub or small tree native to southern European and the eastern Mediterranean with an adjunct population in Ireland. Like many members of the heath family (Ericaceae), it favors moist, rich, slightly acid soil but will also tolerate summer drought. Mature specimens adopt an appealing vase-shaped habit and gnarled branches.

Fully evergreen, ovate leaves of...

(Compact Strawberry Tree, Strawberry Tree)

The Compacta strawberry tree is a large shrub or small tree with white flowers that lead to ornamental red fruits. It is identical to the species except it will only reach one-half the mature size. The bark is gray and peeling, revealing a nice cinnamon brown layer on this southern European and eastern Mediterranean native plant. Often blooming in autumn, the urn-shaped flowers give rise to the gold and then red "strawberry" fruits the following autumn. Over time the trunk becomes gnarled and more...

(Arbutus)

The stately hybrid strawberry tree has pretty white flowers and colorful, flaky bark. It is a large, broad, upright shrub or small tree that is a naturally occurring hybrid between the Mediterranean natives, strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and Grecian strawberry tree (Arbutus andrachne).

Mature specimens adopt a roughly rounded habit and have beautiful serpent-like branches. Fully evergreen, ovate leaves of dark green cover the tree. These have a leathery texture and may be...

(Bearberry, Emerald Carpet Bearberry, Kinnikinnick)

Many lawns in the American West were abandoned and replanted with this creeping, evergreen shrub to conserve water, and it has proven itself over the long term. It is a hybrid selection of Arctostaphylos uva ursi, which is native to a large range in Eurasia. The small, round green leaves of ‘Emerald Carpet’ are bone densely on twigs with characteristic sepia-colored, smooth bark that peels periodically as the plant ages. Growth is low and spreading, and becomes quite dense and uniform with...