If you only have a small garden but would like to plant a beautiful tree in the front yard as an eye-catcher, you can use a few tricks to keep it small. Sufficient space is of great importance for the he alth of the tree; plants that are cramped are quickly prone to disease and pest infestation. In addition, large trees do not show off appropriately in small gardens.
How to keep trees small in the garden?
To keep trees small, choose small-growing varieties, plant pruning-tolerant species for regular crown pruning and use smaller planters for container plants. Avoid conifers, which are harder to keep small.
Tip 1: Choose small species and varieties
This tip is the most important of all: If you only want to care for a small tree, you shouldn't necessarily plant a sequoia tree in the garden. However, with the right choice of variety, maple, chestnut, oak or various types of fruit can be cultivated even in the smallest of spaces - there is a dwarf version of almost every species (usually recognizable by the word 'Nana' in the botanical name or the dwarf version in front of it).). Certain growth forms such as columnar, bush or spindle trees also remain rather small. Otherwise, choose trees that have been grafted onto weakly growing rootstocks. You can often find this variant on fruit trees.
Tip 2: Plant trees that are compatible with pruning
If you want to keep trees small, you have to choose species and varieties that are easy to cut. Regular crown pruning is essential so that it does not become too wide. For some fast-growing tree species, pruning may be necessary once or twice not only in autumn but also during the summer months. So-called ball trees with compact crowns are particularly suitable for small gardens.
Tip 3: Don't choose planters that are too large
If you keep the tree in a pot on the balcony or terrace, you should not choose a planter that is too large. The larger the pot, the stronger the roots and thus the above-ground parts of the plant grow. Incidentally, bonsai breeders also make use of this principle: To ensure that the trees remain small, the roots are regularly pruned. Translated for container trees, this means: Repot the trees in fresh soil about every two years, cut back the roots and do not choose a larger planter. If the roots are pruned, it is also essential to cut back the above-ground parts, otherwise the tree will die of thirst.
Tip
In contrast to deciduous trees, many conifers cannot or can only be kept small with great difficulty through pruning. In particular, cutting the top of the tree is not recommended for many species.
