Best Trees For The Garden

Best Trees For The Garden – As a Minneapolis landscape architect, I design many landscapes in small urban areas. Space is at a premium, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have different layers of plants (trees/shrubs/perennials/ground cover) to create a balanced garden design. Creating the highest layer of vegetation (trees) is the most challenging because, in addition to small spaces, there are often restrictions between overhead lines and neighboring buildings. If you’re looking to add height to limited garden corners, here are my picks for the best trees for urban gardens.

A new hybrid, this dwarf river birch is elegant and unique. It has the characteristic exfoliating bark of our native river birch, but only reaches a height of 10 feet. Its dwarf clumping habit gives you a very compact and uniform canopy of leaves.

Best Trees For The Garden

Best Trees For The Garden

This Minnesota native is truly underutilized in the garden landscape. Its most attractive attribute is the smooth bark (hence ‘muscle wood’) that it develops as it matures. I prefer to use the lumpy version for added visual drama. Some versions can also have excellent fall color. It is not widely available commercially so you have to do some hunting and there are many common names so make sure you use the Latin alphabet to get the right species.

Best Trees For Privacy

There are many varieties of apple to choose from, but I find that Red Gem is the one I keep coming back to. It has shown great disease resistance and can’t be beat for winter interest. Its bright red fruits cling to the tree after the leaves fall. If the birds don’t clear it in late winter, the new buds will push the dried fruit off the stem in the spring. There is no mess of rotting fruit under this tree, making it perfect for planting along your yard or walkway. It comes as a single or lumpy form. Again, I prefer clumps for added interest, especially if you highlight more of the trunk.

Best Trees For The Garden

Ginko is an ancient species and its leaf shape is instantly recognizable. What I found less than desirable was that this species took a long time to mature into the magnificent specimens it has become. Wood looks like a toothpick for many years, so patience is a virtue. Not ready to wait? This dwarf gingko is the perfect choice! You get fantastic foliage and color without waiting for the tree to fill out. It will eventually reach 15 feet at maturity, but again this will take several years. So you can enjoy it as an attractive focal point in your garden.

Often new clients will tell me they would like to incorporate a Japanese maple into their new landscape. I also like Japanese maples, but I’m a realist and some of the varieties that are designated as hardy in our zone 4 still need to be tenderized in the winter for extra protection. And even if you make them small, they just die on you. So instead of cutting back, I refer clients to look at Korean maples instead. You get the beautiful shape of Japanese maple leaves, but the higher hardiness (up to zone 3) means they don’t need to be pampered to perform. You don’t have the burgundy leaf color of many Japanese maples, but the trade-off with the Koreans is the spectacular orange fall color. There are also a number of newer hybrids on the market that combine Korean and Japanese features, and I encourage you to consider any of them. Native species can be found in both single stem and clump forms.

Best Trees For The Garden

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Oaks are valued trees: long-lived, graceful and a symbol of strength and perseverance. The challenge of planting new oaks is that you are really doing it for the next generation to enjoy as they slowly mature. Another way to incorporate oaks into your landscape, especially if you don’t have the space for a 40′ to 75′ wide canopy, is to look for new columnar cultivars that are developing. They have all the benefits of natives (vigor, longevity, supporting large populations of desirable insects, birds and fauna) in a compact form that makes them one of the best trees for urban gardens. I especially like Kindred Spirit (a hybrid of English Oak and Swamp White Oak) because it is extremely narrow (6 feet wide at maturity) but also 35 feet tall. It is resistant to mold and drought and tolerates urban soil conditions. I planted them in multiples in a row to create columnar ‘hedges’ that protect urban neighbors without fences.

I hope this helps you choose the best plants for your space! If you enjoyed reading about the best plants for urban gardens, you might also want to check out my Top 10 Perennial Picks for Minnesota Gardens! If you have a small yard, a large sugar maple or majestic oak will not fit. Fortunately, there are many small plants that can be planted in your yard or garden. In fact, many plants are grown for small spaces. When purchasing, check the approximate height of the plant and look for smaller varieties. Those with the word “dwarf” in their name tend to be small, such as weeping plants or plants with drooping branches. And always make sure it can survive the winter in your USDA hardiness zone.

Best Trees For The Garden

After that, it is important to apply it correctly. Do not plant it in front of the house or under eaves, wires or canopies. If so, he won’t have room to stretch his limbs.

Best Trees For Your Yard

Once you find a good spot, dig a hole about 2 or 3 times the width of the root ball. Remove the bag or pot and use gloves or a knife to roughen the surface of the root ball. (This will help your plant get started.) Then place the plant at the same depth in the hole in the pot. Be sure to keep the taproot, the cone at the bottom of the trunk, above the ground. Fill the hole, but don’t add anything like peat moss to the soil. Although this is a recommendation, plants do better when their roots learn to grow in their native soil. Finally, water, water, water, especially during the dry periods of the first two years. Here is some more information about proper tree planting.

Best Trees For The Garden

The elegant appearance and delicate foliage of this type of maple make it a great focal point in your garden. With hundreds of varieties with leaves in shades of green to orange to the deepest red, you’re sure to find one you’ll love! Some like full sun, while many need shade, so carefully read the description of the plant before buying.

This low, horizontally spreading dwarf tree produces beautiful white or pink flowers in the spring, which turn into dark red fruits in the fall. Birds and butterflies love the fragrant flowers and fruits of this tree.

Best Trees For The Garden

Best Trees For Small Gardens

The red buds bloom in early spring before the beautiful heart-shaped leaves appear. Many varieties grow over 10 feet, while some varieties stay smaller. Look for varieties with a weeping form so they remain compact for small spaces.

Hydrangeas are shrubs that grow in almost all regions of the country. When trained as trees by nurseries, hydrangeas are especially beautiful in the landscape and boast long summer blooms that pollinators love. Many varieties are also resistant to cold. Plant this stunner in a prominent spot in your garden.

Best Trees For The Garden

Some crape myrtle (also called crape myrtle) plants are more than 10 feet tall, but dwarf varieties are more than half that size. Their attractive white, pink or purple flowers do not mind the heat, making them an excellent choice for hot, humid regions.

Trees That Make The Best Neighbors

This unusual tree has it all: striking, leathery leaves; Fragrant flowers in late summer that attract hummingbirds and pollinators; And peeling of the attractive skin for the winter. It’s not as well known as it should be, but once you see it in person, you’ll fall in love with its unique charms. It’s over 10 feet tall at maturity, but it’s worth it!

Best Trees For The Garden

This type of willow is actually a shrub dressed as a tree. Its graceful, arching branches sway in the breeze, and its attractive foliage turns pink and matures in various shades of pink, white and green. You will need to keep the top trimmed to keep its shape.

This compact, slow-growing evergreen provides color and interest year-round. Its unique shape and feathery texture make it a great landscape accent. The dwarf variety grows to a maximum height of 5 feet.

Best Trees For The Garden

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This unique shrub, which can be trained as a tree, is striking with its brush-like neon pink and red flowers. The finely textured evergreen foliage is a nice contrast to the bright flowers. He loves the heat!

This beautiful tree has graceful, cascading branches that fall to the ground. It makes a great accent tree in large beds, but be careful not to crowd it so you can see it

Best Trees For The Garden

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