Gardening
It's Grow Time
Gardening
It's Grow Time
Get your green thumbs going with our picks for the best small-space trees and shrubs to plant this year.
Trees
1. 'Ruby Slippers' Amur Maple
(Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala ‘Ruby Slippers’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of BaileyNurseries.com
This charming little maple is ideal for smaller home landscapes—choose a single-stemmed specimen for best results. This tree is embellished with delicate white flowers in the spring and beautiful green trilobed leaves in the summer, but it is truly at the height of its beauty in autumn, when its samaras (the winged seeds) turn a brilliant red, followed by its leaves in a stunning shade of scarlet. Very hardy, ‘Ruby Slippers’ can reach 6 metres in height and 4 metres in diameter. It grows well in a sunny location or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.
2. Seven Son Flower Tree
(Heptacodium miconioides), Zone 6
Image Courtesy of ProvenWinners.com
Although often sold as a shrub, seven son flower is a small tree that grows to a height of 5 to 6 metres and 4 metres in diameter. Shiny, curved, scimitar-shaped foliage gives this Heptacodium a tropical look in the summer months. Its bloom period is late, beginning in the early autumn, with white starry flowers that have a jasmine-like scent and attract pollinators. The flowers are followed by red bracts that sometimes persist until the snow arrives. In winter, its light brown bark exfoliates, revealing a handsome inner bark. Enhance this adaptable tree’s stature and bark by removing two or three lower branches to highlight its trunk. Plant it in full sun or partial shade.
3. 'Sunburst' Honey Locust
(Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis ‘Sunburst’), Zone 4
Image Courtesy of BaileyNurseries.com
The largest tree on our list, reaching 12 metres in height and a diameter of up to 10 metres, this honey locust’s delicate shape makes it quite suitable for a small plot. Its few, well-spaced branches have fine leaves, reminiscent of feathers, that turn from tender yellow in the spring to lime green in the summer. The leaves allow lots of sunlight through, making it possible to grow other plants at its base. Limited hardiness restricts this species to the southernmost regions of Canada. Plant the golden honey locust in a sunny or partially shaded area with well-drained soil.
4. Weeping White Spruce
(Picea glauca ‘Pendula’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of Monrovia.com
This narrow spruce fits nicely into small landscapes as it grows up to 22 metres tall, but rarely exceeds 1.2 metres wide. At its full height, the branches cascade down, giving it an ethereal effect. To accentuate this tree’s slender shape, remove lower branches that spread out on the ground. Mature trees—dark green in colour with a slightly bluish tinge—produce small brown cones. A hardy option, the weeping white spruce thrives in full sun or partial shade with well-drained soil.
5. 'Tina' Crabapple
(Malus sargentii ‘Tina’), Zone 4
Image Courtesy of JardinierParesseux.com
An especially small crabapple tree, ‘Tina’ is perfect for a modestly-sized garden. Rarely growing beyond 2 metres in height, its thin trunk supports a number of slightly drooping branches lined with small green leaves. In spring, pale pink buds burst into fragrant white blossoms. Come fall, bright red fruits about 6 millimetres in diameter decorate its boughs and attract birds. Very hardy, this crabapple offers excellent resistance to diseases that tend to affect other types of crabapple trees, such as scab. Plant one in a sunny location with well-drained soil.
Shrubs
1. 'Ramapo' Rhododendron
(Rhododendron ‘Ramapo’), Zone 4
Image Courtesy of Monrovia.com
This small shrub is particularly easy to maintain, so it’s often referred to as the beginner’s rhododendron. With a compact dome shape, ‘Ramapo’ erupts into an abundance of violet-pink blossoms in late spring. By autumn, its aromatic leaves change from bluish-green to bronze. Slow growing, after 10 years this rhododendron seldom exceeds 60 × 60 centimetres, and after 20 years, 1 × 1 metre. Well-suited to the Canadian climate, this exceptionally hardy shrub can withstand temperatures as low as -32oC. It thrives in full sun to partial shade, and requires moist, well-drained soil that is distinctly acidic.
2. 'Art Boe' White Cedar
(Thuja occidentalis [North Pole] ‘Arthur Boe’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of BaileyNurseries.com
This new variety of extremely narrow, dark green cedar has been specifically developed for small spaces and cold climates. A slow-growing shrub, it will eventually reach a height of 3 metres, and a diameter of no more than 90 centimetres. Attractive alone or in a hedge, this cultivar retains its beautiful rich colour all winter. Extra hardy, it doesn’t need protection from the severe winter cold in most climates. Plant it in a sunny spot or in partial shade in well-drained soil.
3. Bobo Panicle Hydrangea
(Hydrangea paniculata [Bobo] ‘Ilvobo’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of ProvenWinners.com
The panicle hydrangea is one of the most spectacular cold climate shrubs, but its size isn’t suitable for tiny spaces. The compact Bobo variety is a game-changer at only 90 centimetres in height and 90 to 120 centimetres in diameter, making it well suited to small landscapes. Plentiful bouquets of white blossoms adorn the plant in early summer, and they gradually change to pink in autumn. It is so densely covered with flowers that the foliage is barely visible! This hydrangea flourishes in well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade.
4. 'Walker' Weeping Caragana
(Caragana arborescens ‘Walker’), Zone 2
Image Courtesy of JardinierParesseux.com
This weeping shrub is the perfect mini-tree for the smallest terrains. Its long branches grow to the ground and are covered with narrow, pinnate leaves that give a light, foamy effect. Yellow pea-shaped flowers decorate it in the spring and attract hummingbirds. Purchase one at the desired final height (from 1 to 2 metres) as it won’t grow any taller. Very easy to maintain, this adaptable cultivar is extremely hardy and tolerant of poor soils; plant it in a sunny location.
5. 'Ron Williams' Buckthorn
(Rhamnus frangula [Fine Line] ‘Ron Williams’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of ProvenWinners.com
This narrow shrub makes a choice vertical accent for small spaces: Even after 15 years, when it reaches more than 2 metres in height, it rarely exceeds 60 centimetres in width. Its leaves are very narrow, almost filiform, and its flowers are very few and insignificant. This buckthorn easily forms a thin hedge that doesn’t require trimming. Plant it in full sun or partial shade.
6. Bloomerang Dwarf Purple Lilac
(Syringa בSMNJRPU’ [Bloomerang Dwarf Purple]), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of ProvenWinners.com
Not enough space for a lilac? No problem! This dwarf variety measures only 75 to 90 centimetres in both height and width, about one third the size of the classic French lilac. Bouquets of deliciously fragrant tubular purple flowers begin blooming in late spring and continue until autumn. Plant singly as a focal point or in groups lining a walk way or as a hedge. Hardy, this shrub needs welldrained soil and a sunny location to thrive.
7. Tiny Wine Gold Ninebark
(Physocarpus opuliformis [Tiny Wine] ‘SMPOTW’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of BaileyNurseries.com
This ninebark is a miniature version of the popular Diabolo variety. While the Diabolo measures 3 metres in both height and width, the Tiny Wine is only 120 centimetres in height and 90 centimetres in diameter. Small, dark purple leaves grace this shrub’s upright stems, and white to pink blossoms emerge in late spring. The foliage and fruits of this ninebark turn a deep crimson in the fall. This species is native to North America, easy to grow and hardy; it requires good drain age and full sun (it can be planted in partial shade, but its foliage colours will be less intense).
8. Magic Carpet Japanese Spiraea
(Spiraea japonica [Magic Carpet] ‘Walbuma’), Zone 3
Image Courtesy of BaileyNurseries.com
This small Japanese spiraea grows to about 40 centimetres in height and 90 centimetres in diameter. A lowgrowing shrub, it enhances any garden with its resplendent display of changing colours. The leaves emerge bright red in the spring, then take on a chartreuse hue in the summer months. The continuous formation of new foli age allows for hints of red pigment to remain throughout the growing season. Dark pink flowers bloom in early summer, then sporadically for the remainder of the season. A slowgrowing species, plant it in a sunny location or partial shade in welldrained soil.
9. Ice Dragon Japanese Maple
(Acer ×pseudosiebodianum [Ice Dragon] ‘IsliD’), Zone 4
Image Courtesy of Nursery Locas
This maple is the result of a cross between the nonhardy Japanese maple (A. palmatum) and the robust Korean maple (A. pseudosiebodianum). The result: A hybrid Japanese maple that is adapted to the Canadian climate. Reaching 2.5 meters high and 2 metres wide, it has an airy appearance with cascading branches of feathery, deeply cut leaves. In spring, foliage emerges orangered in colour, turns green dur ing the summer and then back to red in the fall. It adds a hazy quality to any layout and is ideal for a Japanesestyle garden. Transform this specimen into a tree by removing a few lower branches to highlight its trunk. Plant in full sun or partial shade with good drainage.
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