[pamela]

My friend has recently bought a property in our rocky alkaline coastal area. She is looking for ideas for a screening tree which should be evergreen, preferably 'umbrella'/'vase' shaped rather than 'pyramidal'/cone shaped and able to withstand long dry periods. It needs to be strong as sometimes we have serious salt laden winds.  
I have suggested a Ceratonia siliqua.  She is not interested in pines or any of the ficus family.
Acacias are too flimsy.  She also needs some tall growing shrubs for the fence line. Ideally they should be able to grow more than two meters.  I have suggested Dodonaea viscosa and also Westringia fruticosa but I think that might be struggling at 2 plus meters.
Can anyone recommend some suitable trees and shrubs please for this difficult area.
My ideas have come to a standstill!

[Alisdair]

If you have ideas for shrubs rather than trees, please tell us in the Ideas for screening shrubs thread, in the Shrubs section.

[ritamax]

I got an advice to plant (in the similar conditions than Javea, but even drier in Orihuela Costa) to plant Tipuana tipu, a middlelarge tree, which seems to be very controversial in America considered invasive, but nevertheless a very beutiful shadow tree with a large canopy, yellow flowers, being evergreen in warm conditions. As a street tree I have seen it for example in Mallorca. 

[John J]

In the hot, dry climate of Cyprus the Tipuana tipu is usually described as deciduous to semi-evergreen. It can grow to a height of 35 metres in time. This giant specimen in my village of Kolossi is a little over 100 years old, having been planted around 1900 along with the Cupressus alongside it. It has been declared a Nature Monument and is, supposedly, protected. However, it's enormous roots are being exposed by the archeologists who are excavating the 14th C Sugar Mill and Factory next to it. Unfortunately, the tree is suffering in consequence as can be seen from the photo.

[ritamax]

That is a wonderful pic, thank you! 

[Alisdair]

For more discussion of Tipuana tipu, including pictures, click here.