Small Trees for Urban Gardens

How to choose a small tree

Start by naming the job. If the tree must hide something all year, choose evergreen: Little Gem and Teddy Bear magnolias, ivory curl tree, or a compact olive. If it is there to be beautiful, the deciduous flowering trees give you more theatre per square metre than anything else in the nursery: crepe myrtles flower from December to March then colour up for autumn, ornamental pears and crabapples put on a spring blossom show, and a Japanese maple earns its keep three seasons out of four. If the tree should feed you, dwarf and standard citrus, apples, peaches and pomegranates all crop happily inside a small footprint.

Then check mature height against the space. Most trees here finish between 3m and 8m, but the difference matters: a 3m Acoma crepe myrtle suits a courtyard where an 8m ornamental pear would swallow it whole.

Working within urban constraints

Urban planting is mostly about what surrounds the tree. Under powerlines, stay below 4m at maturity: the compact crepe myrtles, dwarf citrus and Japanese maples are safe picks. Near paving, driveways and plumbing, favour trees with well mannered roots such as crepe myrtles, magnolias and citrus, and keep any tree at least 2m from paths and 3m from the house. In a narrow side setback, look for naturally upright forms like Tolleys Upright olive or a columnar magnolia rather than fighting a spreading canopy every season. And remember winter sun: a deciduous tree on the north side shades the house in January and lets light through in July, which is the cheapest climate control there is.

Matching tree to climate

Cool climate gardeners in Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and the ranges get the best from Japanese maples, ornamental pears, crabapples, silver birch and the stone fruit, all of which want winter chill. From Sydney and Perth north, crepe myrtles, frangipani, citrus and the evergreen magnolias take over, with crepe myrtles the standout for reliable flowering in heat. Adelaide and inland gardens suit olives, pomegranates and crepe myrtles, which shrug off hot dry summers once established. Very few trees do everything everywhere, which is exactly why this collection is broad.

Planting, pots and care

Plant into a hole twice the width of the rootball and no deeper, water in with 20L, and mulch 75mm deep clear of the trunk. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer. Feed flowering trees once in early spring, citrus in spring and late summer. Nearly all of the compact varieties here also grow well in large containers: allow a 50cm to 60cm pot for a dwarf citrus, crepe myrtle or Japanese maple, use premium potting mix and water more often than you think, daily in a heatwave. Prune deciduous trees in winter for shape, evergreens lightly after flowering.

Common questions

What is the best small evergreen tree for privacy?

Teddy Bear Magnolia is the tidy formal option at 4m with dense glossy foliage. For a softer native look, ivory curl tree sits around 6m in gardens. Both hold foliage to the ground when young and clip well.

Which small trees will not lift paving?

Crepe myrtles are the standard answer: their roots are fine and non invasive, which is why councils plant them in nature strips. Magnolias, citrus and Japanese maples are also safe near paths and pools at normal planting distances.

What can I plant under powerlines?

Stay with trees finishing under about 4m: Acoma, Zuni and the Diamonds in the Dark crepe myrtles, dwarf citrus, or a Japanese maple in shade. Avoid anything sold as reaching 6m or more, however slowly it gets there.

What arrives when I order a tree?

Sizes run from 200mm pots through 25L and 45L advanced trees, with selected varieties larger again. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every tree is delivered Australia wide and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.