Q. We would like to plant a row of purple leaf plum trees to screen our yard from our neighbors. The purple foliage and pink flowers are appealing; however, several people have mentioned a messy ...

A moderate-to-fast-growing small evergreen (evergray?) tree, the purple-leaf acacia reaches 20 to 30 feet tall and wide. Its dense, spreading canopy is easily shaped as a single- or multi-trunk tree.

We do know that purple leaf plum cannot handle the heat in certain locations, particularly south and west exposures. Those locations need a desert or desert-adapted tree, which it is not.

Christmas cacti, otherwise called schlumbergera, are known for their trailing leaves and vibrant blooms that flower around the festive season. Coming in an assortment of colors, including red ...