Ornamental trees under 3m tall
Prunus_Ignoramus
Posts: 7
Hello all,
I'm a newbie to this forum and gardening in general.
I've been searching for a small tree to go in the middle of my front garden but it's proving hard work finding something that I like and my girlfriend doesn't reject as "too big" because she's worried about it blocking out sunlight.
I've researched sun angles, etc., and come up with 2.5m as the ideal tree height that won't cast shade on the house at any time of year.
The front garden is south facing and the tree will be exposed to full sun and the elements.
My criteria are:
Under 3m mature height (or can be kept to 2.5m with pruning);
Very pretty;
Purple or red leaves;
Ideally it'll offer flowers and/or fruits to benefit bees/wildlife.
I've carried out fairly exhaustive research online and the best ones I've come up with and failed on are:
Malus Royal Beauty (gf thinks it looks messy)
Malus Royalty (gf thinks it'll be too big)
Prunus Kiku-shidare-zakura (green leaves - I REALLY want red/purple at some point in the year)
Can anyone help please?
Thanks!
Neil
Posts
Hi Neil - have a look at acers, many grow slowly and will stay within your size requirements.
They are renowned for their stunning autumn colours (every shade of red, orange and yellow imaginable) and if you ant one with purple leaves there are plenty to chooses from.
Acers prefer a slightly acidic soil, but I have 5 on my alkaline soil all doing extremely well.
My Acer palmatum dissectum (sp?) in full autumn colours - I planted this as a 6ft tree 30yrs ago
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Hi Pete,
Thank you kindly. I did look at Japanese acers but was told by a seller that they wouldn't like being in full sun and exposed to wind, etc., as they would in the middle of a lawn. Would you disagree with that?
Thanks,
Neil
Hi Neil - acers do prefer a slightly acidic soil, they prefer some dappled shade and prefer not to be in a windy position.
I also prefer sirloin steak to rump steak, but am quite happy to eat rump - it's done me no harm
The problem that can arise is that dry winds and strong sun in the summer can cause the some leaves to dry out and fall - that's the worst I've had happen.
I've got another acer with very pale lime-green leaves, it's in full sun and completely exposed to everything that comes in from the west. Some years a few leaves do go a bit crispy, but overall it's been fine for the 20ish yrs it's been there - it's the one on the right just behind the conifer.
The one in the original pic also faces due south with no shade..
I give them a mulch either in spring or autumn and a dusting of bonemeal in spring and they seem happy enough.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I spend ages researching tree for my front garden. In the end I was torn between magnolia Susan and snowy mespilis. I couldn't choose so I went for both. The magnolia is just coming into flower and its really young. Beautiful.
I think the mistake you are making Neil, is thinking in terms of 'trees' at under 10 foot. It's a kind of a contradiction in terms that... however, there are a very few that you could use, but you could also look at trees that grow to 5-6m or 15-20 feet, because let's be honest here, by the time it reaches that height, you will have either sold up and moved on, or unfortunately passed on... it takes years..
Trees I know of that will be under 12 foot for a long time would be..
Sorbus vilmorinii - I grew this in full sun, heavy clay, on the south coast. It meets your requirements and will be a long time before it outgrows its welcome, if at all... Mine never got above 10 foot after almost 10 years... must be kept well watered in the first season, otherwise it will be lost.. it's the ideal, very small, tree... that looks like a tree..
Acer negundo flamingo - I see fully exposed in a neighbour's garden, quite pretty, but not red enough for you.
Acer palmatum atropurpureum... one of the acers that will tolerate full sun and exposure... I've grown it that way, very slow, maybe too slow for you...
Amelanchier 'Prince Charles'.. if you don't object to the name, it's a smallish tree with white flowers and reddish foliage.. I've also grown the form 'Ballerina'...
However, what I think you should do, is forget the word 'tree' altogether and think in terms of a large shrub that can be bought and kept trained in a small tree like form... that shrub of course is..
Photinia 'Red Robin'... you can buy these on a single stem and already a good size, but that's expensive and unnecessary. I would just get a potted one for a fiver and train it myself, removing lower branches and not allowing any shoots to develop low down, and train it on a single trunk, and of course Neil, you will keep it pruned once it has reached the height you want, probably twice a year. It usually has nice corymbs of flowers in Spring too...
Try a look at cercis canadensis 'Avondale' or cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'.
H-C
Everyone, thank you very much for your feedback. I'll look into your recommendations!
Pete, thanks again. That's very interesting and has given me food for thought.
One of the criteria desired by the OP is good for wildlife. Japanese acers are not so I'd rule that out. Others are, particularly Amelanchier as suggested by Malorena. It's very good, reddish foliage and dark purplish/black berries which the thrushes love in June. Fruit trees would fit the bill; some plums have purple/reddish foliage and could be kept to the desired size. Crab apples would be good; I like Red Sentinel which has red fruits that last into the new year; could also be kept to the desired size. Another one that is rather unusual is Spindleberry, Euonymus europaeus, which has the most interesting bright pink berries which birds will eat. It is usually grown as a shrub but I have seen it grown as a tree with standard shape. Look it up; your girlfriend may be taken by the very interesting berries.
Thank you kindly for the suggestions. What about Malus Royalty and Malus toringo Scarlett? Should I be able to keep them under 3m?
Hi Prunus_ignoramus, try the web page Trees for smaller gardens at https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=117
PS.- It's useless to quote other forum members' messages, as the font of the quoted text is ridiculously big
and takes up a lot of screen space. You might just quote their name if you want to answer someone in particular.
Last edited: 22 March 2017 22:01:52