Small
Trees for Urban Use
This
is for information purposes only; Arbortech does not supply and install trees.
While all of
the trees on this list have been selected by Arbortech staff for general
reliability and availability, success of establishment will vary by site conditions,
therefore, pick wisely, based on your own research, this list is a starting
point.
The purpose
of this list is to aide our clients in selecting trees for their landscape
needs. With lots becoming smaller and houses becoming bigger, there is less room
for landscaping. If more space is available, smaller trees allow greater
numbers, thus more diversity within the landscape.
Select your
plants carefully from the nursery when purchasing; choose well branched trees
with straight unscarred trunks, with no broken limbs, well centered in the pot
or root ball. Look for signs that the tree has been well cared for at the
nursery.
In the
following list, trees marked with an asterisk are generally quite durable but
as with most plants, there are disease and pest problems associated with each.
Learn what these are and watch for them. We have selected these plants to have
a minimum of concerns under a wide variety of conditions.
The definition
of a small tree for the purposes of this list might be considered as follows:
·
A
woody plant consisting of 3 or fewer stems (usually a single stem)
·
No
taller than 8 meters (25 ft.) in height at maturity (25 years) There is no
limit to crown spread.
Root spread
can vary greatly but the root volume will be roughly equivalent to that of the
crown with most of the feeding roots in the top 30 cm (12 in) of soil.
For full
development to take place, we must assume the tree(s) have an unrestricted
growth area with good growing conditions and adequate water for “normal”
development, away from pollutants and harmful conditions.
In no
particular order:
Common
Name Botanical Name
Paper Bark Maple* Acer grisseum
Japanese Maple* Acer
palmatum ‘Bloodgood’
Serviceberry* Amelanchier
canadensis
Eastern Redbud* Cercis
canadensis
Alternate Leaf Dogwood* Cornus
alternifolia
Kousa Dogwood* Cornus
kousa
Flowering Dogwood Cornus
florida
Cornelian Cherry* Cornus mas
Witch Hazel (Shrubby) Hamamelis virginiana
Sargent Crab Apple* Malus Sarentii
Star Magnolia (and others) Magnolia
stellate
American Hornbeam/ Muscle Wood* Carpinus caroliniana
Fringe Tree Chionanthus virginicus
Smoke Tree Cotinus obovatus
Maidenhair Tree Ginko biloba ‘Jade Butterflies’
Japanese Tree Lilac Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’
Dwarf Hinoki Cypress* Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’
Limber Pine Pinus flexilis ‘Vanderwolf’s Pyramid’
Mugo Pine Pinus mugo
Japanese Yew Taxus cuspidata ‘Capitata’
Hick’s Yew Taxus media ‘Hicksii’
Dwarf Alberta Spruce* Picea glauca ‘Conica’
Hedge Maple Acer
campestre
Amur Maple Acer
ginnala
Crimson Cloud Hawthorn (and
others) Crataegus
laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’
Bradford Pear Pyrus
calleryana ‘Chanticleer’
Globe Norway Maple Acer
platinoides ‘Globosum’
Oak-leaf Mountain Ash Sorbus x hybrid
Some
taller pyramidal trees (narrow growth habit)
Weeping
Copper Beech Fagus sylvatica ‘purpurea pendula’ “Purple
Fountain”
Maiden
Hair Tree Ginko biloba ‘fastigiata’
Pyramidal
English Oak Quercus robur f. fastigiata
Black Cedar Thuja occidentalis ‘Nigra’
Each
of these trees adds a dimension to the landscape, leaf texture, flower, fall
colour, fruit or a combination of elements.
