Even in winter, the desire to improve your garden to add some colour can be irresistible. Just because the skies are slate-grey doesn’t mean that your garden should be a matching colour.
A great idea at this time of year is to plant small trees that offer both seasonal colour and a new focal point for your garden.
Not every tree needs a huge space to thrive, and below we’ve listed 10 varieties that are perfect for big and smaller gardens alike. They pack a massive punch of curb appeal into a manageable size.
If you’re thinking of selling your home, and lamenting that your garden looks plain and uninteresting, one of our recommended trees might be perfect for you.
Here’s a quick tip before planting a small tree: Please don’t plant it too close to the house. It should be at least three metres from the structure of the building so the root system won’t disturb the foundations..
Crabapple – Seasonal flairs of flowers in shades of white, pink and red make the crabapple a great winter choice. Often the colour of its fruit will turn orange, gold, red or burgundy even in winter. Disease-resistant varieties such as Prairifire have pink flowers and purple foliage. Crabapples love full sun and moist, well-drained soil. You can trim them so they grow only to around two metres.
Redbud – As winter turns to spring, you’ll enjoy tiny, vibrant pink or white flowers. The Eastern Redbud is a beloved North American native. Its heart-shaped leaves turn a beautiful golden-yellow in fall. Look for standout varieties such as Forest Pansy, which has purple foliage. It thrives in full sun to part shade, but it must have well-drained soil. You can keep its height to three metres.
Crape Myrtle – Popular in southern parts, the crape myrtle is cherished for its big clusters of frilly flowers. It provides multi-season appeal with beautiful red, yellow or orange foliage and stunning peeling bark. Originally from Asia, it’s a heat-tolerant tree. Give it full sun and well-drained soil, and it will thrive if you maintain it at a height of two metres.
Flowering Dogwood – A North American native, it’s a four-season ornamental tree. Its fruit attracts local birdlife. It’s best planted in full sun or part-shade in moist, well-drained soil. Let it grow to a minimum four metres.
Kousa Dogwood – This tree is from Asia, and it’s incredibly disease resistant. It has unique, edible red fruits in late summer and vibrant reddish-purple fall foliage. You can retain the Kousa at three metres.
Saucer Magnolia – Who doesn’t love a magnolia tree? This variety offers the most dramatic flowers of any small tree with stunning, cup-shaped blooms appearing in shades of white, pink and purple in mid- to late spring. Keep it tightly trimmed as it grows quickly.
Fringe Tree – A North American native, the fringe tree can be grown either as a large shrub or pruned into an elegant small tree. It has an amazing display of fragrant white flowers that give way to clusters of blue-purple fruits in the fall and winter. Birds love this tree.
Carolina Silverbell – A native of southeastern US, it offers a delightful late winter or early-spring show of white, bell-shaped flowers that appear before the leaves fully emerge. It can be grown as a large shrub or a small tree. Keep it trimmed or it will grow to 10 metres.