Recommend me a small tree/shrub

Dedekind

Hello,

in the front garden of our house, we have a rather big rose shrub that I honestly don't like a lot (it was planted by the previous owner). It is roughly 3/3.5m away from the house, and 1m away from a retaining wall (our front garden is elevated).

I want to replace it with a medium/large shrub or a small tree. I am having a hard time deciding.. any ideas are welcome

Ideally it should have all-season interest (ok if they are deciduous though), and not end up too big. A big big plus would be it it grows fast, for this particular place I don't want to plant a tiny plant now and wait 10 years until I get a decent size.

Some varieties of cherry blossom trees seem to fit the requirements but I am not sure how fast they grow..

Any large shrubs to recommend?

Final point to add, soil is slightly alkaline so acers are out of the question.

Ceres

As someone pointed out recently, you can't have a fast growing shrub or tree that suddenly stops growing at the required height. If it is a fast grower it will likely keep heading skywards.

If you want a larger shrub or tree to start with, you will have to pay extra and take great care of it until it is established. This is just an example of the sort of price you will have to pay for a larger specimen. https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/prunus-accolade-tree-p202

Busy-Lizzie

I like Amelanchier Lamarkii. It can be grown as a hedge, large shrub or tree, depending on how you prune it. Left alone it will grow to 8 - 10m eventually, but it doesn't have to. It has pretty copper foliage and white flowers in Spring, small dark fruits in summer that birds like and good autumn colour but it will lose its leaves in winter.

Crab apples come in all sizes, some will never grow very big. They have pretty blossom in spring and fruit in late summer/autumn.

Dedekind

Thanks for the suggestions!

I really like the Amelanchier Lamarkii. Can it really be kept to a small size with pruning? I am ok with 2-3m height.

I am also ok with spending a little bit on having a large-ish specimen. I can see multi-stemmed versions of 2m high at 120 pounds, maybe a bit more than what I'd like to spend though..

Busy-Lizzie

This site should answer your questions https://earthworksgardendesign.wordpress.com/2017/12/07/trees-for-small-gardens-amelanchier-lamarckii/

If you look around you should find one for less than that, seems a bit pricey.

I had one in alkali soil in my last garden so I don't think it's fussy, although some sites say it prefers a slightly acid soil.

chicky

Just a warning in case you go back to your original idea - I’d be very careful of planting a Cherry tree that close to your house - they are notorious for their roots damaging foundations.

I have a pair of lovely crab apple trees (called ‘Gorgeous’ - a present from each of my daughters, who thought the name suited them well 😉).  Great blossom, not bad looking tree in summer and apples that persist here til mid December.  

Dedekind

chicky said:

Just a warning in case you go back to your original idea - I’d be very careful of planting a Cherry tree that close to your house - they are notorious for their roots damaging foundations.

I have a pair of lovely crab apple trees (called ‘Gorgeous’ - a present from each of my daughters, who thought the name suited them well 😉).  Great blossom, not bad looking tree in summer and apples that persist here til mid December.  

How large does this get/how quickly it grows? After some consideration, I prefer a crab apple vs. a cherry tree. But I still like the Amelanchier.. (although it's out of stock in most places for a few months at least).

Loxley

I worry that pruning an Amelanchier to stay at 2-3m could eventually result in an ugly tree. I think Euonymus alatus or Euonymus planipes / phellomanus would be worth considering. Insignificant flowers but handsome looking tree-like shrubs to about 3m, with eye-popping autumn foliage and fruits. They aren't that fast growing but you can treat yourself and invest in a big specimen.

Stevedaylilly

I have Elaeagnus Quick Silver in my garden that grows very well ( approximately 50cm each year) It has lovely silvery grey leaves in late spring and through summer and grows to an eventual height of 4m . Also has a lovely dark contract in the branches. I have grown it more as a tree than a shrub 

Cambridgerose12

With a maximum height of 2-3 m, you’re looking at a medium-sized shrub, not a tree, or a large shrub that lends itself to pruning. A tree that has to be constantly cut down to this size will have a short and miserable life, and you will never completely get what you want. You could think of it as basically a hedging unit—trees like beech and hawthorn can be used in this way—but will that be the sort of decorative effect you’re after? And some trees will tend not to bush out but, when cut hard back, to produce long straight shoots. If you go down this route, therefore, you’ll need to do some research into pruning regimes before you decide. If you’re looking for something that will reach the right size, then give you a long lifespan of pleasure, then a shrub is better. 

robairdmacraignil

lguerb said:

Thanks for the suggestions!

I really like the Amelanchier Lamarkii. Can it really be kept to a small size with pruning? I am ok with 2-3m height.

I am also ok with spending a little bit on having a large-ish specimen. I can see multi-stemmed versions of 2m high at 120 pounds, maybe a bit more than what I'd like to spend though..

I have a shrub version of the Juneberry called Amelanchier spicata and it might be an option if you can find one. It stays to about 2metre in height naturally without pruning and looks very like the Amelanchier lamarkii.