Arizona Ash

• The Arizona ash (Fraxinus velutina) is a medium to large deciduous tree. It typically grows quite fast, reaching between 30 and 50 feet tall and spreading anywhere from 20 to 35 feet across. The ash tree's leaves are usually a glossy green, turning yellow or gold in the autumn. The tree bears small flowers and female trees produce winged seeds about 1 inch across. While the tree is named for the state of Arizona, its native range extends through Texas, southern New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and parts of Mexico. The tree does very well at high elevations, making the area's mountainous regions an ideal habitat.
  
  

Sweet Desert Willow

• Sweet desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) is also known as the flowering willow, the willow-leaved catalpa and the trumpet flower. Despite its name, the sweet desert willow is not a willow tree at all, but related to catalpas, yellowbells and trumpet vines. It's a relatively small tree, appropriate for landscaping small yards or gardens, usually reaching between 15 and 40 feet high. The tree has attractive funnel-shaped flowers that measure 1 to 1 1/2 inches long. The flowers are dark pink or purple around the edges, fading to white or yellow at the throat, with purple strips throughout. Expect blooms from late spring until late summer, followed by long seed pods, 6 to 10 inches long, in the autumn. The tree is native to south-central Texas and Mexico, as far south as Nuevo Leon and Zacatecas, as well as New Mexico, Arizona, southern California and Baja California.
  
  

Fig

• If you'd like to incorporate a fruit tree into your landscaping, fig trees grow well in much of the southwestern United States. Depending on your region, you can choose from a wide variety of fig cultivars, each with slightly different fruits, their colors ranging from green to yellow to purple to brown. The brown turkey fig, also known as the Texas everbearing, grows in much of the state and is one of the most popular varieties for eating throughout the southeast United States. Its fruit matures in two seasons, one in July and another larger crop in August. The Mission cultivar was first grown in California, another prime location for fig cultivation.
  
  

Western Soapberry

• The western soapberry (Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii) makes an excellent shade tree for landscaping small spaces. It typically grows to heights between 10 and 50 feet. The tree's leaves are long and narrow, measuring up to 18 inches in length. In late spring and early summer, the western soapberry produces large, cream-colored flowers, up to 10 inches long and 6 inches across. The plant's native habitat spans Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.