I've seen several 40' tall around here. Mine has been in a pot for nearly a decade. Even in a pot it survived a summer without any water--didn't look great, but survived to grow again.

Several people have told me they sucker quite badly in the ground, but perhaps that was cultural (digging around the base?). Something to look into, though. If you limit the irrigation it should not be so difficult to keep the growth under control.

I think you would be very happy with Laurus nobilis. Most will need only annual pruning, but with enough water and fertilizer you may need an extra pruning. In you area "once established" I doubt if you will need either. Al

Thanks for the responses. A yearly pruning, or even twice yearly, would be very manageable.

I have a large bush/tree, about 12 feet tall. It's got 'natural form and size', as it hasn't had much care before or since we bought the property, just a light pruning. It's attractive, useful, and an easy keeper. It gets lots of sun and little or no summer irrigation and is quite healthy. Has many small trunks and does sprout some suckers. Right now it has a lot of berries on it. I'll try to attach a link to a photo of it.
sb

Here is a link that might be useful: