Small trees for landscaping can transform even the most modest landscape. “Your yard is only going to be so interesting if you’re only planting shrubs and perennials,” says Sam Niemann, founder of the Chicago-based landscape design firm Grown by Design.
Planting small trees—specimens that reach a mature height of less than 20 feet—add interest without overpowering a garden space. With the right design strategies, small trees can make a big impact within a landscape.
Use Small Trees as a Focal Point
Zig Zag redbud
For a serious wow factor, use a small tree for landscaping such as the Zig Zag redbud as the focal point in a small landscape where the zigzagged stems and branches and bright pink early spring blooms will turn heads. Snow Fountains weeping cherry trees also create outstanding visual appeal in the home garden with showy white blooms in spring and vibrant foliage in autumn.
Unlike shrubs and perennials that can be moved as a garden matures, small trees are anchor plants that will remain rooted in their spots. As the visual centerpiece in a design, small trees should be planted first, Sam says.
Check out our favorite fast-growing trees for your yard.
Look for Small Landscape Trees With Texture
Dwarf blue spruce
Although perennials and ornamental grasses often take a leading role in adding texture in a landscape, small trees shouldn’t be overlooked. The peeling bark on paperbark maples, crape myrtles and seven-son flowers add texture and drama in the garden. For over-the-top texture, plant a grace smoke tree and delight in the featherlike, salmon-colored plumes that appear in summer.
Small evergreens are excellent for texture too. A false cypress or a compact blue spruce adds finely needled softness that pairs beautifully with more structured plantings. “Evergreens give you a wide variety of texture that contrasts well with broader-leaved trees,” Sam says.
No space? No problem! These small, flowering trees pack a lot of beauty into a small package.
Trees Add Contrast and Color to Landscapes
Little Gem magnolia
Great gardens are colorful and filled with contrast. Sam often starts a new design by choosing plantings with three foliage tones: classic green, red or purple, and icy blue. The bright, glossy green leaves of a Little Gem magnolia; lobed or lacy reddish-purple leaves of a Japanese maple; and dwarf varieties of blue spruce are ideal specimens to add contrast and color to the landscape.
Use Trees for Layers and Height
Grace smoke tree
Layering is essential in gardens of all sizes. In a compact space, small trees might be the tallest plants in the garden but then they may form the middle tier, between towering canopies and small shrubs, in larger gardens. Varying the heights of small trees—incorporating some that reach a mature height of 10 feet with others that top out at 20 feet—helps keep the eye moving, Sam says.
Think of Seasonal Interest
Autumn brilliance serviceberry
Small trees for landscaping also offer sensational seasonal interest. Choose a Forest Pansy redbud for its pink spring blooms, rich summer foliage and glowing fall color. Or select serviceberry for white blossoms in spring followed by small purple fruits in summer.
“You want different colors, different shapes and different textures in the garden during each season,” Sam says. “You can find lots of small trees that offer four seasons of interest.”
Even Small Tress Create Shade
Forest pansy redbud
While it’s true that a 10-foot-tall tree won’t cast as much shade as a 40-foot-tall tree, even modest trees cast shade. “Smaller trees really shine in small gardens,” Sam says. “The only way to add shade to a small garden may be to plant a small tree.”
Don’t Overlook Understory Options
Japanese maple
In gardens with many larger trees, smaller specimens can work well as understory plantings that help create multiple layers of tree canopy and can fill in the gaps between larger trees and smaller shrubs and perennials.
“When you’re planting understory plants, your very first consideration needs to be the site requirement,” Sam says. “If it’s a shady spot beneath another tree, do not plant trees that require full sun.”
Small trees for landscaping might not have the same impact as large trees do, but the right specimens can offer color, texture, shade and habitat, giving them their own uniquely powerful purposes in a garden’s design.
Shop Smart and Plan Ahead Before Buying Trees
Crape myrtle trees
Along with checking the usual plant care requirements, such as sunlight, soil and water, the mature size of a tree is another important factor to consider before buying. Just because a plant is labeled “dwarf” or “small” doesn’t mean it will stay as petite as you might imagine.
Research mature sizes to better understand a tree’s growth rate, if it will fit in your space long term or if you will need to prune regularly. Most importantly, Sam says, “Make sure you’re buying a tree that’s suited to your garden.”
About the Expert
Sam Niemann is the founder of the Chicago-based landscape design firm Grown by Design. He has worked in the horticulture industry for longer than a decade, and he has also developed his own brand of plant fertilizer.
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