The hardest part is doing the homework.
Trees are necessary to any garden. They add structure, clean the atmosphere, cool the environment in summer, shelter other plants from desiccating winds and provide a number of other services.
Not any tree will do in desert gardens. You can plant trees that are not drought-tolerant (although most native species will probably have some degree of drought tolerance). In fact, in an effort to duplicate gardens in wetter areas, many gardeners in desert regions plant those same types of plants.
Trees adapted to alkaline (and somewhat barren) soils, hardy enough to withstand drought, wide temperature variations and strong, sustained winds, are the ones desert gardeners have more luck with.
How do you choose the right tree for your needs? Do you want a fast-growing tree? What size will it be when mature? Will the size interfere with any other structures already there? And, if it meets your needs, will it be hardy and drought-tolerant enough to grow successfully? Will it provide food or cover for wildlife? Do you want that?
These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a tree for your garden. To find out how to pick the right tree for the right area, read Trees in a Desert Landscape.
