Choosing Trees for a Small Garden
© Valerie Adolph
Let's start by stating the obvious: if you have a small garden you're probably going to need a small tree. Forget about majestic oaks. They aren't going to fit into the space and they take about 300 years to grow to maturity. You'll have moved before then.
So, what do you expect of this tree? As casting director of this garden, what role do you want it to play? The more carefully you answer this question, the better choice of tree you'll make. Here are some roles a tree might fill:
- a small but exquisite focal point - blocking your view of something ugly, perhaps a brick wall or a view of the power plant - filling a corner and having attractive flowers and foliage at least one season of the year - providing shade or privacy
Exquisite, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, but for my money you can't beat Acer palmatum. There are many varieties with leaf colour ranging from purple to red, orange and yellow. A. p 'Butterfly' has a deeply cut green leaf edged with cream and pink while A. p 'Bloodgood' has deep reddish-purple leaves. A sub-group, A. p Dissectum has very deeply incised leaves, again in colours ranging from purple to orange. Many of these are shaped more like shrubs than trees and their delicate form makes them look like small, vivid waterfalls. They go well beside a pool - the reflection is stunning - and they are hardy to Zone 5.
Another stunning focal point tree is one of the willows, Salix 'Hakuru Nishiki'. It can be grown as a shrub or small tree and has delicate branches with catkins in spring followed by small leaves edged with cream and pink. It's a stand out in any garden. Caveat? It's only hardy to Zone 6 and its leaves tend to burn in strong sun. Its cousin, Salix caprea pendula is a weeping willow that has bold catkins in early spring. Both of these are great for waterside planting.
If you want to block the view of something you need a tree with a trunk and branches that bush out widely a few feet from the ground. You might try a Katsura. I planted one to block a less-than-delightful view and it does the trick beautifully. It has very delicate branches and small purplish-green leaves which turn purple and yellow in autumn. In winter raindrops poise like diamonds all along its branches.
