| Small
trees for the garden
Trees are always welcome in the garden but what you plant must be
considered carefully for the size of your plot and with regard to
eventual height and spread [leaf canopy and roots].
The image to the left shows shrubs and trees used in a larger garden
but the ideas can also be adapted for a smaller garden - layering
of heights, some rigorous pruning and clipping of larger trees and
shrubs and lifting the canopy [i.e. taking lower branches off] for
the underplanting of herbaceous plants and bulbs.
If you have a small garden take time over choosing a tree - it
should be hardworking, well shaped and give you blossom and autumn
or winter colour and interest.
Amelanchiers are one of the garden designer's favourites. The
majority are found in North America although the stockier A ovalis
is native to S.Europe. The Snowy Mespilus has a
loose open habit and one of the most elegant is A lamarckii [@6m
max height]. Early in the year loose heads of white blossom smother
the trees accented by delicate coppery emerging foliage. The flowers
are followed by small berries in summer and the leaves display good
autumn colour. Some species are less lime tolerant than others,
I have grown A.canadensis which seemed fine on fairly neutral soil.
A beautiful spreading deciduous specimen tree eventually growing
to a maximum of 6 metres is the Medlar, Mespilus germanica.
The Medlar has been grown in Britain for centuries but is not commonly
seen. The flowers in June are similar to those of an
apple but borne singly and much larger. It is the fruits however
that provide a topic of conversation, known colloquially as 'openaers'
they have apparently also been used in herbal medicine to 'bind'
the bowels. The russet fruits are only eaten when frosted and starting
to rot [bletted] although a jelly can be made from the firm fruit
which is apparently delicious [they don't ripen sufficiently in
our UK climate but will further south]. Quince
[Cydonia oblonga] bears large single apple like flowers in spring,
the fruit is used cooked in apple pies and makes a delicious appley/honey
flavour jelly.
The Strawberry Tree, arbutus, is evergreen and can eventually
attain 9 metres in height. A x andrachnoides develops
spectacular thin peeling bark on sinuous trunks, the colouring ranging
from cinnamon to deep rusty red. The small off-white clusters of
tiny waxy bell shaped flowers appear from autumn through to spring.
A.unedo has less attractive bark but is the hardiest
and carries fruits which bear a passing resemblance to strawberries
and flowers at the same time [birds are partial to the fruit]. The
tree pictured to the right in the middle is growing wild in SW France.
Azara microphylla is a native of Chile, the small evergreen
oval leaves and fine open branches create an airy appearance. In
spring tiny tufts of yellow powderpuff flowers appear along the
undersides of the branches and waft a delicious scent of vanilla
or chocolate around the garden on warm days. A.
microphylla Variegata makes a more attractive specimen
tree, the leaves have heavy white variegation - hardy to around
-15°C.
 Flowering
much later in the year, Clerodendrum trichotomum is a deciduous
tree which makes between 3-6 metres. The leaves are rather large,
dull green and coarse, but during August and September the tree
bears sprays of well scented white flowers. It continues the show
into autumn with metallic blue berries cupped in scarlet star shaped
bracts [see left]. Over time and with a bit of judicious pruning
this tree develops a gnarled goblet shape which makes it more interesting
as a specimen tree. Another later flowering deciduous tree you might
consider is Heptacodium
miconioides which has scented white flowers.
If you favour scent as one of the main attributes of your choice
tree, consider the June flowering deciduous silver leaved Elaeagnus
angustifolia [it can be short lived]. Another silver leaved
tree is the spring flowering Weeping Pear, Pyrus
salicifolia Pendula which gives a slightly muddled visual effect.
A rather
beautiful and little known tree is Xanthoceras sorbifolium [pictured
below], it was introduced from Northern China in 1866. As the name
implies it has sorbus  [mountain
ash like] foliage and in May produces clusters of large white flowers.
If you are lucky you will get seed pods similar to conkers. The
flowers form on growth made the year before so it is best grown
somewhere fairly warm and sheltered to harden off the wood which
makes the flower bearing branches less susceptible to spring frosts
growth to @4m.
Other hardworking smaller specimen trees giving a good show over
a long period include Sorbus [Rowan]
with white panicles of flower in early summer, berries in a range
of colours including white and orange and good autumn colour. They
also provide food for birds which may or not be a good thing depending
on your point of view as a tree can be stripped of berries very
quickly! Crataegus are
also well worth considering, they include our native Hawthorns.
C laevigata has flowers in a range of colours. C persimilis, Broad
Leaved Cockspur Thorn caught my eye at Westonbirt arboretum recently.
And for curiosity value the Glastonbury
Thorn C monogyna Biflora bears fruit and flowers on
bare branches around Christmas time. >>
More berrying small trees
Crab apples [Malus] are worth considering for their delicate
blossom in April and array of different 'apples' in golds, reds
and peaches in autumn which in some cultivars remain on the trees
through the winter. John Downie [not pictured] is a favourite for
making tartly delicious amber Crab Apple jelly.
Whilst
not a particular personal favourite, slow growing Japanese
Maples could be considered for moister semi-shade and wind
protected positions, not only is there a sumptuous and delicate
spring display as the new leaves emerge, they also fire up in the
autumn to give a second show. See
how Keith Wiley is using maples in his garden >>
Don't forget if your garden is very small you can use judicious
pruning to contain the size of some of these trees, you don't have
to let them grow au naturel! For example the canopy of the Malus
pictured above left could be reduced by at least half and then progressively
shaped.
Originally printed in The Bristol Magazine 2004 [updated 2008]
@Karisgarden.com
|
