Trees can bring life, interest and some privacy to a front garden. There isn’t much space there by the time you’ve parked the car but you could probably fit in one or more trees that take up little room. Narrow growing species can transform the garden.
When thinking of small trees, spread can matter as much as height. Narrow-growing trees, with less spread than others, provide some privacy by breaking up the sight line of passers-by and you’ll still get some sun in the garden. Any denser planting will create a gloomy impenetrable barrier.
With a slim tree you get the best of both worlds: some privacy and interest for yourself, neighbours and passers-by without sacrificing sun and light, although even a narrow tree will cast some shade, cooling walls and hard surfaces. And critically, you’ve rediscovered part of the garden you can enjoy rather than using a brush or mowing machine to keep surfaces tidy.
So which species are best suited? The tree will, hopefully, be there a long time so it pays to choose carefully, not just size and spread but also how much year-round interest it will provide without much maintenance. If you live in a town or city, check that the species is tolerant of pollution.Evergreens can seem a good bet but they tend to change little throughout the year and can become dull.
A tree with attractive blossom and good autumn colour is a winner and the wide Prunus genus offers lots of possibilities. Pink flowering Prunus amanogawa, with lightly scented blossom, is a cherry with striking autumn colour. It has a spread of only about two metres after 20 years so fits a restricted spot.
Malus tschonoskii is another possibility as it has a “flame” like shape, spreading to three metres and a height of five metres in 20 years. The young foliage is silvery white and it has beautiful single, white nectar-rich flowers in spring. Autumn leaves turn fiery orange and there are pretty little crab apples to enjoy.
But tree roots spread much further than you’d imagine so even the slimmest of trees should be sited with care. A boundary tree will scavenge nutrients from your neighbour’s garden and could undermine a wall.
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The soil in front gardens is often poor so you’ll probably need to improve the planting hole without making it significantly richer than the surrounding area. Roots are reluctant to spread into poor soil.
Dig out soil to twice the diameter of the root ball and ensure it is deep enough to completely sink the root ball. Add a little compost and general-purpose fertiliser when back filling, water and then mulch heavily. A tree’s roots will take at least a growing season to establish and get beyond the cosy confines of the planting hole so you’ll need to water in dry weather.
Plant of the week
Fargesia Jiuzhaigou Deep Purple is a non-spreading, clumping bamboo with striking purple and cream striped stems. The canes will grow to about three metres and to best display their colours, snip off the lower leaves to whatever height suits your design.
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