Immediately, you can remove those rings of rock around the trees. :) And kill that Palo Verde: the volunteers are usually weak-branched messy things. I would also get rid of the Cape Honeysuckle in favor of something that is more 'deserty', like another tree. It's a big green blob right there. I would start by finding some books on desert landscaping and reading them (Sunset's Western Garden book ... essential and saves a lot of mistakes). Small desert shrubs mingled with the trees, if you can keep the dogs from laying on them, will settle the trees, as will perennial wildflowers like desert marigold, brittlebrush, etc. You can harvest seeds, start them in pots and set them out when the summer rains have started to minimize water use. I do activity-based area planning. Read the article at the link below: it's what I do to clients and have them do before we start talking about picking up a shovel. After you have the activities and how much room they will get, and where, the rest gets much easier. If you need to demolish anything, do it as early as possible. Landscape as if the fence you plan is already there. To continue the landscape out past the chain link fence, just repeat the plant material and lines across the fence. Instead of a line of anything along the fence, have an open group of them falling across the fence line. Beware of Cassias - some can become invasive pests. I'm still fighting Feathery Cassia seedlings from the ones we removed 5 years ago. Stick to AZ desert natives or plants that don't have a rep for running amok. For more shade, and we AZonians do really need it, how about a trellis or arbor along the "dog walk". Check zoning and building codes, but usually an unroofed arbor is OK. http://www.flickr.com/photos/38617480@N07/3614575147/in/set-72157619486607319/ shows my west-side arbor. It's growing a Queen's Wreath and some beans right now. Here is a link that might be useful: Make your own landscape plan

2 wears ago we planted 2 willow acacias in our yard. One is doing well and other one(20ft away) is very scraggly and does not have a lot of new growth. They are both on a drip twice a week for 2 and a half hrs. Is there anything I could do to encourage better growth. Its leaves are not browning or falling off, its just not full like the other one. Could part of the problem be that it lost a fairly large branch to a wind storm last summer?

Hi again, If you are interested in some of my seeds, please give me your trade list and your email address so that I can contact you. I am not interested in SASE. I donate most of my extra seeds to my "Seeds for Classrooms" program that I arranged with the local school board and schools (6,000 pkg a couple months ago). Other extra "useful" vegetable and herb seeds get donated to disaster relief organizations. Hope to hear from you about your seeds for zone 3 hardy and interesting perennials and shrubs. Happy Gardening

Don't plant a Magnolia if you're worried about mess. Someone planted one 50 years ago next to our pool. It is absolutely beautiful and give great shade to the south side of the house, BUT it is very, very messy. The large leaves drop all year, heaviest in the spring, and they take years to decompose. In the summer the beautiful flowers drop bud sheaths and then petals. Later in fall, heavy cones drop and bring tons of squirrels who pull them apart after the seeds and leave a mess everywhere. Plus the cones are kinda spiky, painful if you accidentally step on one, plus a tripping hazard. So yes, a beautiful majestic tree...for the outer edges of a property, not near a patio. You have been warned, lol. The Africarpus gracilior is a pretty good choice, they do get huge with age, but are fast and pretty clean, and handle heat and soil compaction well. Josue Diaz's suggestion of Brachychiton populneus is a good choice too, lovely tree, too tender for where I am, but should do great for you. Stan's suggestion of a Tristaniopsis laurina is a good one too, but pretty slow growing. If you want shade soon, I'd get the largest one you can find. It will be expensive, but save you several years waiting. I love Ficus microcarpa (Indian Laurel)! Beautiful tree, gorgeous white smooth trunk! I just got back from visiting my daughter in San Luis Obispo and the downtown streets are lined with them and they're very majestic. Do be aware that they can get very large buttress roots with age, but if you give them lots of root room near the patio, but not right next to or in the patio, they should be fine.