Would you like to decorate the outdoor area in front of the house with a tree, but don't have much space? This is where small trees for the front yard come into play!
Trees are an essential part of any garden landscape, providing structure, color and cooling shade. But with most of us living in cities and properties getting smaller, smaller trees are more popular than ever. Even if they don't grow particularly tall, small trees can make a big impact in your front yard. These species fit in perfectly.
Small trees for the front garden: These species are perfect
When one has limited space in the front yard, it is important that the plants chosen fit into the surroundings both in terms of proportions and their decorative value. Fortunately, there are many small trees that are suitable for front garden design. While there are no hard and fast rules for what a small tree is, trees that grow up to 5 m tall are typically considered to be. We have compiled the best species that you can grow very easily.
Trees up to 3 m high
Small trees are not only easy to incorporate into the front yard design, but are also less laborious to maintain. Pruning is usually an easier task. Many small trees can even be planted in containers so you can bring them indoors for the winter.
Star Magnolia
The star magnolia is a slow-growing, flowering tree that grows up to 3 m tall. The star-shaped, white, fragrant flowers appear in March or April, making them a beautiful harbinger of spring. It produces bright pink seed pods later in the season and fruits with orange seeds in the fall. This small tree prefers slightly acidic, nutrient-rich soil and a sunny location.
Dwarf Ash
The dwarf ash is an almost spherical tree that grows up to one meter high. The dwarf tree blooms in yellow-red from April and produces winged fruits from September, which last for a very long time and make it a beautiful eye-catcher in the garden. It is completely hardy and prefers well-drained, calcareous soil and a sunny to partially shaded location.
Spiked rock pear
The rock pear is a small front yard tree that is popular for its blooms, the fall color of its leaves, and its edible fruits that attract birds. The white, fragrant flowers appear from April to May and the purple-black fruits in autumn. This robust tree grows up to 2 m high, can also be cut back to bush size and is very frost hardy.
Kamelie
This beautiful evergreen tree brings color to our gardens. There are a variety of camellia varieties in different colors, shapes and sizes. Most varieties thrive in mild regions and only a few are considered hardy. Therefore, make sure to plant the camellia in a wind-protected and shady location, ideally near a house wall.
Harlequin meadow
The harlequin willow is becoming increasingly popular as a landscape tree because it not only adds color to the front yard but also provides beautiful hedging options. Her compact size makes this Japanese beauty a great addition to landscapes where size is a concern.
Plant the harlequin willow in moist, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. It also thrives in containers as long as it is watered well. Prune the tree lightly in winter and summer.
Small trees for the front garden: up to 5 m high
Every front yard needs a tree or two. If you want something that will enhance your landscape without overwhelming it, you can consider these small trees that grow up to 5 m.
Japanese maple
The elegant shape and delicate foliage of the Japanese maple make it an excellent eye-catcher in the front garden. There are hundreds of varieties with leaves in shades from green to orange to red and you can certainly find the right one for you. Its size varies depending on the variety and reaches up to 5 m in height. The Japanese maple grows slowly, at 20 cm per year, with mature specimens growing more widely.
American Judas tree
The pink flowers of the American Judas tree brighten many front gardens in April and May. This tree blooms long before the pretty heart-shaped leaves appear and its flowers attract numerous pollinators. The American Judas tree has one or more short trunks and spreading branches that form a broad, rounded crown.
This small tree looks particularly good among evergreen trees, which contrast its color and protect it from intense sunlight.
Kugelahorn
The globe maple is a small tree that grows up to five meters high and impresses with its characteristic, spherical crown. It grows about 15 cm in height and width per year and older trees often become flat-spherical and weak-growing. Its light green leaves turn from golden yellow to red in autumn and are up to 20 cm wide. The 5 to 7 lobes, which are arcuately serrated at the edge, are particularly vulnerable. Its single yellow flowers appear in spring.
Blood plum
The blood plum is an ornamental variety that produces pink spring blooms early in the season, followed by bronze foliage that gradually darkens to a rich purple. This magnificent tree also displays incredible coloring in the fall before the leaves fall.
The blood plum prefers well-drained soil and thrives in full sun. It grows slowly at only 25 cm per year and reaches a height of up to 5 meters.
Small trees for the front garden: crabapple
Crabapples are widely grown because of their attractive growth habit, spring blooms and tiny fruits and are ideal for growing in the front garden. Its fragrant flowers and fruits are very popular with butterflies and birds, although the fruits are much smaller and tarter than the domestic apple, but are suitable for cider and jams.
The crabapple has a stiffer shape and is pricklier than the common apple. Its egg-shaped leaves are serrated at the edges and turn very attractive in autumn. The fragrant white, pink, red or purple flowers appear between April and May.
Seidenbaum
The fast-growing silk tree has fragrant, spectacular pink and white flowers and fern-like leaves. Young plants require winter protection, but they become hardy with age.
This tree has a wide crown and can have one or more trunks.
Plant the silk tree in well-drained soil, in a sheltered location in full sun. Cut back frost-damaged growth in spring.
Kreppmyrte
Crape myrtle is a deciduous tree that has showy summer blooms, colorful fall foliage, and attractive, peeling bark in winter. These small trees come in a variety of sizes, from dwarf shrub-like varieties to tall-growing trees in a variety of colors from white to deep red and purple. With all of these options you can create the perfect crepe myrtlefor your front gardenfind.
Golden shower
Laburnum blooms beautifully in late spring and early summer with its drooping, yellow, sweet-smelling flower clusters thatreminiscent of wisteria. The flowers develop into seed pods that ripen in autumn. Its green, clover-like foliage is also very attractive.
Laburnum prefers to grow in full sun in well-drained soil. But remember that it is poisonous to both humans and animals.
