By the way, I am in Orange County, if that makes a difference in your suggestions.

Thanks

A few questions:

How big do you want it to get? Next to a walkway, to me, indicates small to medium.

Does it have to be native? There aren't a lot of native ornamental trees (for SoCal)that don't lose their leaves or aren't desert-like.

Here are some CA native trees with their description:

Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud) - small, deciduous (drops leaves), multi-trunk, pretty flowers along branches in spring, messy seed pods

Chilopsis linearis (Desert Willow) - similar features as above, trumpet flowers, desert-looking

Parkinsonia aculeata (Palo Verde) - small, green trunk, yellow flowers, thorny, deciduous, desert looking

Platanus racemosa (Sycamore) - large, deciduous, maple-like leaves, interesting form

Quercus agrifolia (Coast live oak) - medium, slow growing, evergreen

Here are some non-native, ornamental trees that do not drop their leaves (all at once):

Acacia baileyana (Cootamundra Wattle)
Acacia latifolia (Golden Wattle)
Acacia pendula (Weeping Acacia)
Acacia stenophylla (Shoestring Acacia)
Agonis flexuosa (Peppermint Tree)
Arbutus marina (Strawberry Tree)
Brachychiton populneus (Bottle Tree)
Geijera parviflora (Australian Willow)
Maytenus boaria (Mayten Tree)
Melaleuca armillaris (Drooping Melaleuca)
Melaleuca nesophila (Pink Melaleuca)
Metrosideros excelsa (New Zealand Christmas Tree)
Pittosporum phillyraeoides (Willow Pittosporum)
Rhus lancea (African Sumac)
Sophora secundiflora (Texas Mescal Bean)
Stenocarpus sinuatus (Firewheel Tree)

What is the purpose of the trees and their intended size?

Dan

Thanks so much for your suggestions- i am going to look them up.

I do want a tree that doesn't get too big. I have a single-level home. I just took down 9 Queen Palm trees that were in the front of my yard (and planted very close to the house). They were so tall that the tree trunks looks like jail cell bars (trees planted in 2 rows). So, I don't want to have to deal with trees that grow too big eventually in proportion to my house.

Thanks for your suggestions!

I have looked at all the trees mentioned to me.

I particularly find attractive the Palo Verde, Australian Willow, and African Sumac.

Are there any tips I should know about these types of trees. Our landscape plans include an outdoor patio in the front with a wall, so the trees will be planted near pavers. Will the roots be very invasive?

Which trees would you plant in your own front yard?

Thanks!

If you're interested in natives, I find the Las Pilitas website to be a wealth of information. http://www.laspilitas.com/comhabit/zipcode.htm Just select your zip code, that will lead you to your particular plant community and then plants that are natives there.

All of those trees are drought tolerant and are rated low for potential root damage according to www.selectree.calpoly.edu.

If you decide to go with a Palo Verdo, you might also want to look at the hybrid called Cercidium 'Desert Museum.' It has bigger flowers and no thorns.

Follow up-
So I went to a tree nursery and saw a tree- didn't have a label, but the person there said it was a "coral" tree. It was especially interesting because of the greenish trunk. Do you know which tree I am talking about? It was a very attractive tree, but don't really know positives and negatives on it.

Coral tree -- Erythrina is the genus --not native, they are from South America, I think--there are many many in my OC neighborhood. They get huge and need careful pruning nearly every year because the wood is heavy and weak--many snap in Santa Ana Wind season. Also not clean, they drop a lot of stuff--flowers, twigs, branches, leaves--almost year-round. People who have them around here don't like them much, but they quickly get too big (70') and thus too expensive to remove. Until they fall over. But it gets windy here.

Exactly how much space do you have? For many Orange County yards, a large shrub works far better than a "tree". A large shrub can be 20' tall and provide plenty of shade, while a small tree can be 35' and grow to large for the small lot that many Orange County houses are built on.

Look at Agonis flexuosa. There is a green version and a version with very dark purple foliage called 'After Dark'. Clean, drops little litter, deep, non-invasive root system, gives good shade but does not get huge, drought tolerant once established. Not native, though.

Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen', lovely with a silvery shine to the leaves in sunlight, grows fast, doesn't get huge. Also not native.

The native oaks are beautiful but they have aggressive and invasive roots, eventually. The native Sycamore is simply to large for most properties. Cercis are okay, but rather mess. Catalina Ironwood, maybe. Some of the Manzanitas are lovely.

A really good idea would be to walk around your neighborhood and see what looks good and what you like and what would be an appropriate size. Right away you know it will grow well at your house if it is already growing well in the neighborhood. You can take a picture and post it for identification if you don't know what it is, or ask at your local garden center.

If there are power lines in the area, please don't plant a tree that will get very large that will end up like this:

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HoovB- thanks so much for the information. We went to some nurseries in Orange- loved walking around there. SInce you are in OC, which nurseries do you recommend? We were just driving around- went to M&M nursery and then a place called Ahaheim Wholesale (both in Orange near Tustin Ave).

Interesting that you mention the silver sheen tree- my co-worker has one and loves it.

Our front yard is quite large for OC standards. We could definitely put a regular tree there, but I am also aiming to put a tree-like shrub that you suggest. What do you think of Ceanothus?

Cercidium 'Desert Museum' is gorgeous.

Which Orange County nurseries would carry this? Is is hard to find?

JoonB, since you are in OC, have you checked out Tree of Life Nursery on Ortega Highway? You might find some good ideas for native choices there. I see on their website that they have some activities planned for next week.

No, I have not been to Tree of Life yet. My neighbor has a native landscape and always tells me about this place. I will have to check it out! Thanks

I have a "Desert Museum" Palo verde and love it. Gets tons of yelllow flowers on it during the summer/fall. If you are afrais of bees, don't put it next to a patio area because it will be filled with hundreds of bees in the summer. It also is thornless (make sure to prune out any suckers) and can tolerate some summer water. You should be able to find it at any nursury in the area. I know that H&H in Lakewood carries them as well as armstrong nurseries. Tree of life has them also.

Thanks boozer52!

I have to think about the bees- I love the tree, but with a patio and the kids I don't know if it's an appropriate tree. What do you all think?

I love my lovely native evergreen lyonothamnus which does have some leaf drop, but it's not to the point being annoying, IMO. (And it's not a palm, thank goodness. I mean, do we really need another palm tree?) I'll take a picture and post it tomorrow, hopefully.

If you're looking for a small patio tree that's deciduous, I also like my native Western redbud, but they tend not to bloom much if you're near the coast, although, the last two years we've have unusually cold winters in Huntington Beach (relatively speaking) and it's bloomed more heavily in the last two years than it had in the previous 15 years.