Here in the SF Bay Area we have so many plant options that unless they have something spectacular to offer at some point in the year, like roses or redbuds, why bother with deciduous plants? They leave a pile of leaves to be cleaned up in the fall and look dead for part of each year.
In one case though, deciduous plantings can do something for you that evergreens cannot, and that is to save you energy in both heating and cooling your home. The reason they work so well is that they provide cooling shade in the summer and then kindly drop their leaves to allow warming sunlight through in the winter.
TREES
For whole house savings, plant large deciduous trees on the southern side of your house. If you your house gets especially hot in the summer, continue the trees around to the east and west sides as well.
PLANTING FOR NOW & LATER
Trees and shrubs have different growth rates. Fast growing trees will provide the desired shade sooner, but won't live as long. Slow growing trees will meet your needs for a longer period of time, but you will have to wait years for them to begin.
Therefore when planting rows of trees, consider planting for both the near and long-term by alternating fast and slow growing trees. In future years, as the fast growing trees begin to die off, replace them with slow growing varieties.
5 gallon, 15 gallon, 24 inch boxed? Which size tree is best for planting? Of course, the larger trees will look better when first planted. Interestingly enough though, the same type of tree in the three different sizes will all look the same about five years after planting. Therefore we recommend the 5 gallon size for the slow growing trees and the largest the budget will accomodate for the fast growers.
VINES
If space is limited, or for some other reason trees won't work, deciduous vines are another option. They should grow tall enough to climb up onto the roof and be the right type for the building (see our article on Vines). If support for the vine is required, remember that it will show through in the winter, so make sure it compliments your house and garden. Some evergreen vines large enough to shade a house are:
If you aren't ready or able to completely shade your house in the summer, the most important areas to shade for summer energy savings are windows and glass doors. To do this, consider planting a deciduous tree or large shrub between it and the direction of the sun.
Another option is to plant a deciduous vine grown onto a trellis or pergola. For vines grown onto pergolas that will be viewed predominantly from the underside, a vine with hanging blooms, like a wisteria, or hanging fruit, like grapes, are especially nice.
