Chinese Redbud or Cercis chinensis

• Covered in green glossy leaves with pink or violet flowers
• Can grow up to 20 feet tall and 15 wide if allowed
• Does shed leaves for fall
• Rather low maintenance
• Prefers partial shade or full sun

Crape Myrtle or Lagerstroemia hybrids

• Many different types
• Deciduous tree, loses leaves in fall
• Have hybrids that are resistant to many diseases
• Narrow trees that can grow to 25 feet tall and 12 feet wide

Lemon Bottlebrush or Callistemon citrinus

• Can grow up to 20-25 feet
• Has bright green leaves, flowers are bright red ‘brushes’ with gold tips
• Available in Multi
• Tolerant to heat and needs little water
• Evergreen tree, does not shed leaves for fall

Mexican Redbud or Cercis canadensis mexicana

• Can grow to 15 feet tall
• Has glossy green leaves that slightly curl
• Flowers can range from red to pink
• Needs full sun, and fairly drought tolerant
• Deciduous tree, will shed leaves for fall

Photo by Natalia Banaszczyk ->

Peppermint Willow or Agonis flexuosa

• Can grow up to 25-35 feet tall and 15-30 feet wide
• Has lance-shaped leaves and white flowers
• Fragrant evergreen that won’t shed leaves for winter
• Drought and heat resistant

Pineapple Guava or Feijoa sellowiana (Acca sellowiana)

• Can grow up to 18-25 feet tall and wide
• Has flowers that are red with yellow tips, and gives green fruit
• Has moderate tolerance to temperatures within 80-80 degrees
• Evergreen tree with glossy leaves, does not shed for winter

Purple Orchid Tree or Bauhinia veriegata

• Can grow up to 25-30 feet tall and wide
• Deciduous tree that sheds leaves for the winter
• Has leaves that look like a cow’s hoof and orchids for flowers
• Needs full sun and is picky about soil pH
• Has a blooming period of late winter to early summer

Smoke Tree or Cotinus coggygria

• Is also called ‘Purpreus’ or ‘Atropurpurea’
• Can grow to 12-15 feet wide and tall, in some cases even 25 feet
• Has flowers that cluster together to look like smoke
• Has oval shaped, dark purple leaves that turn red in fall
• Prefers full sun to partial shade

Strawberry Tree or Arbutus unedo

• Is also called ‘Compacta’
• Can grow up to 10 feet tall and wide, but seldom over
• Is a evergreen shrub with white flowers and red drupe fruit
• Prefers partial shade and does well in dry climates
• Does not produce strawberries

Western Redbud or Cercis occidentalis

• Can grow up to 10-18 feet wide and tall
• Is a deciduous shrub or small tree
• Has violet flowers and edible fruits
• Tolerant of lime or acidic soils