12 best trees for small properties
As lovely as they are, large, stately trees don’t fit comfortably into small plots. Nevertheless, all gardens need trees—not only to clean the air and offer shade, but also to provide vertical interest and habitat for wildlife. Choosing specimens with a slender growth habit is the answer. Here are a dozen slimline options to consider. —with files from Trevor Cole
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| Name | Height x Spread (m) | Comments |
| ‘Newton Sentry’ sugar maple (Acer saccharum ‘Newton Sentry’) Zone 4 | 10 x 2.5 | Orange-yellow fall foliage |
| Single seed hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna ‘Stricta’) Zone 3 | 10 x 4 | White flowers, red fruit; lustrous, dark green foliage |
| Princeton Sentry maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba ‘PNI 2720’) Zone 4 | 12 x 3 | Male clone (no smelly fruit); bright yellow fall foliage |
| ‘Pencil Point’ common juniper (Juniperus communis ‘Pencil Point’) Zone 3 | 10 x 1.5 | Dense growth habit; bright green needles |
| Upright Siberian crabapple (Malus baccata ‘Columnaris’) Zone 2 | 9 x 3 | White flowers, yellow fruit; new foliage tinged bronze |
| ‘Pink Spires’ crabapple (M. ‘Pink Spires’) Zone 4 | 6 x 4 | Pink blooms, purple-red fruit; copper foliage |
| Serbian spruce (Picea omorika) Zone 3 | 20 x 3 | Retains evergreen branches down to the ground; pollution tolerant |
| ‘Tower’ poplar (Populus x canescens ‘Tower’) Zone 2 | 20 x 4 | Almost disease-free male clone; yellow fall foliage |
| ‘Amanogawa’ Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata 'Amanogawa’) Zone 6 | 8 x 3 | Pink, semi-double, fragrant flowers; black fruit; bronze-red fall foliage |
| Upright English oak (Quercus robur forma fastigiata) Zone 5 | 15 x 5 | Dark green foliage; very slow growing |
| Upright oakleaf mountainash (Sorbus x thuringiaca ‘Fastigiata’) Zone 5 | 8 x 3 | White flowers, showy red berries; resistant to fire blight |
| ‘Elegantissima’ white cedar (Thuja occidentalis ‘Elegantissima’) Zone 3 | 5 x 1.5 | New needles tipped with yellow |
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4 Comments
I have been thinking of adding a small tree to my zone 7 backyard. It has a south and western exposure, so would have to be tolerant of Windsor's hot and humid summers. I have been thinking of a downy serviceberry or a kousa dogwood, but noticed neither of these mentioned in the article. Any suggestions?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?
We are replacing a Japanese maple tree which was planted near our front entrance. It's canopy shaded our front porch during hot summer afternoons. As it was diseased and I understand that this is common with Japanese maples, can you suggest another similar sized, reddish leaf tree to replace it with?