We learned to take literally what it says for size in 'Sunset'. And the mesquite that was a tree from which we took seeds in Arizona, will grow into a tree in our yard too. It is behind the rose bush and pride of Barbados. DH is always cutting it back so I can get the car out of the garage. It has thorns and is fierce to deal with. If we took it out, the area would just grow weeds. It shades a small but steep slope.
The toyon (not in the picture) have gotten tree-like too. What we see in the wild is more like a shrub so we thought ours would be that way too. For the most part, the large size is o.k. but we think one of them might be blocking the neighbors' view some. We're on a hill and there is a view.
Our citrus trees have gotten bigger than espected, too. They hang out over the sidewalk in the back yard. I've never seen another house like this, but our backyard is ringed by a sidewalk.
