Before considering small trees, I decided to find out the size of a small garden, because “small” means different things to different people. According to the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) a small UK garden is 15 x 15 metres, or 225 square metres.
But what size is a small tree? A small tree is generally between 3 metres and 5 metres although over time and in the right conditions, they may exceed their expected height.
My first thoughts when adding one or more small trees to a garden are
a) Will trees add to the concept of the garden?
b) Is there space for trees?
c) Where should trees go?
d) Which trees are best suited to this space?
Will trees add to the concept of the garden?
As the concept of each garden is unique, the use of trees (or not) is entirely dependent on the concept. There may be circumstances where, for example, the boundary of the garden is already established, and the clients want a design which keeps any hard materials and vegetation fairly low, so trees are out of the question.
Another example of using trees within a particular concept might be to make any trees “the stars of the show” – trees with a real wow factor – perhaps in one season, or a plant that delivers an impact, in different ways throughout the year.
Often, trees are used to provide additional privacy. In this case, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that any trees don’t end up taking up too much space in the garden. In this instance, for a small garden, I would probably choose pleached trees, almost like a “hedge on stilts”. They do come with a higher maintenance requirement than other trees, but the clear advantage is that they take up less space.
Is there space for trees?
Even small trees, in small gardens, can appear to take up a lot of space. Choosing standard trees with clear trunks, rather than feathered trees with branches from the ground up can reduce the amount of space that trees appear to take up. Small weeping trees however, like this ornamental pear in a client’s garden, below, can feel as though it is taking up too much space, as branches start to grow down towards the ground. In the case of this tree, the client’s answer was to keep it trimmed back so that people could still walk below it.
Where should trees go?
To block out an eyesore, it may be possible to do so by considering the placing of trees, rather than assuming that trees should be planted close to the eyesore. In the example below, if a tree is closer to a viewing area, in the foreground, for example, a patio, it can effectively block out a larger area, without taking up any more space in the garden:
Sometimes it is useful to approach this from the point of where certain trees mustn’t go. Here, you will need to know where services are, to maintain access and to avoid interference with drains. Keeping only small tree varieties in mind, Willows, Sycamores, Oaks, Maples and Birches tend to have a high water demand and their use should be avoided near to drains, especially if they are of an older type of drain which may have leaky joints.
Plants with shallow roots, for example Cherries, should be planted at least one metre from paths and patios, especially on clay soils. These trees have shallow roots which are more likely to disturb paths and patios with relatively shallow foundations.
Despite some of the misgivings above, the right trees can play an important role in small gardens, providing shade, colour, scent, and structure. Depending on the trees you choose, you could find ones which provide all of these aspects and more!
Which trees are best suited to this space?
When I first started to teach garden design, choosing suitable plants was a lengthy process. Now, apart from relying on my own knowledge of trees, I also use the RHS “Find a Plant” database. Within this you can filter the results by many different criteria and you can use this for all the different plants you may want in your garden.
Attribution
W.carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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