Very nice information Brian. A friend gave me a couple of baby oaks sprouted from acorns that she found growing in the back country somewhere between Julian and Ramona before the Cedar fire. I grew them and now they are about six feet tall in a pot. I did not put them in the ground because I may end up selling the house and I want to take them with me. I think they are scrub oaks. I agree, you can prune them and I think they are great, but you have to keep them out of the way. The leaves have sharp points. There is a native lilac that is also very drought tolerant and an attractive shrub for border landscaping. Obviously, you cannot always use natives, but there are some Australian and South African plants that also work well in the San Diego area because of the similar climate.