First, these are not MY choices - they are recommended by the California extension service for the poster's area. Generally, these bodies take into account problematic species and are not inclined to suggest or recommend known invasives for a specific area. It is always appropriate to remember that invasive characteristics are typically determined by regional and climatic factors and are not universal in their application. As a major agricultural state and with a great deal of public and private undeveloped land, California is very aware of invasive species and rather proactive in their restrictions. And "fast" is a relative term and also carries with it the caveat that a fast growing tree often displays unfortunate charcteristics that have other, less desireable outcomes. Shade is not instantaneous and patience is a huge virtue when it comes to planting and gardening. If instant shade gratification is required, it often makes much better sense to select a more mature, larger sized tree that has a moderate or slower rate of growth than one that will rapidly achieve too great a size or exhibit weak wood or other drawbacks typically associated with rapid growth.

Hi: Roughly what size tree would you like to have, eventually, or leave to posterity? You said shade tree, but I don't know if you'd like a tree 30' tall, 60' tall or 100' tall down the road. Are you particularly interested in sticking to a native species, or are exotics okay with you? How important is the longevity of the tree? We planted an October Glory red maple in our backyard this year; my wife & I like the form of red & sugar maples somewhat better than some of the oaks, but some oaks can potentially live far longer than red or sugar maples (if you think the rapid landscape remodeling of civilization is actually going to leave your tree along for over 150 years, this is a potential issue). If you're looking to shade part of 3 acres, would you consider planting, oh, say, 3 trees? In other words, do you want one huge tree casting a lot of shade in one area, or might you plant a Northern Red Oak for your lost child? In fact, depending on how many kids you've got total, perhaps you could plant some kind of tree or shrub for each? Might give them a sense of common ground with their lost sibling. Would perhaps let you have a Northern Red-Oak, October Glory, perhaps another tree or two. I'm in KY; I don't know what all can stand your winters. Richard.

Pepper (Schinus molle) is a beatiful tree but very messy, continually dropping litter, which is going to blow all over in your windy conditions--the wood is somewhat brittle. Also a lot of surface roots. The other two you mention would be cleaner choices. Brachychiton is a bit tender and the seedpods can be messy but litter is not as bad as S. molle. Important things to keep in mind when selecting trees: How big you'd like them to get. Trees get big. You never think they can, but they do. And what if a strong wind knocks them over? What will they hit when they fall? Sometimes a large shrub is a better choice than a tree. How much pruning you are willing to do or to pay for? Often a tree with an initial low price will be costly to prune, wiping out the initial savings many times over. Will they need corrective pruning when young to form a strong mature tree? Surface roots--will the root system lift pavement, invade pipes or septic systems? Or does it go straight down and not bother much of anything? Litter: does the tree drop litter continually, or just once or twice a year? How much litter is acceptable to you? Will your neighbors complain about litter? Will the litter be slippery and cause a hazard on sidewalks nearby? How fast does the tree grow? Fast growing trees are nice, but often the wood is weaker than that of slower growers. If you have a windy site, weak wood could be a hazard. Just some things to think about. No one's answered your question and it's been quite a few days--surely there are some desert dwellers out there with good suggestions.

Sounds to me like you could solve all your wants and needs by building a pergola over your patio and planting a quick-growing vine such as sweet autumn clematis or another tall growing vigorous climber... This way you get a real nice addition to your existing patio (could build it yourself for cheap)......you get a vine (or multiple vines of different flowering colors/fall colors) that produces your desired flowers.....and you get it all immediately... Lastly, I would suggest purchasing vines that are well established to get your desired effect...such as clematis in a 5 gallon bucket for example. If you send me your email address I'll send you photos of what I've built... Blacklab