Trees for smaller gardens
Check the details when you buy and pick appropriate plants for your situation
Key: Common name
Species & 'Variety'
Approx. eventual height
Flowering season
Full sun
Lilac
e.g. Syringa 'Red Pixie', 1.8m, May-Jun
Apple/fruit trees
e.g. Apple ‘Red Windsor’, 'Ballerina Samba' or ‘Scrumptious’, 2-5m (height depends on root stock), Apr-May
Ornamental cherry
e.g. Prunus ‘The Bride’, 2m, Apr; Prunus ‘Pink Shell’, 8m, Apr
Cersis
e.g. Cercis chinensis 'Avondale', 3m, Mar-Apr
Common myrtle
Myrtus communis, 3m, Jul-Aug
Spindle tree
e.g. Euonymus europaeus 'Red Cascade', 3m, May-Jun
Privet tree
Ligustrum Japonicum, 3m, Jun-Jul
Crab apple
e.g. Malus jelly king 'Mattfru', 4m, May
Juneberry
Amelanchier lamarckii, 4m, Mar-Apr
Corkscrew hazel
e.g. Corylus avellana 'Contorta', 5m, Feb-Mar
Rowan / mountain ash
e.g. Sorbus vilmorinii, 5m, Apr-May
Holly
e.g. Ilex aquifolium 'J.C. van Tol' female or Ilex aquifolium 'Alaska' female, 6-8m (or prune to height), May-Jun
Japanese dogwood
Cornus kousa, 7m, May-Jun
Hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata, 8m (or prune to height), Mar-May
Strawberry tree
Arbutus unedo, 8m, Sep-Nov
Part sun/part shade
Privet tree
Ligustrum Japonicum, 3m, Jun-Jul
Cersis
e.g. Cercis chinensis 'Avondale', 3m, Mar-Apr
Crab apple e.g. Malus jelly king 'Mattfru', 4m, May
Juneberry
Amelanchier lamarckii, 4m, Mar-Apr
Corkscrew hazel
e.g. Corylus avellana 'Contorta', 5m, Feb-Mar
Rowan / mountain ash
e.g. Sorbus vilmorinii, 5m, Apr-May
Holly
e.g. Ilex aquifolium 'J.C. van Tol' female or Ilex aquifolium 'Alaska' female, 6-8m (or prune to height), May-Jun
Japanese dogwood
Cornus kousa, 7m, May-Jun
Hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata, 8m (or prune to height), Mar-May
Shade
Corkscrew hazel
e.g. Corylus avellana 'Contorta', 5m, Feb-Mar
Holly
e.g. Ilex aquifolium 'J.C. van Tol' female or Ilex aquifolium 'Alaska' female, 6-8m (or prune to height), May-Jun
Hawthorn
Crataegus laevigata, 8m (or prune to height), Mar-May
Small or bare root plants are cheap and easier to establish in your garden. Water generously the first springand summer after planting
Any tree should be planted well away from buildings. Avoid planting over drains, near powerlines etc