Hi all! I'm in Mesa and we need to plant one tree in our front yard (north exposure) and two in our backyard. I went to the nursery and got some non-committal answers about what would be best to plant. We decided on a Brazilian Pepper for the front (north) yard and a Sissoo and Chinese Tallow for the back (south) yard. I'm reading some concerning things about the Chinese Tallow in other parts of the country (it's very invasive) but I'm not reading anything about local issues. The chinese tallow was attractive to us because of the size and brilliant fall foliage.

I'm just wondering if these are the best options? I have lots of room and am wanting a lot of shade for the back yard and more contained for the front yard. The trees would be on a drip system and very close to the grass which has a sprinkler system so they will get plenty of water.

We have children and a dog if that makes any difference.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts!