This shower curtain works because the strong pattern, with the greens in it plus black, is as bold as the tile is green. Nice work Nancy! Love the "Mr. Creative-Advertising-Man-With-Flair" tag! I have found that some "Creatives" get stuck figuring out the details of their own things. Travis, the black rug works as a bridge between the vanity and the shower curtain. The shape helps cut the busy floor to just edges. Great suggestion! I still feel, however that a simpler curtain would produce a more zen-like "rest" room.

I am a Master Gardener in zone 9. I highly recommend selecting natives trees with the help of your local Extension Office for your county. In addition to zone, soils will have a big impact on growth rate and survivability. On of my favorite fast growers in actually a shrub, Bottle Brush. Bonus is that hummingbirds and butterflies love it. No need to consult an arborist for this. Head to a local nursery. They will also know what grows well and will likely purchase from local or regional sources. They will likely also provide a planting service. Tip: if you can choose between a larger or smaller specimen, generally choose small. It will likely adapt to its new surroundings faster and put on growth sooner, than a larger tree.

Right now I have Meyer lemon, Eureka lemon, Fuji apple, blood orange, naval orange, avocado, cherimoya, white sapote, Kaffir lime, yuzu, and ice cream banana (which has bananas on it right now). When I lived in Venice (CA), I had pineapple guava, Manila mango, papaya, and Texas red fig trees, plus a Valencia orange. I do miss the trees I had in Venice, but I only have so much room. I also grow pineapples, but they are not trees, although they definitely make fruit.

My first thought is Cedar Apple rust or phomopsis blight. The most striking feature of cedar apple rust is the gall that appears on the cedar in the spring. Long, orange, gelatinous tendrils or horns develop from these galls and you can easily recognize these structures and know that this disease is active. Since you didn't mention the galls, the likelier culprit, in my opinion, is phomopsis blight. It is essentially a fungal problem. With cedar apple rust, early pruning can help contain the disease. I am less sure what might help your trees, I am sorry. I would recommend you contact a Master Gardener in your county and perhaps they can advise. Their advise is free of charge through agricultural extension services, across the country.