We recently purchased a house in the San Diego inland area - zone 10a and desperately need help selecting trees. I've been researching for weeks and don't feel confident making the decision. Our house is spanish style and i like mediterranean landscaping, but open to alternatives. We'd also like something that's not going to take decades to achieve a decent size.

Front yard - would like to plant 2 - 3 trees. Preferably evergreen. Planting 36" in boxes. Thinking Swan Hill olive (center), magnolia (left side of garage) and australian willow (right side of house). Or 2 carrotwood (left and right). Also considered chinese elm. Are magnolia and chinese elm going to get too large? Horror stories about root systems scare me from several options but perhaps they are overblown?

Sideyard - We'd like to provide a bit of a screen from our neighbors (though we like them very much!) and a little bit of shade to that area. I think Natchez multi-trunk crape myrtles would be perfect if they were evergreen (20 - 25 ft, fairly fast growing, low risk roots, nice canopy). I've also considered: lemonwood (pittosporum), lemon bottlebrush, japanese privet trained tree. Maybe New Zealand Christmas Tree (root problem though?).

I've visited several nurseries, consulted a horticulturist and practically memorized the CalPoly SelecTree tool. And I'm no closer to making a decision. Would love to hear personal experiences. Any insight/suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'll post photos below.