Thanks. I've thought about a Palo Verde but I've yet to find one at a reasonable price. Also I'm in zone 10b, sunset 24' coastal so cal and we get a lot of summer fog (June Gloom). I'm concerned the palo verde might not be happy here....?

They seem to be getting very popular and most of them that I've seen in my local nurseries are 24" boxes with big prices. I have family in Las Vegas and they found me a 15 gallon one up there and brought it with them when they came to visit. I don't know how they would perform near the coast, I'm in the valleys of LA.

I live on the coastal/inland line in SoCal, so we get the May Grays and June Gloom as well and there are quite a few Palo Verdes around town (want one myself but I don't have the room). Unless you're right on the ocean, I think they'd be fine. If you check with a reputable nursery and tell them where you live, they should be able to give you a definitive answer.

Queen Palms are nice, but messy! Very little shade. Not sure they are drought tolerant though. I think Mexican Fan Palms are, but in time they will grow tall.

Also I'm in zone 10b, sunset 24' coastal so cal and we get a lot of
summer fog (June Gloom). I'm concerned the palo verde might not be happy
here....?

In my area there are some palo verde trees planted in a narrow parkway about a 1/2 mile from the beach and they seem to be thriving. The parkway is also covered with Arizona flagstone which reflects heat towards the trees.

I would love to have one, but too much shade in the yard -- neighbors' deciduous trees only allow consistent sun in the winter.

How about an olive tree? You can prune them to an open shape and keep them as small as you like. There are the non fruiting ones that don't make a mess. They are very drought friendly.

Chitalpa is an open branching tree that is ca native. Some"sun plants" can take shade in the summer and need the sun in the winter so you might want to think about a deciduous tree.

Chitalpa is a generally considered to be an intergeneric hybrid (Chilopsis linearis and Catalpa bignoniodes). The Chilopsis is native to the southwest, and Catalpa bignoniodes is native to the southeastern U.S.

I'm coastal So CA and same zone as you. I have a Gold Medallion (Cassia Leptophylla; http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/gold-medallion-tree/) in my parkway strip and one in my front yard. It loses its leaves for about a month each year, so it looks a little bleak right now, but soon we'll be treated with beautiful fern-like leaves and yellow flowers that last and last and last. A real show-stopper tree, and very well behaved. Leaves and open structure create only dappled shade, and our 7-yr-old trees are only 15-20 feet tall. A 15-gal specimen shouldn't set you back too much $$. We got ours from Plant Depot in San Juan Cap but Armstrong carries them also, I think.

what about ceanothus? i planted one a year and a half ago - a cultivar called siempre blue from theodore payne. i chose that one because it was more open than the ray hartman, which can get a bit dense, thought they take pruning so can be shaped. mine is now 12 feet tall but shade is light. blooms blue too. or manzanita - i love the pretty smooth bark. lots of different cultivars available. theodore payne is a great resource.