Many gardens, especially in the regions around large cities, only have a small area today. Nevertheless, garden owners do not have to do without their own house tree. Ball trees that remain small are an attractive alternative.
Which ball trees are suitable for small gardens?
For small gardens are ball trees such as ball willow (150 cm), ball maple (450 cm), ball trumpet tree (300 cm), ball swamp oak (300 cm), ball steppe cherry (300 cm), ball cork fir (200 cm) and fan leaf tree (150 cm) are ideal. They grow small and spherical, require little pruning and have different location requirements.
What are spherical trees?
Basically there are two different shapes of spherical trees. The first includes trees that do not naturally grow spherical, but can be cut into any shape. Typical examples of this are the common boxwood and the various false cypresses. However, this article is about the second form of spherical trees: These are special varieties that tend to remain small and have a naturally round crown. These trees rarely need to be cut into shape and grow with a spherical crown even without the regular use of secateurs.
The best varieties for the small garden
Ball trees are often top-grafted, i.e. H. only the crown is grafted onto the trunk of another species, which grows quickly or slowly depending on the variety. Some ball trees can grow up to ten meters high, while others remain only three to four meters high even when they get older. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, always pay attention to the expected final size specified by the retailer when making your selection. However, the tree can still grow larger or remain smaller, as the actual growth depends on factors such as location, soil conditions and climatic conditions. Ball trees that are suitable for small gardens include:
- Ball willow (Salix purpurea 'Nana'): up to 150 centimeters high, ideal for moist soils
- Spherical maple (Acer platanoides 'Globosum'): up to 450 centimeters high, remains spherical even without cutting
- Spherical trumpet tree (Catalpa bignonioides 'Nana'): up to 300 centimeters high, produces neither flowers nor fruits
- Spherical swamp oak (Quercus palustris 'Green Dwarf'): up to 300 centimeters high, slow growth
- Globe steppe cherry (Prunus fruticosa 'Globosa'): up to 300 centimeters high, white flowers and small, red fruits
- Spherical cork fir (Abies lasiocarpa 'Green Globe'): up to 200 centimeters high, low water requirement
- Fan leaf tree / Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Mariken'): up to 150 centimeters, perfect for pots
Tip
In principle, ball trees require the same care as their larger relatives. The biggest difference, however, is the pruning, which should be done more or less regularly depending on the species and variety. Some ball trees require almost no pruning, while others require the scissors to be used more frequently. However, this is less important to preserve the spherical shape, but mainly to prevent baldness.
