Where in AZ are you?

Chandler Zone 9b

Maybe also:

golden leadball tree (leucaena retusa) or mexican buckeye or desert willow.

Here is a link that might be useful: Leucaena retusa (pdf)

Possibly screwbean mesquite.

I have a Crepe Myrtle that I absolutly love. They are so easy to take care of & their blooms are beautiful.

Good Luck!

I'd go for a Jacaranda. Ferny foliage that gives nice filtered shade-looses some leaves in winter before spring flowering. Gorgeous deep purple flowers in early May, extremely heat tollerant, non invasive roots, water every couple weeks when established-more often to speed growth. Deep green lush folliage all summer.

Thanks azamigo I will look into the Jacaranda I've not heard of that one.

The golden lead ball tree looks intersting to but I belive the buckeye is poisonous and I think the screw bean mesquite (which looks really interesting! may be too big)

Thanks all for the suggestions so far!

Look for a tree that doesn't exceed about 16 feet wide at maturity. There are a number of selections to choose from including:

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) - Glossy green leaves contrast nicely with the gray-white bark. Fragrant flowers from pink to deep rose appear spring to fall and attract hummingbirds. May need some selective pruning to achieve an attractive single or multitrunked form. They provide excellent filtered shade for understory plantings.

Mexican Elderberry (Sambucas mexicana) - deciduous small tree that grows to 20' tall x 15' wide. It is similar to the blue elderberry. It is fast growing and drought tolerant. Birds relish the small purple berries.

Chaste tree (Vitex Agnus-castus) - Sometimes called Vitex or Monk's Pepper. Tends to be multitrunked. Blooms summer into fall with fragrant lavender flower spikes. The leaves are dark green above and gray below.

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) - also called Chinese Date. This deciduous tree will grow to 30' x 15'. It has glossy, bright green leaves with clusters of small, yellow flowers that bloom in late spring and summer. Fleshy red fruit is produced in the fall and can be eaten.

The Coral Tree is easily damaged by frost and may not grow as large as you'll like. Brongniartia alamosana may be hard to find - my source says it grows 8-10 feet tall, 6-8 ft. wide. Crape Myrtle often struggles here in our salty soils and brutal climate. In your planter it may be easier to manage the pH. The Desert Museum matures at about 30 x 30 - too big for your space. Mexican Redbud would be a good choice - it matures to about 15' x 15'. The Mulga (Acacia aneura) has interesting color to its leaves and matures at about 20' tall x 10' wide. Jacaranda will be too big for the space you have, maturing at 50' tall by 30' wide.

I have an African sumac that I really like. Quite a beautiful little tree, in my opinion, with bamboo-like foliage. LOTS of little seedlings everywhere, however...

I really like the chaste tree, as well.

That Jacaranda will get huge

i ijust bought chaste tree, in a 24in box, from treeland nursery. i'm really excited. i'm hoping it will be planted in the next week or so. i've heard that they're wonderful trees. i have a small yard as well, i think it's 25x28ft. it's replacing a mesquite that fell over. i've been told that they grow fast and have a strong root system. good luck.

aztreelvr - thanks for the recommendations. I can't find a mexican redbud anywhere!!!

I may have just made a big mistake as I bought an arizona ash yesturday. I was told it matures to about 25ft but when I looked it up it seems to get much bigger than that. The nursery told me that I can control the height through pruning and water. I hope this isn't amistake maybe I should cancel the order?

I also bought a carolina laurel cherry, although I didn't know it was a laurel when I bought it they just said cherry. They said the cherries are fine around pets but now I read the tree is poisonous. It is supposed to hide my AC units which it will but how dangerous are they really?

I was so excited to have bought these trees and be done thinking about it but now I have other concerns.

What do you think?

They did have Mexican Redbuds at Shady Way Nursery in Apache Junction.
A tree that I like that doesn't get too wide is Acacia Salincia. Another that so far hasn't gotten very wide is Shoestring Acacia and the shade is light for growing things under it.

Baker Nursery had Mex redbuds last spring; they were $109 in relatively small containers! I'd like one, too. My neighbor has one and it's quite stunning.

tudorrose

Arizona Ash (as well as Fantex, Shamel, Modesto) need lots and lots of water and grow naturally along waterways. Although they will grow in our urban landscapes they often struggle here. If you try to control growth by withholding water, you are likely to send the tree into stress which will affect its health and make it prone to attach by insects.

You can't fight genetics. If a tree has the genes to become a 60 foot tall tree, you will never be able to keep it at a height of 20 feet without constant pruning. This can also be a source of stress for the tree. Each pruning cut is a wound that the tree spends its energy reserves on trying to heal. This can result in a weakened tree that is more vulnerable to pathogens.

My suggestion would be to purchase a tree with a mature size that will be within the limits of the space you have.

aztreelvr what are your thoughts on the Mexican Redbud?

I have switched out the Laurel Cherry for a small orange tree and I'm still contemplating the ash. I can't find a definitive answer on just how big it gets. Everything I read says something different!!

I was just given 3 desert willows (very snall yet not more than 12 inches each.) in small pots. don`t know anything about them except what I read on this thread. hoe tall and how much space they need.
jan

If you don't want big and messy avoid Jacaranda. We had them all over in the area I grew up in California, they were farily fast growing and shed the fern leaves and then the blooms. They were all somewhere between 20 to 40 feet tall. Very shady under the branches when mature.