I haven't been happy with my Australian willow acacia, Acacia salicina. Thin tree, very messy, sheds leaves all summer, sheds billions of white sticky blossoms in autumn into winter. I've had unexpected success with a cascolate, Caesalpinia cacalaco. I planted a 24-inch tall multi-trunked one 9 years ago and it is about fifteen feet high now, which I believe is about its max. It is the tree cousin of red desert birds of paradise, but has no thorns, has yellow blossoms, and after a few years becomes a repeat bloomer, several times per year. I live in Tucson, where we have more frost, and only one year's really hard and sustained freeze (daytime stayed below 32) made the leaves die. It didn't shed those leaves, so I spent a few minutes batting it with a broom, and discovered the bare form is very handsome. It grew new leaves in the spring. Most winters, it stays green all year round. It is Mexican, well suited to Arizona. I've noticed a number of them being planted along the interstate in Phoenix lately. Oh, and I like the sound of hearing its pods snap open at night and the tiny seeds bouncing on the brick patio, yet it is not a messy tree. Four years ago I planted a six-foot cascolate beside my wash, where it is chugging along less eagerly, but is getting there. Both have modest irrigation.

I grew 'Forest Pansy' way back when. It did quite well, growing as easily as the common eastern types, I didn't notice any difference in reliability so I recommend it for anyone. It did just fine in a particularly hot summer too & was a fairly fast grower. I recommend a spot with afternoon shade so the leaves stay nicer but mine got a lot of sun without too much problem. The color stays better in a bit of afternoon shade. I took it out a few years ago when redesigning the landscape here. There is one still growing up the road that has been there for years on the south side of the house but it gets a lot of shade from a larger tree & is smaller than mine was. The leaves are not only red, they are also larger than on the Eastern R.B. & very shiny. Mine bloomed heavily even along the trunk & main stems but produced no seed pods which I thought was an asset. I've seen some redbuds that look quite unattractive in summer with too many seedpods. Others look fine so they vary on this. One more thing about this tree I just remembered is that it is more umbrella-like in the canopy. Very graceful branching habit with a distinctly wider spread than the Eastern R.B. A very pretty shape. Another you might want to consider is Texas Redbud. Smaller leaves with wavy margins. Also, check out the Purple Smoke tree---Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'. These are stunning small ornamental trees. They do very good here. Another good long blooming tree that does well that you might be interested in is Desert Willow. Some have blooms that smell fantastic all summer. These 2 will both take heat, full sun & drought well. Just make sure to keep them regularly (but not over) watered until established, you should do just fine, experience or no. Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CECAT This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Mon, Apr 21, 14 at 2:10

Barb...both happy and sad....Happy he is moving forward with his life. Knowing he will go far as long as he stays focused on his studies, and learns to quit being so wasteful. Sad because he is moving on and we will be seeing very little of him in the next 4 years or so. We havent made any new life adventures yet. House needs some TLC. I suppose first we will get used to having a home with just us and the critters and go from there. Chell I used to be a dog and cat groomer. I loved it too. But my employer was a deedeedee. Never had the money to pay me each week and always "owed" me. And she never gave me my tips either.Then at the end of the year she reported more earnings for me than what I had really made.Fortunitly I kept records and proved my case and won, so make sure you don't let the same happen to you. I have kept my clippers, blades and accessories and still will do a neighbors dog or two once in awhile to keep my skills up.....but don't miss the hair stuck in places I did'nt know existed....lol. Love all the pictures the everyone post. Always enjoy seeing ya'lls babies. Regina

While this thread has been bumped, anyhow... Campanula: Taxus baccata fastigiata ("death - the gloomiest tree alive") These perceptions depend a lot of climate. Sorry, our beloved UK brethren...your COUNTRY being gloomy is part of the problem! Yearly hours of sun: Liverpool 1500 London 1630 Seattle 2169 Syracuse, NY 2119 (upstate NY considered rather cloudy by CONUS standards) Baltimore 2580 Los Angeles 3254 In fact in my all-too-brief time in Mediterranean areas, like the outskirts of Barcelona, I thought dark evergreens have the opposite of a gloomy effect. When the sun is blazing down on rocky, dry hills, the green of a carob tree looks like an oasis. Same with the Q. agrifolia of Ventura Co. CA etc. etc. It would be a different kind of gloomy if those areas just looked like the surface of the moon.