Honey mesquite trees can add summer shade and winter drama to your landscape. With twisted trunks, formidable thorns and yellow spring flowers, honey mesquites are unique and interesting. These trees grow relatively quick to about 30 feet (9 m.) tall and 40 feet (12 m.) wide. The roots delve down even deeper – sometimes to 150 feet (46 m.) – which is what helps to make them so drought resistant. Ornamental features on honey mesquite include pale yellow spring flowers and unusual seed pods. The pods are fairly long and tubular, resembling wax beans. They ripen in late summer. Mesquite bark is rough, scaly and reddish brown. The tree is armed with long thorns, which makes them good candidates for a defensive hedge.
