Trees Better Suited for the Smaller Garden

I am a huge believer of having some sort of tree growing in a garden, but how many times do you see large ugly unruly trees swamping small suburban gardens? my point exactly……………and the one that sticks in my mind every time is the good old ‘monkey puzzle’, a beautiful tree but not very good for the average sized garden of today. This tree truly is magnificent when at a juvenile stage but within twenty plus years of being planted they totally outgrow there home and end up looking stupid and out of balance within there setting.

Trees not only look good in a garden adding balance to a scheme and architecture in a design they also benefit our wildlife and insect population in the way of a home or feeding place, not to mention that they contribute to our well being by absorbing airborne pollutants and help to produce carbon dioxide which is beneficial to us all!

At home in my garden i have a number of different species of tree growing within there boundaries and adding to the appeal of the balance and layout of my smallish plot.

One of my star favourites is my Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ which is a breed of Japanese ornamental flowering cherry and grows in a pillar shape looking quite magnificent in the spring when its deciduous stems are flurried with clusters of semi-double shell pink flowers, rather slower growing than some of its descendants it makes a real statement in the corner of my garden without compromising space, after flowering in late spring the leaves appear and tend to be bronze in colour and later mature to lime green, this tree wont get huge- i planted a four foot specimen in my mothers garden eighteen years ago and its reached a height of around sixteen feet to date.

Another good choice for the smallest of gardens is the common weeping willow ‘Salix Pendula’, i planted one at home last year and is at its best in the spring when its weeping stems are covered in furry silver catkins,these are followed by small pale green leaves in late spring, these trees are whats known as ‘grafted’ this means the top weeping part of the tree has been specially implanted on to the dwarf growing stem thus keeping the tree more or less at the height you purchase it, with age the weeping stems do bush out and thicken up and sometimes do need to be thinned out just to keep it looking tidy, the average tree is grafted onto a stem which is around four feet in length sometimes smaller specimens are available.

Ballerina fruit trees are becoming more and more popular these days, i have an apple and a pair growing in large planters in my garden, these trees are grafted on dwarf root stocks which really slows the growth of the tree down and any side shoots are slightly trimmed every autumn to keep them looking like straight upright sticks which in the spring are covered with pale pink blossoms in turn average sized fruits follow and are edible, these trees are ideal situated in tubs on a patio or in a back yard area but also look just as good planted out in garden borders amongst medium sized shrubs etc.

A popular tree that can be seen growing in many small suburban streets is the sorbus, this tree comes in many shapes and forms but the best specimen for the common garden is Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn glow’, this is a more slowing cultivar which doesn’t thicken out as much as its counterparts, a tree that is deciduous but redeems itself with gorgeous clusters of pinkish fruits which turn yellow with a flush of red at maturity, before this tree sheds its leaves in autumn they turn from green to shades of purple and orange/red ……….truly remarkable.

I mentioned earlier that Japanese cherries are a handsome choice for the garden, these trees are also available in the weeping form and like the weeping willow these trees are grafted onto slower growing stems which restricts the upright growth, one good cultivar is Prunus ‘Kanzan’ again this tree is deciduous and has pale pink blossom but has a weeping habit which makes a focal point in itself, another good weeping cultivar is Prunus ‘Pendula rosea’ which also carries fresh pink blossoms in the spring.

These are just a few trees which i have known to be tried and tested in gardens around and near to me as well as my own, of coarse there are many more suitable trees available and this goes to show that with some careful thought and consideration anyone can have the joy of owning a tree in there garden whatever the size without it ruling the roost and causing you and other people problems in the long term.