Modern gardens today are no longer several hundred square meters in size, but rather just a few square meters. But even in such a small space, small trees or evergreen shrubs can be planted effectively.
Which evergreen trees are suitable for small gardens?
Evergreen trees for small gardens include wintergreen privet, dwarf balsam fir, Korean fir, dwarf cork fir, bristlecone pine, East Asian dwarf pine, dwarf pine and Japanese yew. These trees have moderate growth rates and fit perfectly into smaller gardens.
Small trees for the wintergreen garden
Holly, boxwood, cherry laurel or the ubiquitous conifers can be found as evergreen plants in almost every garden. For this reason, we have put together some rarely planted evergreen trees for you here.
Wintergreen privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium)
This robust shrub can grow up to five meters high and is particularly suitable for hedge planting, the 'Aureum' variety can also be used as an ornamental foliage plant.
Dwarf balsam fir (Abies balsamea 'Nana')
'Nana' is a small-growing variant of the balsam fir that comes from North America. It grows compactly, rather rounded and does not grow taller than 80 centimeters even when it is old. This pretty dwarf conifer is suitable for rock and heather gardens as well as perennial gardens. The dwarf balsam fir is shade tolerant.
Korea fir (Abies koreana)
The comparatively weak-growing Korean fir only grows between ten and 15 meters high and develops a broad, conical crown. Grafted plants that grow a little slower are often sold commercially. The varieties 'Blue Pfiff' and 'Silberlocke' are particularly interesting for small gardens.
Dwarf cork fir (Abies lasiocarpa 'Compacta')
This very decorative, slow-growing fir fits wonderfully into small gardens. It grows richly branched and does not grow taller than four meters even when it is old. Its very densely packed needles, up to 2.5 centimeters long, are blue-green to silver-grey on top. This variety loves high air and soil moisture, but is sensitive to high lime content.
Breast pine (Pinus aristata)
In its homeland, the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains, the bristlecone pine can grow up to 15 meters high when it is old. In our case, however, it hardly reaches more than six to eight meters. It grows very slowly and builds up a loose, often picturesque crown. It absolutely needs very well-drained soil and a sunny, airy location.
East Asian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila 'Glauca')
This very small species is the native counterpart of the alpine mountain pine (Pinus mugo) from East Asia to Japan. The very attractive dwarf pine with its blue-green needles is suitable for rock and heather gardens, and is also indispensable in Japanese gardens. It needs a sunny to light shaded location and is very sensitive to waterlogging.
Dwarf pine (Pinus strobus 'Radiata')
This richly branched dwarf form of the white pine grows in a broad, conical shape, but when old it can reach a height of between four and six meters and a width of up to three meters. 'Radiata' definitely needs a sunny location and sandy, humus-rich, permeable soil.
Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata 'Nana')
The Japanese yew is the East Asian counterpart to the European yew. It grows as a shrub or develops into a tree up to 15 meters high. In this country, the 'Nana' variety is predominantly cultivated, which grows to a maximum height of two meters and a width of up to three meters.
Tip
Instead of a small tree, you can also cultivate an evergreen shrub grown as a half or standard trunk. The common boxwood or the holly are very suitable for this.
