Looking for recommendations:hedges/ trees to plant at our elevation and climate?

[Lepo]

Hello I would like to plant some nice hedges and some more trees on my property once spring comes. Do any of you have recommendations? Ideally I would like to go with native species but really looking for something that grows well in our climate.

Thank you in advance.

[JP]

I think the flannelbushes around town are really nice if they work with your space. Native and the yellow flowers look good. Artemisia tridentata grows up here and smells nice, but isn't necessarily pretty. California lilac could be another worth checking out.

Native trees are tricky here. Oaks will grow very slowly, cottonwoods will have roots going after your septic, and you probably don't want more pines. The apple and cherry trees all over town are happy even when not watered, and keep birds, bees, and squirrels happy. Some folks have poplars that look similar to cottonwoods but are more narrow and vertical. They're not native but are very close to native aspens or cottonwoods. Still might go after septic lines but not as aggressive as the cottonwood.
I really wanted to plant a pacific dogwood which is native and well suited for here but it was impossible to find one for sale.

[in my dreams]

JP, you can buy Pacific Dogwoods online from many sources They'll ship them dormant at the beginning of spring.  20 yrs ago, these were good to buy from: https://www.burntridgenursery.com/Dogwood-Trees/products/71/  (We don't REALLY have a Pacific Dogwood climate, but if you find a happy spot to plant it and keep it watered, it will probably forgive our dry climate.)

Lilac bushes do very well here! Choke Cherries (native) do well with a little bit of shade. "Prunus virginiana demissa, Western Chokecherry forms a small tree or large shrub. Western Chokecherry does great at higher elevations in California, but grows in small numbers on north slopes everywhere from Coastal California to Lake Michigan."

Remember that whatever you plant, it will need regular water to get established. Drought tolerant or no extra water apply after its sent it's roots down.

Good places to look for natives are https://www.calbg.org/ in Claremont (Used to be the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden). Also, the Theodore Payne Foundation is a good place to buy. https://theodorepayne.org/

Where you live in town makes a difference. East side, below LPC, you can get plants rated to USDA zone 8. West side, colder, or upper Wrightwood, zone 7b.
On the west side anyway, every year there are nights in the teens. Every few years we get a couple nights that dip down to 0* Hardy to 0 or below is my buying threshold.  Sometimes I fudge a little and settle for 10*--depends where I'm going to plant it. (Roses do well if you prepare the soil, and be prepared to water a lot for the first couple of years. Once established, roses are pretty drought tolerant.)  Lavenders do well, butterfly bush, irises, yarrow, centranthus ruber (invasive weeds in some parts of the country--not here.) My natives got bugs and disease after our spectacular end of summer rain (Penstemons, mostly)--they need it to stay dry. Huchera does well, cone flowers, black-eyed Susans, sun flowers, etc.

[DeweyD]

Be careful with the flannelbush as it can be a severe skin irritant. Also, make sure you check with your fire insurance as most of our lots don't offer enough defensible space to have anything except shorter shrubs. Be sure to take note of the frost tolerance of the plants you select as well. Despite what the USDA plant hardiness zones say, our neighborhoods can easily get colder than the 10 to 15 °F advised by the USDA... Ed