Trees For Small Gardens
By Veronica
Winter is the perfect time to start planning your garden. This season allows you to envision the style and key elements of your outdoor space by selecting larger plants that will form its structure. While herbaceous plants and small shrubs can be moved or rearranged, trees and other substantial plants are more permanent, making thoughtful placement essential. Take your time, plan carefully, and let nature’s rhythm guide your creativity as you shape your garden.
Additionally, winter is an excellent season for planting larger plants. While container-grown plants can be planted year-round in frost-free conditions, planting between now and spring gives them ample time to establish strong roots before the drier months, ensuring greater resilience.
As cities continue to grow to accommodate housing needs, garden spaces are becoming more compact and also essential for biodiversity. While planting a towering oak may not be an option, there are plenty of beautiful trees that can bring character to your garden—whether through vibrant autumn foliage, decorative berries, or striking blooms. Some smaller varieties can even thrive in large containers, meaning you can enjoy the presence of a tree on your balcony—provided there are no weight restrictions, of course!
Here are some of the best small garden trees to consider:
Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple)
Photo by Annie Spratt
With their finely cut leaves and stunning autumn hues, Japanese maples are a perfect choice for small gardens. Their compact size and slow growth make them easy to manage, with varieties ranging from the petite ‘Cascade Gold’ at just 1 meter (unless it is grafted on a tall stem) to the more statuesque ‘Sango-Kaku’ reaching up to 6 meters. Generally, Dissectum types, known for their delicate, feathery foliage, tend to be smaller and more spreading in habit. When it comes to leaf color, the options are abundant—glowing yellows, fresh greens, fiery reds, and deep purples all contribute to the rich palette of this Japanese gem.
For the best results, plant your Acer in slightly acidic, moist soil and position it in a sheltered spot, away from strong winds and the intense midday sun, which can scorch its delicate leaves.
For more information on Japanese maple, read our article.
Amelanchier (Juneberry)
Photo by Anya Chernik
The Juneberry is a fantastic choice for year-round interest. In spring, it bursts into life with delicate white flowers on bare branches. Its foliage starts off in warm bronze or copper tones, matures to fresh green in summer, and transforms into fiery shades of red and orange come autumn, just as clusters of dark berries—beloved by birds—begin to appear.
One of the most sought-after varieties is Amelanchier lamarckii, known for its elegant, pendulous white flower racemes. Holding the RHS Award of Garden Merit, it reaches up to 10 meters tall with a 6-meter spread, making it a striking yet manageable tree. For smaller spaces, Amelanchier ‘Ballerina’ offers a compact alternative, growing to around 4 meters in height and width while boasting notably large flowers. If space is at a premium, consider Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Obelisk’, a slender variety with vibrant green leaves that transition into a spectacular autumn display. This tree reaches 6 meters tall but remains just 1.5 meters wide, making it perfect for narrow spots.
These multi-stemmed trees thrive in full sun to partial shade and prefer neutral to acidic soil.
Flowering Cherries
Photo by Tim Rüßmann
Few trees rival the breathtaking spring display of flowering cherries. Covered in white or pink blossoms on bare branches, they create a magical moment in the garden. With features ranging from weeping forms and striking bark to deep purple foliage, these ornamental trees offer something for every setting. Most varieties grow between 5 and 15 meters, but for smaller gardens, Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-Zakura’ and Prunus ‘Amanogawa’ are excellent choices.
Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-Zakura’ is a compact, weeping variety that reaches just 3.5 meters tall, covered in double pink blossoms. Prunus ‘Amanogawa’, also known as the Flagpole Cherry Tree, is a tall, narrow variety growing up to 8 meters high but only 2.5 meters wide, making it perfect for small spaces.
These trees flourish in full sun and tolerate most soil types.
More on flowering cherry trees
Cornus kousa (Chinese Dogwood)
Photo by Jonathan Hanna
The Chinese Dogwood is a superb choice for small gardens, known for its striking bracts that envelop the tree in soft green, white, or pink from May to June. These are followed by red fruits, while autumn foliage turns deep orange and crimson.
For an elegant display, Cornus kousa ‘Chinensis’ offers beautiful greenish-white bracts that blush pink as they mature. If you prefer a richer hue, Cornus kousa ‘Satomi’ is one of the finest pink-flowered selections. ‘Chinensis’ can grow up to 6 meters tall, while ‘Satomi’ remains slightly smaller.
For a striking structural element, Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ (The Wedding Cake Tree) is a stunning alternative. With its layered, tiered branches and bright variegated foliage, it makes a perfect stand-alone specimen, reaching around 8 meters in height and width.
All Cornus varieties thrive in full sun with neutral to acidic soil.
Crab Apple (Malus)
Photo by Nick Fewings
Crab apples are smaller, highly ornamental trees that typically reach around 4 meters in height and spread. While their small fruits are often too tart to eat raw, they are ideal for making jellies, feeding wildlife, and cross-pollinating other apple trees due to their extended flowering season.
Malus ‘Evereste’ produces small red fruits and abundant white spring blossoms. Malus ‘Red Sentinel’ is known for its deep red fruits, which persist well into winter. Malus ‘John Downie’ is a variety with larger, orange-red fruits ideal for jelly-making.
Photo by Chelsey Faucher
Flowering crab apples prefer full sun but can tolerate partial shade. They are relatively low-maintenance and make an excellent addition to wildlife-friendly gardens.
Sorbus (Rowan/Mountain Ash)
Photo by Casper van Battum
The Mountain Ash is an excellent choice for coastal and urban gardens, with high resilience to wind and pollution. Its fern-like foliage, creamy white flowers, and clusters of bright berries create seasonal interest, particularly in autumn when its beauty reaches its peak.
Sorbus aucuparia, the native rowan, is a classic tree with red berries, reaching up to 15 meters tall. Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ is a variety with golden-yellow berries and the same impressive height. For smaller spaces, Sorbus vilmorinii towers at 5 meters and bears very attractive berries, starting crimson and slowly fading to white during the cold season. Sorbus ‘Autumn Spire’, as its name suggests, is a columnar type growing to 8 meters with a spread of only 1.5 meters. It is particularly striking in autumn when its green foliage turns to vivid shades of yellow, orange, and purple, perfectly complementing its yellow and red berries.
Rowans prefer slightly acidic soil and grow best in full sun.
Olive Tree (Olea europaea)
Photo by Anita Austvika
For a touch of the Mediterranean, the Olive Tree is a hardy evergreen that thrives in sheltered urban gardens. Its silvery-green foliage provides year-round interest, and while its small flowers in summer may produce fruit, Ireland’s cooler climate is unlikely to yield edible olives.
This tree is particularly well-suited to container planting, making it an excellent choice for patios and balconies. Though slow-growing, it reaches a manageable size and requires minimal maintenance. Plant in free-draining soil in full sun for best results.
Bringing It All Together
Choosing the right tree for your garden depends on available space, soil type, and the features you wish to highlight. Whether you want spring blossoms, vibrant autumn foliage, ornamental fruits, or year-round interest, there is a tree to suit every urban garden. With careful selection and positioning, these trees will not only enhance your outdoor space but also provide beauty, shade, and habitat for wildlife.
Other options include Lilac trees, Magnolias or even tree ferns for the shadier and sheltered garden.
The choice of the tree is the first step as it is a more permanent element of the garden. Complete your design with topiary and/or shrubs to add the structure to your space,
I like your selection of trees and have one of nearly all of them.
I have reservations about flowering cherries in highly engineered gardens. The roots are very strong and can lift paths etc
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