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If you live in an urban area, on a subdivided block or in an apartment, you may not have a lot of backyard to work with. But don’t let that stop you. Trees are a wonderful addition to any garden – regardless of its size – bringing shade, interest and a safe haven for wildlife. Plant them in the ground or in pots – great for renters – and keep them pruned to your desired height. Read on for some of the best trees to grow in small spaces.
Known for their glossy green leaves and fragrant white flowers, magnolias can be grown on their own as a feature or popped in a decorative pot to fill an empty corner. The waxy coating on their leaves makes them immune to pollution and salt spray – perfect for inner-city or coastal living. ‘Little Gem’ is the smallest of the magnolia cultivars, reaching up to 4m tall.
There’s a lot to love about the crepe myrtle, with its lush green foliage in spring and distinctive, ruffled flowers in summer. It will lose its leaves in autumn and winter, but that’s all part of its charm, as the sinewy branches and mottled bark become a feature in their own right. Keep it pruned back to your desired height or opt for a semi-dwarf variety with a height of around 1.8m.
Another great all-rounder, the crab apple is a hardy, small to medium-sized tree that produces white, pink or red blossoms in spring followed by small apples for making jams and jellies. In autumn, its leaves turn red, yellow or orange for a colourful display. Choose a dwarf variety and plant in the ground in a sunny spot, pruning to shape as required.
With unique heart-shaped foliage that ranges from green, to rich purple and red, redbuds follow a similar trajectory to the crab apple, losing their leaves in winter only to burst into pink or magenta blossoms come springtime. Bees and butterflies love them. They’re especially great as a feature tree in small spaces, enjoying a full sun to part shade position. Look for the more compact ‘Avondale’ or ‘Merlot’ varieties.
A courtyard favourite thanks to its small stature and seasonal foliage, the Japanese maple does well in cooler, shaded areas. A deciduous species, it will drop its leaves in winter to allow more sunlight into your home and provide dappled shade in the warmer months. Suitable for pots or in the ground, it will reach up to 5m.
Offering stunning autumn foliage and a show of pink or white flowers in spring, flowering dogwoods are well suited to smaller gardens, reaching a maximum height of 5m. They’ll also bring birds and pollinators to your garden.
Don’t let a compact patch get in the way of growing your own apples, stone fruit, citrus, olives, avocados, figs or pears. At around 2–3m, dwarf fruit trees have many of the same attributes of a full-sized tree – including fruit size – with the added bonus of a faster harvest time. Grow in a large pot or wine barrel or try them espaliered against the wall. Just be sure to check a pollination guide before you plant as not all fruit trees are self-pollinating.
Bring a taste of the tropics to your backyard with a compact palm tree. Standing at around 1.5m tall, parlour palms have delicate fronds that prefer indirect sunlight and moist, free-draining soil.
A small evergreen tree native to Australia’s east coast, Blueberry ash enjoys a show of white or pink frilly flowers in spring followed by small blue berries – both of which act as magnets for birds. It’s fast growing and easy to prune back to shorter heights, and enjoys a range of climate types, from subtropical to cool and temperate.
A popular form of native bush tucker, lemon myrtle has glossy green, oval shaped leaves that release a fresh lemon scent when crushed. In summer, its fluffy, creamy-white flowers attract nectar-feeding birds, bees and butterflies. Grow it in a large pot in a sunny position and prune lightly and regularly to keep it at around 3m tall.
Check out our huge range of trees online or at your local store.
