Enclosed Courtyard Tree

Question from Paul:
The home is 1 mile from the Pacific coast just north of San Diego. I have a fully enclosed courtyard measuring 25′ by 30′ where I would like to plant a shade tree up to 25′ tall. The hole cut in the concrete is 4′ in diameter so I would like something without invasive roots. I also want to avoid too much cleanup since there will be furniture and a fountain beneath the tree. Leaves are OK, sticky fruits/seeds won’t work.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer from Pat:
For your patio I think a well-grown and old olive tree would be the best choice. Get a fruitless one. An olive tree would look stunning with your home, could be pruned to the space and if you find a fruitless one you won’t have a problem with a drippy tree.

Other ideas are : fern pine Afrocarpus gracilior (Podocarpus gracilior), peppermint tree (Agonis flexuosa), black olive (Bucida buceras), and Lophostemon confertus, and shiny xylosma (Xylosma congestum) Very clean but would need to be very old too for shade.

Some additional choices for your property at large (but not the patio) include Duranta erecta, Erioborya deflexa, Eriobotrya japonica, and Erythrina crista-galli.