Recently, I visited Los Angeles, staying in a suburb called Windsor Hills. Some streets were lined with palm trees, probably Washingtonia filifera or Washingtonia robusta. Washingtonia filifera, the only native palm in California, grows to 65 feet. Washingtonia robusta, called the Mexican fan palm, grows to 100 feet tall.
Other streets had Magnolia grandiflora trees in the parkway, the strip between the sidewalk and the curb. Magnolia grandiflora has a mature height of 60 to 80 feet. Several cultivars are smaller.
Los Angeles has an approved street tree list, sorted by the width of the parkway. You can find it at bit.ly/4xdUvkk.
San Rafael also has an approved street tree list. It’s sorted by planter box size. For example, for a 2-foot planter box, they recommend crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia fauriei. This small tree reaches 30 feet at maturity. You can search for this list at cityofsanrafael.org/documents.
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