You might consider some tree aoenium's. They like it dry in the summer. They can look bad in the sun during the summer but can look OK if placed in the shade. If you can not leave them outside in your area bury the pot & bring them in during the winter.

No, it doesn't fit, but I think most about the wildlife, the birds living in it. It's not an ugly pine tree like the ones I have to put up with, either... I mean, we have some uuuugly pine trees, haha. That really is a nice tree by pine tree standards. And it's healthy and not at all taking over the facade of the house or shading the whole yard. For your landscape goals, it might not completely fit, sure, but I don't know that it would ruin the landscape style, and some plants like a little shade, so it could be made to work to your advantage. The tree might also better fit the goals of a future owner someday. Perhaps doubtful, I know. There will be those who will treasure a yard with a shade tree, and I'm one of them. It's a place for people to rest and a place for plants with certain needs. Not everything I like wants all-day direct sun. Trees give a space some personality. I personally tire of seeing flat yards with solely direct sun, even with the beauty of succulents. It just seems harsh and hot with the sun, and the yards begin to feel very flat and standard to me. But I know this doesn't bother many Californians. I'm used to rolling hills where I am, so wanting an open, flat yard is completely contrary to what I am used to and contrary to my view of landscape beauty. You are considering a replacement tree, though, so you can ignore that... :) I'd find a way to honor that tree in my landscaping plans, hell or high water. ;) If I had a large tree I wanted to keep, I'd consider placing a bench below it, creating a stone path leading to it, something to give the tree a positive spin and encourage a future owner to keep it. But that's just me and my idealistic way of things. This post was edited by teatree on Tue, Mar 18, 14 at 0:31

Caudex1--I missed your post at 9:13. Thanks! I've seen Long's drugs on lists before. What's the deal there? A particularly enlightened employee or owner? Given the Longs near where I live it's unbelievable. They sell Sluggo and Miracle Grow but that's about as far as I'd go. Maybe a pansy or two? I'm not even sure about that. I know this is unlikely, but you don't happen to know the name of the employee at Annie's who buys from Silverhill, do you? I bought something I was able to trace back to Silverhill (their descriptions were essentially the same). However the person who responded to my emails wasn't exactly knowledgeable about the plant. This was Coccinia quinqueloba and I had a thread about it here: Annie's didn't know, Silverhill didn't respond to my email and finally I contacted Kirstenbosch, who got back to me in hours. I suspect it would have been a lot simpler if my email had been forwarded to the correct person at Annie's. Off on another tangent: Does ordering from Silverhill entail any additional charges these days?

That Dichotoma was sold and paid for..then,when Richard began to move it..it wobbled. Turned out the roots had rotted.the rot went up into the trunk so no re-rooting possible. Of course money was refunded. Worst of all? they offered the 3' trunk to me yesterday and I forgot it!!!..pictures,talking,.arghh.I drove away.Dumb.