Tagged as: small ornamental trees
Small Ornamental Trees for the Home Landscape (15-25 feet)
Updated 12/11
- Generally grow l5-25 feet tall
- Drop their leaves in the fall (deciduous)
- Recommended for the Midwest on the basis of ornamental value, proven hardiness, availability, and freedom from serious problems
USES IN THE LANDSCAPE
Trees that don't exceed the height of an average two-story house help create intimacy in your landscape by:
- Framing an entry
- Providing a pleasing view from a window
- Creating a sense of enclosure around a patio or deck
- Serving as a focal point in a garden
FACTORS TO CONSIDER
- Seasonal interest. Although some small trees provide shade, they are more often chosen for ornamental reasons: showy flowers, or fruit, interesting foliage or buds, attractive bark, multiple trunks or attractive branching patterns. These features help give the home landscape interesting shape, color, and texture from season to season.
- Scale. Small trees combine well with low shrubs and ground covers to create plantings that are in good scale with most suburban houses and yards. When selecting a small tree for your landscape, you'll want to consider the overall size of your yard, the proximity of your plantings to the house and other structures, and the size and location of existing plantings. Small trees work well on small-sized lots.
- Transition. In larger areas, small trees provide a pleasing transition between tall trees and the surrounding spaces. If you have a large yard or other expansive area to landscape, you may want to consider planting small trees near parking areas, walks, patios, and buildings to provide a transition zone into areas planted with large trees or into expansive open spaces.
- Height constraints. Small trees are ideal for planting beneath power lines where maximum height should not exceed 20-25 feet.
The chart below provides information about the size, shape, growth rate and other important characteristics of small trees recommended by The Morton Arboretum for their suitability and desirability in the Midwest.
| BOTANICAL NAME | COMMON NAME | HEIGHT | SPREAD | FORM | RATE | ZONE | CULTURAL/COMMENTS |
Acer griseum |
Paperbark Maple | 20-30' | 20-25' | Upright- oval |
S | 5-7 | Full sun to part shade; requires well-drained soil; attractive blue-green leaves turn a russet-red in fall; outstanding cinnamon brown, exfoliating bark |
| Acer triflorum |
Three- Flowered Maple or Shaggy-barked Maple | 20-25' | 20-25' | Upright-spreading | S | 5-7 | Sun to shade; moist, well-drained soil; golden-amber exfoliating bark; yellow-red-orange fall color |
| Aesculus pavia |
Red Buckeye | 10-20' | 15-25' | Round | S/M | 4-9 | Full sun to part-shade, showy red flower spikes in May; difficult to find in the nursery trade |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora |
Apple Serviceberry | 20-25' | 20-25' | Broad | M | 4-9 | Sun to partial shade; attractive form; abundant white flowers; variable fall color; edible fruit |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' |
Autumn Brilliance Apple Serviceberry | 20-25' | 20-25' | Broad-upright | F | 4-9 | Strong branching form; reliable spring flowers; edible fruit; brilliant red fall color |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Forest Prince' |
Forest Prince Apple Serviceberry | 20-25' | 20-25' | Broad | M | 4-9 | Clean, disease resistant foliage; white flowers; good orange-red fall color |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Princess Diana' |
Princess Diana Apple Serviceberry | 20-25' | 15-20' | Upright-spreading | M | 4-9 | Consistent red fall color; purplish-blue fruit; reliably cold hardy |
| Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Robin Hill' |
Robin Hill Apple Serviceberry | 20-30' | 12-15' | Oval | M | 4-9 | Pink buds open to white flowers; yellow-red fall color |
| Amelanchier laevis |
Allegheny Serviceberry | 20-25' | 15-18' | Upright-oval | M | 4-9 | Sun to partial shade; well-drained soil; clusters of showy, white flowers in spring; sweet, edible, blue-black fruit; orange-red fall color; native in Midwest |
| Amelanchier laevis 'Prince Charles' |
Prince Charles Alleghany Serviceberry | 20-25' | 12-15' | Upright | M | 4-9 | Flowers before leaves emerge; bronzy-red new leaves turn blue-green and then an attractive orange-red in fall |
|
Asimina triloba
|
Pawpaw | 15-20' | 15-20' | Colony forming | S | 5-8 |
Full sun to dense shade; prefers moist, well-drained soil; forms thickets; sensitive to drought; edible fruit; resistant to deer browse; cultivars available |
| Cercis canadensis |
Eastern Redbud | 15-20' | 20-25' | Rounded | M | 4-8 | Sun, but best in part shade; moist, well-drained soil; pH adaptable; drought sensitive; good for naturalizing; occasional hardiness and disease problems; native in Midwest |
| Cornus alternifolia |
Pagoda Dogwood | 15-25' | 20-25' | Layered | M | 3-7 | Sun to part shade; moist well-drained soil; small tree or large shrub; transplant in spring; stressed trees prone to canker; native in Midwest |
| Cornus kousa |
Kousa Dogwood | 20-30' | 20-30' | Rounded | S/M | 5-8 | Sun to part shade; moist well-drained soil; 4-petaled white flowers in June; attractive fruit; reddish-purple fall color |
| Cornus mas |
Cornelian-cherry Dogwood | 20-25' | 15-20' | Oval | S | 4-7 | Full sun to part shade; adaptable to most soils; urban tolerant; yellow flowers in early spring; dark red fruits in summer; pest free plant |
| Cornus mas 'Golden Glory' |
Golden Glory Cornelian-Cherry Dogwood | 12-15' | 8-10' | Upright | S | Upright narrow habit; abundant yellow flowers; cold hardy | |
| Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis |
Thornless Cockspur Hawthorn | 20-30' | 20-35' | Rounded-spreading | S/M | 4-7 | Full sun; well-drained soil; dark glossy green leaves; horizontal branching; orange to rusty fall color; excellent winter fruit display; native in Midwest |
| Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' |
Winter King Green Hawthorn | 20-25' | 20-30' | Spreading- vase | M | 4-7 | Full sun; urban tolerant; wide, angular branching habit; attractive, bright red-orange persistent fruit; attractive mottled bark; good 4-season plant; slight leaf rust susceptibility |
| Halesia tetraptera |
Silverbell | 25-30' | 25-30' | Oval | M | 4-8 | Sun to part shade; moist, well-drained, acidic soil, high in organic matter; chlorotic in high pH soils; white bell-shaped spring flowers; U.S. native understory tree |
| Magnolia stellata |
Star Magnolia | 15-20' | 10-15' | Oval to rounded | S | 4-8 | Sun to filtered shade; best in well-drained organic soils; white, fragrant, star-shaped flowers in early spring; prone to frost damage |
| Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star' |
Royal Star Magnolia | 15-20' | 15-20' | Rounded | S | 4-8 | Pink buds open to double white fragrant flowers later than above; yellow fall color |
| Malus 'Donald Wyman' |
Donald Wyman Crabapple | 20-25' | 20-25' | Rounded | M | 4-7 | Full sun; white flowers; small, bright red, persistent fruit; slight scab |
| Malus floribunda |
Japanese Flowering Crabapple | 15-20' | 20-25' | Spreading | M | 4-7 | Full sun; pink buds opening white; small yellow to amber fruits, eaten by birds, slight scab |
| Malus 'Hargozam' |
Crabapple - HARVEST GOLD® | 25-30' | 15-20' | Upright | M | 4-7 | Full sun; pink buds open to white flowers; attractive gold, persistent fruit; highly disease resistant |
| Malus 'Prairifire' |
Prairifire Crabapple | 15-20' | 15-20' | Spreading | M | 4-7 | Full sun; magenta flowers; leaves emerge purple turn dark green; purplish-red persistent fruit; attractive fall color; highly disease resistant |
| Malus 'Sutyzam' |
Crabapple - SUGAR TYME® | 18-20' | 15-18' | Upright spreading | M | 4-7 | Full sun; pink buds open white; persistent red fruit; scab resistant |
| For information about more crabapples, click here. | |||||||
| Syringa pekinensis |
Peking Lilac | 20-30' | 20-30' | Rounded | M | 4-7 | Full sun to light shade; large creamy-white flowers in mid-June; exfoliating light brown bark; usually multi-stemmed; size variable; salt tolerant |
| Syringa pekinensis 'Morton' |
Peking lilac - CHINA SNOW ® | 25-30' | 20-25' | Upright | M | 4-7 | Exfoliating, cherry-like bark; excellent salt tolerance; Chicagoland Grows™ introduction |
| Syringa reticulata |
Japanese Tree Lilac | 20-25' | 20-25' | Oval to rounded | M | 3-7 | Full sun to light shade; well-drained soil; large shrub to small tree; large creamy-white flowers in mid-June |
| Syringa reticulata ssp. reticulata 'Ivory Silk' |
Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac | 20-25' | 15-20' | Oval | M | 3-7 | Full sun to light shade; compact form with a good central leader; abundant creamy-white flowers in mid-June; good street tree |
Height and spread listed are at the tree's maturity. How fast a tree grows will be influenced by site conditions, species selection, and maintenance. Growth rate refers to the average annual rate of growth in the first ten years after planting.
Key to Growth Rate:
F = Fast (25 inches or more per year)
M/F - Medium to Fast (18 - 25 inches per year)
M = Medium (13 - 22 inches per year)
S/M = Slow to Medium (12 to 18 inches per year)
S = Slow (Less than 12 inches per year)
Also see The Morton Arboretum publication “Choosing a Crabapple for the Home Landscape” for more information on crabapples.
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