The Perfect Tree

[VictorianNoire]

Hello all! I am a reasonably new to the gardening world and am planning my container garden for the upcoming year. I have not much space at all, so i am trying to maximize my space by having plants that are nice all year (as suggested the millions of books I have read...). I have my flowers and ground covers and the like pretty much down pat, but dont know much about trees, especially trees that can endure a container.
The space where I am looking to have a tree is right outside my door, so everyone will see it. I want something with pretty bark in the winter...it doesnt really have to flower or anything, just look nice. The area I live in is zone 8 i do believe and it will be in a spot where it will get afternoon sun, but thats about it....

any suggestions? and thanks for the help!

[Eeyore]

The rule of thumb is to pick a tree 2 zones hardier than your zone so you can pick anything up to zone 6 which gives you a lot of choice. If you are in an area that freezes you'll need to insulate the pot in the winter or make sure it's big enough that the roots don't touch the sides of the pot but for you that isn't an issue. There are a wide variety of evergreens you can choose from which will look great all the time. Dwarf Alberta Spruce would be a good choice, it's a slow grower, a beautiful conical shape with soft needles and hardy to zone 4.

[Tony O]

You said (I want something with pretty bark in the winter...)

I can think of several things that may do well in your zone. If you're looking for something evergreen and different, for your zone, may I Suggest a slow growing cold hardy Trachycarpus Fortunei palm tree.

If you're not wanting an evergren, a creape myrtle has a nice marbled trunk. They can be trimmed to size, trained to be a standard, or a muilty trunked small tree, and for a plus, they have beautiful flowers in late summer. Also nice fall leaves. They come in all sizes and colors, and do well in containers.