Here's a picture of the front of the house (the new half-circle drive will go from the driveway on the right to the front of where the brick-lined pathway is now). The yard isn't as big as this real-estate picture makes it look. To make the circle, it will go to almost where the brick pathway is (and that brick pathway will be removed with planters put in front of the two windows).

zone 10 is a hard climate zone. I would have many suggestions, but none of them would really thrive in your climate. Palm trees are so cliché in SoCal, please don't plant another palm.

You might want to investigate dry tropical plants, maybe fruit trees. Pomegranates grow very well in your climate. Most people who think they don't like pomegranates have never had freshly squeezed pomegranate juice from a local orchard, much better than the crap at the store. Another unusual option I will throw out is a longan tree, it is a relative of Lychee but tolerates dry conditions better. I really like the taste of Longan, and it will only grow 15-20ft tall in your climate. Or what about a nice big orange tree or lemon?

Camphor trees grow well in your climate, and were widely planted in SoCal in the 50's. The leaves have a pleasant faintly aromatic smell. I think camphor trees have expansive roots though...

Another unusual ornamental is the yellow cotton tree.

If you are in Southern California you should be focusing on drought tolerant trees. Most birch need a lot of water. Not a good choice for full sun in zone 10 in a place notorious for droughts.

How about some native trees?

California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)

California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica)

Coast Live Oak

Or low water using trees.

Blue Oak

Valley Oak

Village Green Zelkova

Gardening in Southern California is different from most of the US. You get to plant tropical trees that the rest of the US can't, but water is an issue. If you plant the trees you see in other parts of the country, they will die the first time there is a water ban.

You should check out the California Gardening forum, and contact your county soil conservation extension.

With a lawn as green and lush as that, you might have to go through a bit of a learning curve regarding xerophytic/drought tolerant plants.

Thanks! I should mention that this is the real estate picture from when we bought the house--the lawn is crispier now, and we're taking out the grass in front of the house, except for a patch on the left side.

edlincoln, my first other choice was a live oak, I just love front yards with live oak, but live oaks are protected once they get a certain size, so if it ever needed to come back out, it couldn't--I love that Village Green Zelkova, have never heard of it. It says the roots aren't a problem, which is a great.

Magnolia? It's our town's "tree." Drought friendly.

I don't think Magnolias have invasive roots because our town puts them along the streets. A fruitless olive might be a nice thing too. Our neighbor has one and he prunes it in many ball shapes. Very striking and drought friendly.

Palms are native here and pop up everywhere, but they have one big taproot, so not invasive at all, root-wise. We have about 8 on our property and are constantly plucking baby palms out of the ground. Very prolific and I don't think they make fruitless palms.

I never thought of Magnolias as southwestern trees (not w.o. irrigation as least), doesn't a Magnolia have to rely on supplemental watering in southern Cal.?

Tristania Conferta, now officially Lophostemon Confertus. Brisbane Box Tree.

Suggested by many cities to be used in parkways, even if they are 5'. Very low water once established.

Here is the one that made up my mind to buy 6 of these to plant along the west side of my house where I had 10' between house and block wall. This tree has been in this narrow planter in Ontario Mill Shopping Center for nearly 20 years and gets minimal water. Notice that there is no damage to concrete or asphalt. They keep their leaves all year in this climate.

Re: Southern Magnolia. I have a mature one next to a row of mature Citrus. It requires about the same water as the Citrus. NOT low water in this climate.

That Tristania Conferta looks like a nice big shade tree.

I would imagine the city waters their Magnolias on a drip system according to drought mandates. Driving through town, I see many people have them in their yards and they seem to be thriving even in the drought. We don't have a magnolia, but do have many citrus.

Everything on our property is on drip irrigation. All our trees are watered 3 x per week at 5 AM for 45 minutes with 2 gallon emitters. Magnolias like alkaline, well drained soil and need deep watering now and then. (according to Sunset Western Garden Book)

The Tristania Conferta that I planted as 24" box trees almost 2 years ago are now fairly well established. The trunks are 3-4" diameter. They are getting watered from a grey water tank so I know how much they are getting fairly accurately. I run 40 gallons onto the 6 trees about once every 3 weeks this time of year. I think I watered them twice Nov-May but we did get some unusual rain at start of summer. That seems like very low water needs to me.

Not to hijack this thread gregbradley, but we are looking for a fast growing non invasive root shade tree that is NOT messy. Is the Tristania Conferta messy? Like does it bloom and drop pollen and pods, go dormant and lose it's leaves in winter? We have a Silky Oak that is the messiest tree on earth, and it's going bye bye this fall.

Many people are impatient and can't wait, and want a fast growing tree, but that can really limit your options, and many of these fast growing trees are not as attractive looking. That being said, ornamental cherries are considered fast growing trees, though they generally do not grow well in zones 9-10.

(I will quickly mention here that there are a few cherry varieties that can do well in zone 9)

That Tristania Conferta looks like a nice big shade tree.

A big shade tree is one over 60' high, that Brisbane box is making enough shade to cover the truck when the sun was in the position it was in at photo time - and that is about it.

Thanks for all the comments! We don't need fast-growing. I've been googling all the suggestions and there's some problems with either Zone 10 hardiness or the low-invasive-root requirement.

Now I'm torn--what about a fruit tree instead of a pretty tree? Since we're removing the grass, we could water to the tree's preferences. Something like a naval orange or satsuma or mandarin? Are there any citrus trees that are pretty enough to be a focal tree in a driveway?

The beauty of citrus is they do bear fruit and they are evergreen. Choose one whose fruits you will love and use. Bearss Lime. Margarita and guacamole time! Lemons can be used in salad dressing daily. Little lemon squeeze, olive oil, salt, pepper... Yum! Citrus will give you more fruit than you can use, so choose wisely.

We have 2 lemons (more than enough), 4 blood oranges (are you kidding?), a navel, 2 ruby red grapefruit, and one Bearss lime. I forgot the dwarf citrus.

the low-invasive-root requirement.

==>>> did you miss my comments above???

ken

Ken, It's not sewer pipes, but the water line in is maybe 8 feet away? I was told that if you put a barrier around the water pipes, if they're not leaking anyway, that low-invasive roots should be all right, even though no tree is zero risk. I don't know if we'd put the tree in ourselves, it depends on what size tree we can find for the type of tree it is. On all the web sites I've been seeing, like the <https://selectree.calpoly.edu/>; one, it divides tree roots by low or moderate or high invasiveness. I was shocked to learn that that the little decorative ficus trees already planted by the living room window are rated highly invasive! And they're like, oh, six inches from the house! I guess they'll have to come out. I didn't even think of them as real trees since they're little.

What are the "little decorative ficus trees"? Ficus benjamina?! Little trees?! They wanna form massive banyan like forests. But, that's in a wet climate. Don't know what they do in a drier Mediterranean climate..., with drought no less, probably seek out the nearest water pipe ASP.

Planted that close to a house Ficus Benjamina will destroy your slab. Better get rid of those fast! They are very common in Southern California, but their roots are invasive. Same with Ficus Carica. We have about 35 Caricas because we love figs, but they are planted away from the house and down the hillside on our acreage.

I believe ken_adrian's point is the risk posed by invasive roots is exaggerated. If the pipe isn't leaking, the roots won't invade. And he couldn't visualize what barrier product he was using, but some types of barriers might keep the roots from reaching for water and nutrients.

I still like the Blue Oak and The California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica).

If your first choice was a live oak...go for it. Personally, I'd find the legal protections a selling point. I get attached to the trees I plant, and would be upset at the idea of a subsequent owner chopping them down...legal protection for what I plant would be a bonus. And realistically, how many years until that tree gets big enough to be protected anyway?

If you are going for fruit, there is the JUJUBE or the Persimmon.

Most all Citrus are highly ornamental. The flowers are also beautifully fragrant. Choose one that bears a fruit you will actually eat and that does well in Sunset 24.

Crape Myrtles while a fine tree, are usually not recommended for Sunset 24, as it is not usually hot enough for them and they end up mildewed. Look around your neighborhood to see if any established trees are doing well.

Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum' seems to be popular around here these days. I am doubtful it would be happy so close to the coast.

Tristania is well behaved and a good standard choice, if rather boring. It seems on the large size for the OP's front yard. It is evergreen and drops leaves lightly year round. Not messy as trees go. ALL trees drop litter at some point. Skilled pruning by someone who knows how when young to shape if necessary and develop strong structure is a good idea.

A dwarf Magnolia like 'Little Gem' or 'Teddy Bear' might work. Do not be deceived by the "dwarf"--they get quite large, just not as large as a regular Magnolia.

Or if you like the deciduous type, something like 'Black Tulip'. Full size Magnolia grandiflora is often planted and is too large for a typical lot here. The roots will pop the sidewalk, as happened at my Mom & Dad's house.

Camphor gets enormous and the root systems are a problem. The neighbor's 14 year old tree is already cracking their driveway and retaining walls.

Native--look at a Manzanita, they are slow, but beautiful. Arctostaphylos glauca might work.

Orange tree:

Lose the ficus ASAP!

Thanks for the continued great suggestions! I haven't seen "Parkinsonia" around here, and they're so interesting! Crape Myrtle actually do great in the immediate area here--it's peak bloom right now.

Uh, I must confess I did miss your humor, edlincoln! We had a huge tree meets sewer problem when selling our first house a year ago--fifty years ago, someone had planted a floss silk tree right smack dab on top of the main sewer line, and we ended up having to pay to re-do the whole sewer in the house sale, and it was a hot mess. So I was completely believing that trees are out to get things! :)

I can't believe that tiny little ficus trees are a problem. (Their native habitat is really on the podiums of large Protestant churches. . )

Thanks for all the food for thought, everyone!

Are carob trees planted in SoCal? Not native, but when I visited the Mediterranean coast of Spain they seemed to make nice shade trees in that climate, so they must be a little drought tolerant.

At my previous property of 11 acres, had hundreds of naturally occurring blue oaks. Loved them. My other favorite tree which I have planted on 3 properties is fruitless mulberry.

Ficus trees are really bad news. They are okay house plants but they grow from little to 90 ft. in no time outside, in our climate, and their multiple stems merge into a thick trunk, like subtropix said, just like a Banyan tree. To support that huge trunk, they put out thick lateral roots for stability. The former owner of our home planted a ficus near our pool & over the sprinkler line. We were advised to remove it asap, it was about 12 ft. tall with just a few visible surface roots. But when we did, we found thick rope like roots ranging 30 ft. away in every direction. We literally ripped up the whole lawn in the backyard pulling it out. It's gone now but it can readily forms trees from roots left in the ground so we are watching vigilantly. :/ It's ironically called the skateboarder's favorite tree because it easily buckles concrete sidewalks. My advise is pull those ficus saplings out today, you'll be happy you did. :)

Info on Ficus tree roots

I'm in your zone so I took note of what trees I saw on my morning walk. Some do require water. Besides those already mentioned: Bauhinia, some type of bottlebrush, Erythrina, Olive, Redbud Forest Pansy and Podocarpus.

Some another trees I was contemplating planting myself:

As hoovb mentioned, Parkinsonia Desert Museum is very pretty.

Vitex Tree (chaste tree)- it's a small water wise full sun tree with a twisted interesting multi trunk and purple spikes of flowers that stand out from the crown, like a butterfly bush has. I'm not sure if it has any major drawbacks, like litter or invasive roots etc. Does anyone know?

Hong Kong Orchid Tree (bauhinia Blakeana) - a beautiful tree with heart shaped leaves and orchid like flowers. I believe the Hong Kong version, versus other "bauhinia" varieties, has no seed pods, so no reseeding. I don't know its drawbacks either, but would love to hear any info. :)

Plumerias - I have quite a few of these. They come in all sizes from full size to minis that are 4' tall. Beautiful leaves, fragrant colorful flowers and a tropical look, but they do lose their leaves off season in some areas. Mine in sunset 19 actually doesn't lose their leaves. Other drawbacks, they can grow slowly and some gardeners in the plumeria forum report that people have stolen their potted plumerias or have cut branches off of them. :/

"I don't know its drawbacks either, but would love to hear any info. :)"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong#Geography_and_climate

16 inches of rain in July...so almost a half million gallons of water expressed in acre-inches. Average LA rainfall in July: 0.03". Not that you couldn't make it grow there...

Thanks again for all the great suggestions! I keep looking them all up online at calpoly's selectree and poring over them. Now my project is "spreading"--you know how this always happens? You start looking for one tree for the driveway, and now with these great selections, I think, hey! we need some more trees on the side of the yard by the neighbors!

Can anyone ID this tree? I don't think it's a willow acacia, but it has that general shape. But the hanging down leaves seem juicier and less feathery?

Closer view needed.

Anything planted near a water line is in danger of being damaged or destroyed if the line ever needs to be worked on.

Okay, here's closer pics of the tree--I found it again.

Need better photos. If you want something willow-like that is more appropriate than a willow, Agonis flexuosa, common name "Peppermint Willow" is a good, clean, drought-tolerant tree for Southern California. That might be it in your photo, but I can't tell. It does eventually get rather large, but that takes 40-50 years.

Skilled pruning when it is young to shape and create a strong structure.

Early on you said that you liked the Jacaranda, but did not want the mess. Consider a cousin of the Jacaranda, X Chitalpa tashkentensis. It does not produce seed pods and the flowers dry on the tree before falling. So, no mess! I use them in zone 23-24 around parking lots.

If you like crape myrtles, consider Lagerstroemia 'Natchez'. It is a cross between L. indica and L. fauriei. I have no mildew issues with this cultivar in zone 23-24.

These are great suggestions. I think the Peppermint Willow has different bark--and it may be the tree that's throughout the Target San Dimas parking lot--those trees are very similar to my mystery tree, and I love them, too. The Peppermint Willow has more "zig-zag" stems, in the close ups. I'm thinking the one above might be a River Wattle?

That Chitalpa is gorgeous and really does lend itself to a circle or parkway.

I'm now trying to decide if I can get away with trees in the parkway, and in the driveway circle, and along the side! I'm making up a "master list" of all these suggestions in a Word document with the pictures and details (root invasiveness!).

Zelkova is very closely related to Elm (in fact it's technically in the same species). Zelkova is basically the Japanese version of Elm trees.

(don't worry, Zelkova is not vulnerable to Elm disease, or at least it's highly resistant)

Suzi:

Those palms that you see popping up everywhere in Southern California are called Mexican Fan palm. It is actually considered an invasive species because its seeds are carried by the birds and often start popping up new palms in other people's yards, or along the side of creek beds. Besides the seeds often having a way of sprouting up in strange places, the actual palm tree itself does not behave "invasively" (not like ficus). In fact the shape of its fronds are fairly interesting, it is very drought tolerant, and some people in SoCal choose to plant one as an ornamental.

I am impressed with the care taken to select plants which don't require irrigation for California where there is a negative amount of available water.

To be fair, here we build subdivisions and malls in floodplains waiting for welfair/bailout money when it floods. Lets keep CA from wanting us to bus them water to drink!

The mystery tree appears to be a Peruvian Peppertree.