I was at the Boyce Thompson Southwest Arboretum for their fall plant sale a few years back when I decided to walk the trail. I think I walked it just for the exercise. When I got down near the stone house, I spied this large beautiful canopy of red leaves. It gave the entire area an autumnal feel. That was the first time I had seen a Chinese Pistache in full fall color. The one at the arboretum is such a beautiful large specimen because it taps into the creek that runs through the area.

Here in Cochise County, the Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinesis) can make a wonderful shade tree. It brings to your garden those fall colors that give autumn its distinctiveness. It's the only tree that can bring the red colors of autumn to the desert. We are familiar with the yellows and browns of fall, but with the Pistache you can have the red colors more common to the Northern climates.

The Pistache not only adds color to the fall garden, it also is an excellent shade tree. It can offer 50 feet of shade once full grown. It does well in a lawn, street, or patio... actually, it's a good choice for any setting.