15 Best Trees That Are Ideal for Small Gardens
When you have a small garden, you need to choose the trees you plant carefully. The last thing you want is to overcrowd your space or have the sunlight blocked out by trees that are too large! To help you choose wisely, we’ve put together a tried and tested list of best trees that are perfect for small gardens.
The Kousa dogwood is known for its ornamental appeal. The showy flowers and bark, as well as the lovely fall foliage, make this vase-shaped tree a great addition to your patio, yard, or lawn. The tree matures to about 30 ft high and is often just as wide.
Saucer magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana) is a hybrid magnolia tree native to Europe. Saucer magnolia is found mainly in the British Isles and the United States and is known for easy cultivation. The cultivar Brozzonli has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
The Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) is a flowering shrub that thrives in subtropical regions. While it prefers full sun, it can grow with partial shade and tolerate temperatures as low as -9℉. The Chaste tree has been cultivated in Europe dating back to ancient Greece. Modern use focuses on creating essential oils from the leaves and fruits.
White spruce (Picea glauca) is a tree native to North America and growing widely throughout Alaska and Canada. White spruce is the symbolic tree of Canada’s Manitoba province and the state of South Dakota in the United States. Commercially, its wood is used to make paper and materials for construction projects. This tree can be grown as a bonsai.
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.
Hall crabapple (Malus halliana) is a native ornamental tree in China that is often grown for beautification purposes. The fragrant blooming flowers of Hall crabapple have the distinctive smell of sweet musk. In China, this tree is often called chui si hai tang.
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera) is a tree with unique, papery white bark which is known to peel off the tree. It is also known as American white birch and canoe birch. This tree is relatively short-lived and its wood is often used to make tooth picks, ice cream sticks, wooden bobbins, clothespins, and canoes.
White fringetree is commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes in gardens as either a tree or shrubbery. It produces airy white flowers in spring and olive-shaped fruit in late summer which attract local birds and wildlife. Wild White fringetree populations are now suffering because of emerald ash borer beetle infestations.
Common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) is a small, deciduous tree that grows to heights of 15-30 feet. Beautiful clusters of showy white blossoms appear in early spring, fruits ripen in summer and leaves change color in fall. It attracts butterflies, bees, and birds. Grows well in full sun or partial shade
There is no plant that symbolizes the traditional Japanese garden better than the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). This small deciduous tree or a shrub native to East Asia can grow up to around 10 m, but it is often kept smaller. Japanese maple is loved for its artistic-quality canopy with brilliant red autumn leaves. It is also commonly grown as a bonsai.
Witch hazel was used quite commonly in the 20th century for locating water sources. The practice, called dowsing or water witching, is still occasionally used. In dowsing, a forked stick of Witch hazel is held perpendicular to the ground and moved slowly over it. The belief is that when a water source is directly under the stick, it will dip or jump.
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is a small understory tree native to North America. In spring or early summer clusters of purple-pink flowers appear on bare branches and sometimes on the trunk. The characteristic seed pod reveals that Eastern redbud belongs to the legume family, which makes it a cousin to peas, and locust trees.
Albizia julibrissin, colloquially known as Persian silk tree, is a deciduous plant with characteristic pink, fuzzy inflorescences. Persian silk tree is mainly cultivated for decorative purposes. Its flowers have a mild, sweet smell and are often visited by butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a flowering plant native to the midwestern and southern United States. Red buckeye is also called the firecracker plant. This plant attracts bees, and its seeds are poisonous. The Red buckeye can be used to make soap.
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a small tree native to the eastern United States. Pawpaw is mentioned in many American folk songs and it is the state fruit of Ohio. Many United States cities are named after the Pawpaw.