Hearty beautiful tree suggestion

Question from Jenny:
We need suggestions for a hearty, low maintenance, attractive tree or bush that won’t grow too tall (we don’t want to block neighborhood views of the ocean) that can withstand being planted by two people with black thumbs. We live in coastal Carlsbad about a mile from the beach, and want to plant the week after Christmas, if that makes any difference in terms of the type of plant that might survive. This will be a special tree marking some big milestones for our daughter, so the timing of the planting is actually important to us. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as well as where to look/purchase. We usually shop at La Costa Nursery, but are open to anyplace in North County. Thanks so much.

Answer from Pat:
Three suggestions come to mind for a tree to fulfill your requirements in coastal Carlsbad, one mile inland, most likely Sunset Zone 23. One is a dwarf pine. There are several possibilities to choose from among dwarf pines, such as Mugho pine (Pinus mugo) which grows slowly to 4 or 8 feet in height and 8 to 15 feet wide, dwarf Japanese black pine (P. thunbergiana ‘Thunderhead) grows to 6 feet in height but is better adapted further inland, or your could choose a Japanese white pine (P. parviflora) of which several dwarf and gray forms are available. A second suggestion is India hawthorne tree (Rhaphiolepis ‘Magestic Beauty’). This tree is easy to grow and gets ever more beautiful as it ages and never will be too large. Please read what I said about the characteristics and easy care of this tree when answering the query of another readerhttps://patwelsh.com/wpmu/blog/trees/small-drought-tolerant-evergreen-flowering-trees-for-a-parkway/. My third suggestion is Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo.) Arbutus can be trained into a great shape in age and the species is slow growing. The best place to look for trees is at tree farm, such as Briggs Tree Company or Pardee Tree Nursery, to name two suggestions, since you can find specimens already shaped and advice is likely to be more specialized than at most nurseries, where trees might have stood for a while in the can.