Garden trees
9 trees, sorted by the size they actually reach. 4 of them stay under 8 m, which is roughly the point beyond which a tree starts to dominate an average British back garden rather than furnish it.
The number on the label is not the number that matters
A tree is sold at 1.5 m and priced by how big it is now. What decides whether it was the right tree is where it stops, and how long that takes — a fast tree reaching 8 m is a different proposition from a slow one reaching the same height, because one of them is your problem and the other is the next owner’s. Both figures are below, with their sources attached.
Ultimate size, and how long it takes
Sorted smallest first. Where a time-to-size figure exists it is shown, and its confidence is deliberately low — this is the least precisely known thing about any tree and the model does not pretend otherwise.
| Tree | Ultimate height | Ultimate spread | Time to get there | Growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese maple | 200–600 cm | 200–500 cm | 20–40 years | Slow |
| Amelanchier | 400–800 cm | 300–600 cm | 20–30 years | Moderate |
| Crab apple | 400–800 cm | 400–800 cm | 20–25 years | Moderate |
| Magnolia | 400–800 cm | 400–800 cm | 25–40 years | Slow |
| Hawthorn | 400–1000 cm | 400–800 cm | 20–30 years | Moderate |
| Rowan | 600–1200 cm | 400–700 cm | 20–30 years | Moderate |
| Holly | 500–1500 cm | 300–600 cm | 30–50 years | Slow |
| Yew | 500–1500 cm | 400–1000 cm | 40–80 years | Moderate |
| Silver birch | 1200–2500 cm | 600–1000 cm | 25–40 years | Fast |
Trees for a small garden — under 8 m
On stated ultimate height, not on the word 'compact'. A threshold you can disagree with is more useful than an adjective you cannot.
| Plant | Foliage | Ultimate height | In a container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese mapleAcer palmatum | Deciduous | 6.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| AmelanchierAmelanchier lamarckii | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Container-grown while young, then needs the ground |
| Crab appleMalus sylvestris | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Workable in a container, with conditions |
| MagnoliaMagnolia × soulangeana | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Not a realistic container plant |
Evergreen and deciduous
A tree is not necessarily deciduous — holly and yew are the two here that are not, and both are consequently doing structural work no deciduous tree can.
Evergreen — 2
Screening that works in February, and the only kind worth planting if blocking a view is the actual reason for the tree. It also means permanent shade underneath, which is a cost as well as a benefit.
Deciduous — 7
Light underneath in winter, which is why a deciduous tree on the south side of a house is usually the better choice: shade in July, sun in January.
Trees in a large container
Deliberately shown at the most inclusive setting, because for a tree the honest answer is usually 'for a while'.
A birch or an amelanchier in a big pot is a good plant for several years and a declining one after that. Saying so is the useful part; a page that listed them as container plants without the qualifier would be selling somebody a tree that dies slowly on their patio.
| Plant | Foliage | Ultimate height | In a container |
|---|---|---|---|
| HollyIlex aquifolium | Evergreen | 15.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| Japanese mapleAcer palmatum | Deciduous | 6.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| YewTaxus baccata | Evergreen | 15.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| Crab appleMalus sylvestris | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Workable in a container, with conditions |
| AmelanchierAmelanchier lamarckii | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Container-grown while young, then needs the ground |
| Silver birchBetula pendula | Deciduous | 25.0 m | Container-grown while young, then needs the ground |
Trees with recorded wildlife value
Named resources in named months, with the tradeoff that the ordinary management of the tree usually removes them.
Ready-made lists from this group
Computed from the same figures as the table above.
Every tree, compared
| Plant | Foliage | Ultimate height | In a container |
|---|---|---|---|
| AmelanchierAmelanchier lamarckii | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Container-grown while young, then needs the ground |
| Crab appleMalus sylvestris | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Workable in a container, with conditions |
| HawthornCrataegus monogyna | Deciduous | 10.0 m | Not a realistic container plant |
| HollyIlex aquifolium | Evergreen | 15.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| Japanese mapleAcer palmatum | Deciduous | 6.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
| MagnoliaMagnolia × soulangeana | Deciduous | 8.0 m | Not a realistic container plant |
| RowanSorbus aucuparia | Deciduous | 12.0 m | Not a realistic container plant |
| Silver birchBetula pendula | Deciduous | 25.0 m | Container-grown while young, then needs the ground |
| YewTaxus baccata | Evergreen | 15.0 m | Good in a container long-term |
Know the position rather than the plant? What can I grow? takes your light, soil, space and month and answers from this same catalogue — including which trees it rules out for you and why.
Planting into heavy ground? The soil section covers what actually helps, and — more usefully — what does not.