Desert willow is a very attractive tree and won't get overly large. It would look quite stunning on the corner. It may be a little easier to grow than the acacia as well.

You might want to think about a chitalpa, too.

I really like the shape of a mature Palo Verde and they are gorgeous while in bloom.

Thank you for the feedback! I forgot that my DH wants to grow some type of fruit tree in the spot, but being prominently on the corner with low-water...not sure I can think of anything to fit the bill.

I looked into the chitalpa and the Palo Verde. Desert Museum PV is lovely, and so is the chitalpa. Maybe the decision will come down to what I can find locally and/or what DH prefers. I like yellow flowers over pink -- we have pepto bismol pink crape myrtles that bloom in the summertime so that's plenty of pink.

EDIT -- I just came across a tree called Palo blanco, which has a similar look to birch. Any thoughts on how Palo blanco would perform in Sacramento -- based on what I've read it would do well in the spot (full hot sun, low water, it's on a hill so the soil drains well).

Brachychiton populneus and acerifolius are both very attractive trees. Populneus is evergreen, while acerifolius is semi-decidious.

Josue -- both are lovely but too huge! I live in a small tract home development, lots are mostly under 1/6 of an acre (we are 1/6 due to being on a corner). Definitely looking for something with a lighter and more open/airy feel, too, given the conspicuous placement on the corner.

Figs are relatively low water, don't get huge, grow fast, have fruit, attractive white bark, lush leaves. Sounds like a fit for your conditions and requirements.

Funny you mention figs, that's another one we considered. But I thought figs did need a reasonable amount of water. I love green figs best!

kadota

I even have a pomegranate that needs to be moved -- great suggestion! I do not care for the shape of the pomegranate shrub, that's my only issue. How hard are they to maintain in tree form? My parents' sucker like crazy.

Once the pomegranate trees get older, they retain their shape better. Our 10+ year old trees were trained to have clean trunks up to 5 feet off the ground and now have a wide, weeping habit. We take the suckers out occasionally. I find their habit very similar to bottlebrush trees: multiple trunks with a wide, weeping habit.

I haven't grown any figs in my gardens but the LA area neighborhood I grew up in had several wild fig trees growing in unirrigated vacant lots. They all produced fruit and thrived. I think once they are established figs can be quite drought tolerant.

Figs just need some water to produce good fruit, but not a lot of water (deep irrigation once every week or two weeks). Seemingly unirrigated figs with good fruit are probably accessing a shallow water table. I have known of fig trees, some quite old, surviving in totally dry situations where old homesteads used to be, but the fruit was generally small, hard, and inedible. The nice thing about fig trees is that they are very amenable to pruning for size and shape.

Thanks for the feedback about the pom and fig watering. This tree will be near sidewalk since it's on the front corner. What do you guys think, is that a ridiculous spot for a fruit tree? In theory we'd keep the fruit cleaned up, but what kind of mess are we in for if we don't?

Sounds like pomegranate for the win -- we already have one that needs to be moved, and my DH said he would ensure the fruit is always cleaned up. Thanks so much, I would not have considered the pomegranate!

Someone said birch was a river bank tree with a short lifespan. Our area lost a number of them in the drought. I like Desert Willows very much.

The drought is definitely taking a toll on our birch. They are a prominent part of the front landscape, so it will be weird when they're gone.