Hello Mindy(?),

I also live in Las Vegas. Finding multitrunk trees is easy here but that ten foot width really narrows things down. Arizona Rosewood (Vauquelinia californica) is usually an evergreen shrub sort of like an oleander that can get to be a twenty foot tall bush but if pruned like a tree can be quite nice and more narrow than a mesquite or palo verde, evergreen and a good screen. It has attractive whitish flowers in the spring.

Another possibility is the Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora). These don't get too wide and they have beautiful evergreen leaves, fragrant grape looking flowers in spring, and are not messy. The problem with them is they don't grow very fast so you would have to be patient.

I've also seem quite a few bottle brush trees (Brachychiton populneus) around and they are evergreen, sort of poplar looking, and not really wide. I have heard complaints from some about thier boat shaped seed pods that have some hairy irritating stuff in them if you're not careful with them. Check these out and see what you think.

Happy gardening, Maria

Many thanks for your suggestions!

dRahme -- Your web site was very informative. I will use it as a reference for MANY plants! I'm intrigued by your Contorted Filbert. It certainly is unique-looking! I'm just not sure how it would grow here in the hot, hot desert. So if I decide to try it, I'll probably put it in the backyard and not front & center out front!

Maria -- Thank you for putting so much time into your reply. The Texas Mountain Laurel sounds like it may do the trick. I'll also look into the Arizona Rosewood, since that will probably work well as a screen in the backyard (to block out the view of my neighbor's pool!)

Hi Mindy, you know one thing I did not mention was the good old Tamarisk. Multi Trunk, Green most of the year, nice privacy - and free ( you can start on from tip cuttings. Another that is looking like will do nicely is locust, if you keep multiple trunks. I've been doing a little experimenting with this (also free if you look around). I am a big believer in free.

It has been very hot here in Northen Nevada and the Tamerisks I have, have held up very well indeed. An interesting subtopic - lookup Manna from Heaven.

I am also in the midst of experimenting with a mystery tree (Landscaping, chapter 2). If that goes, it will be a multi-trunked tree, good privacy during the growing season and quite the conversation piece.

Nevada certainly present a challenge. Fun stuff to write about.
dRahme