Ragtimegal, Thanks, but the flowers belong to the wife. I grow the food and she makes things pretty. Gotta satisfy all the senses. I do mix the dirt for her flowers. I do have to brag a little by saying I am a slightly above average photographer. You know, composition and all that stuff. ooooohhhhh yes, The flowers. The purple trailing blooms belong to a plant called "New Wonder". It is an Australian plant which simply loves heat and full sun. It is very, very draught tolerant, so its okay if you forget to water it for a couple of days. The succulent with the orange blooms is common Pursalane or pigweed. It is available in many colors and is also heat and draught tolerant. If you like pursalane, it is great. It does reseed prolifically and seems to be able to almost grow on a concrete slab. We tend to reuse a lot of our soil each year simply by remixing it and returning it to the containers. All of our soil has pursalane seed in it and it regrows. Wild pursalane is also edible, I don't know about domesticated pursalane. Pursalane also seems to attract a lot of ants. The blooms appear to have a sweet nectar which some ants find irresistable. The ants are what we used to call sugar ants and don't seem to hurt anything. Feel free to ask any questions. Ted

You are correct that heavy pruning will weaken a trees' defense mechanisms, making them more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Remember that every green leaf is a food factors for the tree and when they are removed you basically starve the tree. On top of that it's possible that the branches and trunk were sunburned after the foliage was removed. A tree with damaged tissue actually emits chemical signals that attract pests, like borers. For now be sure to deep water your remaining trees once every 2 - 3 weeks. If they were also pruned, you can wrap the trunk loosely with burlap, cardboard, or fabric to prevent further sunburn. The rule of pruning is to never remove more than 25 percent of the living parts (leaves, stems, branches, etc.,) in any year. Don't use sealants on the pruning wounds. A good resource is Pruning, Planting and Care by Eric Johnson, Ironwood Press. Good luck.

Be sure to check and see how deeply your tree was planted. The soil from the container should be level with the surrounding soil. Planting too deeply restricts the oxygen to the trunk tissue basically suffocating the tree. Gently remove soil near the trunk until you can see the trunk flare or region where trunk tissue becomes root tissue. You may even see the tops of the roots. If this is the case remove about a 12 inch area of soil around the trunk just deep enough so the roots are barely covered with soil. As far as watering your mesquite, as long as you are watering deeply (to a depth of three feet) you shouldn't need to water any more often than once every 10 days or so in the summer. Extend the interval as the weather cools and by winter water once every three or four weeks. Assuming your tree has a canopy diameter of six feet, apply about 20 gallons each time. Here is the link to watering guidelines on the City of Chandler web site. Here is a link that might be useful: Landscape Watering Guidelines

Thanks for the info-- and for all the photos and links you all have provided! I have seen some copper table tops on ebay-- but the ones I have seen were copper over MDF or particle board. They do fit my budget, but I'd prefer to find a solid wood version. I like the Arhaus table and it is closer to my budget but I think the base style is a little too contemporary for my home and the other pieces I am working around. I have found a table with copper top and paintd barnwood pedestal. I have requested a price in the hopes that it will be within my budget. If not, I will continue to wait and watch. There is nothing wrong with my current table-- other than I never loved it and I am tired of it. I am motivated for change but not enough so to increase the budget I have allotted for this room.