TOP TREES FOR A SMALL GARDEN
A choice of striking varieties for compact spaces
EVERY garden looks better with a tree, and you don’t need loads of space to fit one in. There are many naturally small, striking trees that will add a huge range of benefits to any garden – from flowers and berries to spectacular autumn colour. Then there are the slow-growers, trees that take up to 20 years to reach their maximum height, plus varieties that are easily pruned to keep to the right size, such as holly or hawthorn.
The advantages are manifold: trees add height and create focal points. There are options that will attract wildlife, with beautiful flowers for pollinating insects, or berries that will feed the birds through winter.
In a small garden, it’s a good idea to look for a tree that offers at least two seasons of interest – spring flowers and autumn colour, for example. Many also have berries or fruit, striking bark or evergreen foliage. Where space is limited, a tree needs to work doubly hard to earn its place. If you plan to squeeze one in to a border, look for an upright, columnar-shaped tree that doesn’t take up too much ground space and won’t create a large canopy.
There are also plenty of trees that will thrive in a large container – Japanese maples and crab apples, for example, or even apple trees. Lots of attractive fruit trees have been grafted on to dwarfing rootstocks to keep them small. Pretty and productive, they offer blossom in the spring, followed later by fruit.
When growing trees in containers, choose the largest pot you can accommodate and use a compost that is loam-based, such as John Innes No3. This will provide the nutrients they need over a long period of time.
The autumn months are ideal for planting trees as the ground is still warm, but there is no need to water all the time. Planted now, your new tree will also have the chance to put down roots before going into dormancy in the winter. Bare-root specimens are readily available at this time of year, and are usually more cost-effective than container-grown trees. Whatever you buy, you are unlikely to regret it.