Wise gardeners know that even the smallest garden has room for a tree. Dwarf hybrids and trees that are naturally small in stature provide structure and privacy for practicality's sake, as well as fragrance, colour and movement for pure pleasure. Some also produce fruit for the kitchen table, and many – especially native species – offer food and shelter for birds, butterflies and other wildlife.
Small deciduous trees can be planted to screen a south-facing patio or wall during the summer, but let the sun shine into the windows throughout the cold weather, while a clump of evergreens can form a quiet backdrop for a colourful flowerbed, then – touched up with snow – show off all winter long. If you're lucky enough to have a yard beneath a canopy of statuesque maples or other giants, an understory of short, shade-tolerant specimens can hover between the garden beds and the tallest trees, softening the space. One tree can be a focal point; two can frame a gate or pathway.
What to Consider
• Decide if you prefer an upright, horizontal or weeping form. Do you want something that splashes out with showy flowers in the spring or colourful fruit in the fall? Or a tree, such as crab apple, that does both? What matters most: a variety with bright leaves all season or one with attention-grabbing autumn colour?
• Plant some native species for their easy-care attributes, as well as their eco-friendliness.
• Choose a tree that can spread to its full size without outgrowing its site, and suits the scale of its surroundings.
• Match the sun and soil requirements of the tree to the planting spot.
• Avoid planting fruiting varieties where they will overhang paved pathways, and steer clear of any with toxic fruit if you have young children.
• Remember that fruiting plants bring birds into your yard from late summer through winter.
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