Salicaceae, I'm gonna stay out of the overall conversation on this, but just wanted to comment on your post above. Natives vs. non-natives is an entirely different subject than invasives vs. non-invasives! Maybe you know this and your comment above just came across wrong, but, if not, you might want to take another look at what these things really mean. You are correct that one more individual invasive plant probably won't make a huge difference, in the grade scheme of things, if introduced into an area already heavily populated with that species. However, that doesn't make it any more ethical. It's like throwing garbage out of your car window while driving down an already heavily littered highway (except maybe a little worse, since this type of litter multiplies). It may not make a noticeable difference, but that doesn't mean it's a responsible or an ethical thing to do. Introducing non-native non-invasives is cool; it makes gardening more interesting. But, I can't think of any good reason to introduce invasive plants; there's too many awesome well behaved choice available.

Yes, we are Sunset 3B here.... The sunshine on most days and temps in summer is the reason so much agriculture grows successfully here. Of course, they irrigate. I am surprised Wenatchee is the same zone as us, but I guess it doesn't take into account the amount of snowfall they get (They are probably the -15f extreme.. we are more like -5f.) RE: the suitability of the trees I listed, The Thornless Honeylocust seems to thrive here, it does well in alkaline soil and is drought tolerant. As a prairie tree, it thrives in full sun. I have noticed many honeylocusts in yards that do not irrigate, growing just fine... The list of negatives of the tree is pretty short, and it seems very adaptable to our conditions. Linden -- RE: irrigating, I don't know. We will have some lawn on the property, so a tree/trees in that area would get more water. Linden tolerates alkaline soil and has small leaves... Thus, it seemed to be an *option.* ash -- I still have to go to our local extension office.. I will ask them about borers here. Ash also tolerates alkaline soil and was another option for my lawn area. If the borers are that bad here, I won't consider it.

You are 100% correct on the hawthorn hybridization, they seem ready to jump in the sack with any other hawthorn that is in bloom at the same time. A good example of natural/semi-natural inter-specific hybridization could be those blight resistant selections of american chestnut. Seeing that the Chinese chestnut is resistant, and there have been some intentional hybridizations to introduce blight resistance, I would be very surprised if there wasn't some natural inter-specific hybridization between the two; as well as with the various chinquapin species.

I can sympathize with both you and your H and would try to find a happy medium. I would clear some of your side yard and leave some of it wild, while at the same time forge ahead with your plans for wildlife gardens and the water feature. Here are a couple of guidelines I would follow in clearing some of the overgrowth - 1) Clear all vegetation out from around the shed. I manage property for a living. It is important to remove all vegetation growing close to, onto, or overhanging buildings. The vegetation holds moisture, encourages rot and mold/mildew, and can harbor insect and rodent pests which are very bad for houses and outbuildings. 2) ID your plant species and remove non-native invasive plants. Your state probably has a list of invasive, prohibited, or noxious plants. Although birds and other critters love the tangle of vines and edible berries that grow with such plants as Oriental bittersweet and shrub Honeysuckle, these plants are not native to North America and are extremely invasive and destructive to the native ecosystem. They grow rampant and crowd out native plants, which reduces biodiversity and will hasten extinction of native flora and fauna. Keep the natives, especially woody trees and shrubs like the Chokecherry - an excellent wildlife and bird tree! I wouldn't worry about dead wood, in fact dead trees and branches provide critical habitat for cavity nesters and birds will eat the insects that inhabit dead wood. I leave dead tree snags, shrubbery, and many dead lower branches intact in my yard (just in back, not front - the neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate it!). The birds love to use them for nesting and perches. In fact, I've had a pair of Bluebirds nesting in the natural cavities of dead pine snags this year! Mom Bluebird in nesting cavity -