Small gardens, or even small areas within larger gardens, need a tree in scale with the size of the area in which it will sit. But, aside from a handful of species, conventional trees are just too big for these smallest of spaces and would require yearly pruning to contain its size within the proportion of the area  - a job not for the faint of heart, and an expensive one, to boot. So, what are your choices? Well, have you considered upscaling a shrub?

 

Many shrubs are quite suitable and could provide the solution. With just a bit of judicious pruning – a much easier task than cutting a tree – they can offer the benefits of a tree in a size that is more in scale with your area. While frequently pruned trees can look awkward with missing limbs, shrubs amenable to pruning don’t.

 

The most frequent request is for reasonably fast-growing species; as large shrubs and trees are relatively slow growing plant categories, the best you can hope for speed-growth wise is a meter’s growth per year in warm, high rainfall regions; less in cooler, drier areas. Local rainfall, temperature, soils, and aspect will also influence plant growth, so figures given can only be used as guidelines. Where foundations, extensive paving, or unsuitable soils make the digging of a planting hole too difficult, many species on the list grow well in large containers.

 

How to do it:

From the outset, soon after planting,  trim the shrub from a multi-stemmed to a single-stemmed specimen. Better yet, when buying, look for a plant already sporting a single stem or without too many lower branches if possible. This will be your starting point; any new stems that start to grow below the main flush of leaves must be cut off.

 

• The trees below have non-invasive roots. 

• It is advisable to protect even frost tolerant species for the first couple of year.

• This fairly extensive list acknowledges the broad range of growing conditions experienced by gardeners around the country; hopefully, there is sufficient variety to suit most areas.

 

Our list below describes species that usually grow no more than 5 m.