Ficus

Houseplants had a bad reputation for a while there, thanks to memories from the '70s of ivy in macrame hangers. But no more. The houseplant-if such a mundane term still applies-is now a design accessory, a cool complement to spare, contemporary rooms where one plant, not a windowful, is plenty.

Newport Beach officials settled their legal dispute Thursday with a group that went to court to preserve 25 ficus trees that once draped Balboa Peninsula's Main Street. The accord was mostly a symbolic victory for the Balboa Arbor Society, however, because the city had removed 23 of the trees in September.

An Orange County judge Monday gave Newport Beach the go-ahead to remove 25 mature ficus trees from Balboa's historic Main Street, but tree lovers are considering appealing the decision. "We need to move expeditiously," said Stephen Miles, an attorney representing the Balboa Arborist Society. The group had sued to prevent removal of the trees. Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald L. Bauer, who had earlier blocked the city from removing the trees, declined to extend that order.

Once a landscaping staple in suburbs and planned communities, the lush and leafy ficus has become a civic nuisance--its thick roots buckling sidewalks and streets, breaching sewer lines and cracking foundations of homes and businesses. In recent years, cities have spent millions dealing with the troublesome trees. Some have been creative about it. In Santa Monica, city engineers have experimented with rubber sidewalks that bend with the swollen roots.

Siding with local arborists, an Orange County Superior Court judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the removal of 25 aging ficus trees that have buckled sidewalks and invaded sewer lines in Balboa Village. Judge Ronald L. Bauer ordered Newport Beach not to touch the trees along Main Street until a Sept. 16 hearing. The temporary restraining order could slow the city's $2.8-million street improvement plan in Balboa, which depends on removing the tall, bushy trees.

Fifty years ago, the ficus seemed to be a perfect fit for Ventura County's coastal communities. Similar in appearance to a citrus tree, the tall, leafy green ficus blends nicely with the county's orange and lemon trees. Ficus, thought to be pest resistant, provided a shaded canopy from the Southern California sun. But as these trees matured, the shallow roots of the ficus caused problems.

A historic Ficus rubiginosa, one of the oldest and largest trees in Orange and the object of a two-year campaign to protect it from a developer's bulldozers, toppled over in 45-mph winds Saturday, the apparent victim of the very act that saved it. "It was a landmark in east Orange," Councilman Dan Slater said of the 100-foot, 150-ton tree in the parking area of the Ralphs Market at 2620 E. Chapman. "This is a great loss for the city." No injuries were reported when the tree fell about 9 a.m.

The popularity of Southern California's most destructive curbside shade tree is starting to bounce back--thanks to rubber sidewalks. Leafy ficus trees have helped cool neighborhood roadsides for decades. As they have grown, though, their stubborn roots have created safety hazards by pushing concrete sidewalk slabs out of the ground. That has prompted repair crews throughout the region to chop down rows of the dense, green-canopied trees.

Under pressure from a neighborhood group, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski said Tuesday that the city will save the four remaining ficus trees along a street in Brentwood Village from removal. As part of an improvement project, the city in recent weeks removed 32 trees, which had cracked sidewalks and curbs along Barrington Avenue. Residents, however, argued that any problems the trees created were outweighed by their beauty.

A weekend-long vigil to protect the last four ficus trees that have shaded the Brentwood Village shopping district for nearly 50 years will be staged starting today by activists. Los Angeles officials have already cut down 30 trees near Sunset Boulevard and Barrington Avenue as part of a sidewalk repair effort they have dubbed the Brentwood Beautification Project.