7 trees for small gardens

How to choose the right tree for a small garden?

Choosing a tree for a small garden is not something to improvise. In a confined space, every plant counts and the tree must fit in harmoniously without overrunning the area or hindering other vegetation. Prefer a small tree with a compact habit, a non-aggressive root system and growth that remains moderate, even at ripeness.

A small tree for an urban garden or housing estate can play several roles: create a focal point, provide light shade, screen a view, or enrich the setting with its flowering or foliage. Some small-garden trees stand out for their evergreen foliage, which maintains visual interest year-round, while others offer spectacular flowers in spring or summer.

Choice therefore depends on your priorities: do you want a small flowering tree, a small tree for a small garden with evergreen foliage, or a specimen notable for its silhouette? In any case, choose hardy species that are undemanding and suited to the conditions of your soil and regional climate.

Trees for small gardens with spectacular flowering

Magnolia grandiflora ‘Ferruginea’, a small evergreen tree for small garden with white flowers

Magnolia ‘Ferruginea’ stands out for its glossy evergreen foliage, a deep green with a rusty-brown underside, providing a strong presence all year round. Its large cream-white tulip-shaped flowers, delicately lemon-scented, flower freely in summer without overwhelming the space. This small decorative outdoor tree, with a compact habit and slow growth (up to 8 m high with a 4 m spread), is ideal for small gardens and can even be grown in a pot. In cold climate, give it a sunny sheltered spot to protect its foliage and ensure generous flowering.

Cercis siliquastrum or Judas tree, a small flowering tree with Mediterranean charm

With its purplish-pink spring flowering appearing directly on the naked branches, Cercis siliquastrum – or Judas tree – is an outstanding small flowering tree, perfect for a small garden. Its scented flowers appear before the foliage, offering a striking display from early spring.

Its heart-shaped leaves, first bronze, turn bluish-green then take on golden tones in autumn, extending decorative interest over several seasons. This small tree for small garden reaches 8 to 10 m high with around 5 m spread at ripeness, with a naturally sculptural silhouette and a habit often sinuate, giving it a truly distinctive character.

Undemanding but sensitive to severe frosts in its youth, this small decorative outdoor tree is best planted in a well-sheltered garden. It prefers drained, cool and rich soils, and makes an elegant, original and easy-to-combine small garden tree.

Magnolia soulangeana, a small flowering tree with romantic accents

With its large tulip-shaped cream-white flowers tinged with purplish-pink, the Soulange’s magnolia remains a timeless reference among small flowering trees. Much appreciated for its spectacular flowering from late winter, it brings a romantic yet structural charm, ideal in a small garden.

This small garden tree forms an elegant specimen, reaching 6 to 8 m high at ripeness, with a 4 to 5 m spread. It thrives in fresh, rich, non-calcareous soil, in a position sheltered from cold winds to protect its flowering from spring frosts.

Hardy to -20 °C, this small decorative outdoor tree fits easily into urban gardens or housing developments, bringing a touch of poetry in spring.

Malus coccinella ‘Courtarou’, a small ornamental tree with abundant flowering and decorative fruit

With its carmine-pink flowers in spring and small red apples in autumn, Malus coccinella ‘Courtarou’ is a small flowering tree as decorative as it is generous. This ornamental crab apple charms with abundant flowering followed by fruiting much appreciated by birds.

Perfectly suited to a small garden, it does not exceed 5 m in height with a 3 m spread. Its erect habit and foliage that turns orange late in the season make it an easy-to-place tree for small garden in any sunny spot.

Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’, a small tree with double flowers

With its clusters of dark pink double flowers in spring, ‘Paul Scarlet’ offers a dense, luminous flowering that attracts as much attention as pollinators. This hawthorn forms a small tree for small garden, capable of reaching 6 m all round, easy to train as a standard (by pruning and removing suckers) and perfectly suited to small spaces.

Hardy, undemanding and very melliferous, it tolerates calcareous soils and is generally disease-resistant. Its green foliage turns red in autumn, while its small decorative fruits extend interest in this small decorative outdoor tree late into the season.

Ornamental trees for a small garden

The Acer griseum, or paperbark maple, a small tree for small gardens with precious bark

Acer griseum, or paperbark maple, is a small ornamental outdoor tree admired for its cinnamon-brown bark that peels away in thin curls as it ages, particularly spectacular in winter. This distinctive texture catches the light beautifully, adding interest to the garden even in cold season when it becomes leafless.

This small tree for small gardens, of slow growth, rarely exceeds 8 m in height with a 4 m spread. Its foliage, initially green, turns shades of red and gold in autumn, extending its appeal well beyond the bark. Hardy and easy to grow, it suits both as a solitary specimen and in coppice shoots, and stands out with presence all year round.

The Koelreuteria paniculata ‘Coral Sun’, a small ornamental tree with evolving foliage

The Koelreuteria paniculata ‘Coral Sun’, or Coral Sun golden rain tree, is a small tree for small gardens that charms with its changing foliage: prawn-pink at bud burst period, green in summer, then golden and copper in autumn. A striking palette that evolves through the seasons.

Its summer flowering in mustard-yellow panicles attracts pollinators and gives way to orangey lantern-shaped fruits, very decorative in winter. Hardy, undemanding, this small ornamental outdoor tree reaches about 6 to 7 metres in height and thrives in a sunny, sheltered position.

Other tips for choosing the right tree for a small garden

Opt for a dwarf or compact-habit tree for a small garden

In a small garden, every square metre counts. Opt for a small tree with limited vigour, naturally dwarf or grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock. These varieties are ideal for adding structure without overwhelming space, whether planted in ground or in a large pot on the patio.

Choose a form suited to space constraints

Think about form: a tree trained in coppice shoots, as a standard or espaliered against a wall saves space while adding vertical interest. These silhouettes free up ground space and fit harmoniously into a small garden.

My gardening tip:

Prefer young trees, they acclimatise more easily and reach a suitable size fairly quickly. Also, a tree may have a single trunk or several depending on how it was trained in nursery. It’s a matter of taste! Also consider fruit trees, particularly dwarf fruit trees, to combine the practical with the pleasurable.