Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia x blakeana)

I like the Firesticks too. I was told that when they get very tall- over 10'? the red goes away,they turn a pale greenish. One photo I saw was like that. Keep them trimmed I guess.
Nice pic...ready to pull up a chair and sunsit. Cloudy,drizzly here..but again 65f.

This variety with the orange-shades of Euphorbia tirucali grows very upright and really tall, fast! Th3 one in the background is most likely over 15' tall. It hasn't lost any of the coloring. The variety called firesticks (red coloring) I think looses its coloring a little when it grows tall and old.

I have a E. tirucali that was so tall (~20') I cut it way back and now it's huge again. I need to cut the whole tree down. It was never intended to be in that spot. It's in a 15 gallon pot which grew into the ground. I just haven't had the heart to cut it down. lol. The problem with this plant is that it grows super fast!

I had the green in ground about 6'. 2007 killed that back..then after it began to regrow-- it just shriveled up. I think gophers,Andy. I had taken a cutting from that plant that as you said is a fast grower in ground even in the bay area. That cutting in a pot took 2007 with some top frazzle..It though never died and is now still in the same pot 9 years now,I hardly water it..I want it to stay at 4' range it is now.
Those pencil tree years of when they are shrubs are too massive for my small front yard. Over my head would be different..pruning. But then Andy- I don't need anymore shade tree's. At all!

Pencil bush trees look good against white walls, with up-lighting. They are best trimmed and shaped, also. Pencil bush doesn't provide much shade, as it's a very open tree.

There's an E. tirucali (Pencil bush) in Mission Hills house that is about 115 years old (it was 90 years old when I saw it back in 2001). It was only 30' tall; however, it had a trunk almost like a redwood tree! The spread was massive.