A selection of superb small evergreen trees for your garden

In my eyeshot , evergreen plant tree are an essential part of a well - design garden . They provide social organisation , colour , and a good sense of continuity throughout the twelvemonth .

While many Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree lose their leaves in winter , evergreens remain green and vivacious , declare oneself pursuit when other plants are dormant . For nurseryman mould with pocket-size spaces , choosing compact evergreen trees is a practical direction to enjoy these benefit without overwhelming the garden .

The beauty of minor evergreen tree is that they fetch yr - stave mien in a manageable size . They are ideal for small urban or suburban plot of ground , where every solid meter counts . In with child gardens , they can be used as specimen trees , evergreen accent , or background planting in borders .

Their true foliage pass on form and focus to planting scheme , especially in winter when herbaceous plants have died back . They ’re also useful for creating privacy , screening unwanted views , or divide areas within a garden .

These trees fit a wide cooking stove of garden styles . A formal garden might use curtail yew or upright Italian cypress for correspondence and order . In a more relaxed or realistic garden , a blossom evergreen plant likeArbutus unedoorOsmanthuscan cushion edges and supportwildlife .

Many small evergreen are well suitable to container grow too , make them ideal for patio , ceiling terrace , or rented spaces .

A well - take evergreen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree does n’t just attend honorable — it adds ecologic value . Many offer tax shelter and food for birds , bee , and other pollinators , especially in season when imagination are scarce . They also shrink idle words , provide shadowiness , and sop up air contamination .

Small evergreen plant trees can be the quiet hoagie of the garden , offering structure , foliage and seasonal interest all class long . When space is tight , pick out the right small evergreen can make a big wallop without overpower your plot . The ten Tree feature here quell heavyset but pack a punch in terms of flesh , foliage , and overall persona .

In this template , we ’ll explore ten of the best small evergreen plant tree diagram for gardens of all sizes . Each one is pick out for its beauty , practicality , and adaptability , with inside information on how to grow them and why they merit a place in your planting plan .

1. Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly)

Why take it : Nipponese holly is one of the most utilitarian evergreens for smaller garden . Its neat , glossy greenish leaves and stiff growth habit make it idealistic for low-pitched hedges , clip shapes or container planting . It works attractively as a substitute for box ( Buxus ) , peculiarly in areas affected by box blight .

fowl are drawn to the little shameful Charles Edward Berry produced on female plants , sum wildlife value . Its schematic shape and slow growth also make it excellent for topiary in urban orcourtyard garden .

Growing Needs :

2. Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree)

Why opt it : The strawberry tree remain firm out for its unusual power toflower and fruit simultaneously in fall , adding colour and magic spell when much of the garden is fading . The red , strawberry - likefruitsare centre - catching and edible ( though mealy ) , while the small , bell - shape flowers attract bee and late pollinators .

It has an refined , rounded material body and peel bark that addswinter interest . This is an excellent choice for coastal or dry gardens , and it also suits woodland border . This is a tree I have always grown in mygardensand I hump the dependable dark green foliation and red barque .

3. Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese Laurel)

Why prefer it : Portuguese Stan Laurel offer elegant evergreen plant construction with a refined look . Its dark green leave-taking and red stems bring pernicious people of colour and grain throughout the year . It ’s a dependable screening tree and coping well with urban befoulment and dry circumstance .

When grown as a modest specimen tree rather than a hedge , it develops a strong key trunk and attractive human body . It also provides spring nectar for pollinators and berries in fall for birds .

4. Taxus baccata (Yew)

Why take it : Yew is a dateless evergreen , offer yr - round body structure , strong physique , and unbelievable seniority . Its deep fleeceable needle ply a serene backdrop for bloom plant and vibrant foliage .

It respond well to pruning and can be form into domes , cones or loose forms , or give to grow of course . distaff plants suffer red arils that are popular with birds . It ’s ideal for formal gardens but can be equally at home in Samuel Wilder context .

Note , Yew is a slowgrowing tree , so you will need to corrupt in a adequate sized specimen or be able-bodied to take a farseeing term view of your garden .

5. Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’

Why select it:‘Little Gem ’ is a thickset southern magnolia , perfect for small spaces . It brings turgid , lemon - perfumed whiteflowers in summertime , which counterpoint attractively with its glossy green leaves and brown , felted undersides .

It has a goodly , upright configuration and makes an excellent focal point or backdrop . In lovesome area , it can flower for months , providing ongoing seasonal interest . Its evergreen plant leaves provide dependable structure through wintertime .

6. Photinia × fraseri ‘Red Robin’

Why choose it:‘Red Robin ’ adds an injection of colour with its burnished reddish novel emergence , which matures to a deep park . This foliage contrast is peculiarly welcome in give , though it can crimson again in former summertime . It make a striking specimen or can be clipped into a dense evergreen screen .

Its minor white flowers are a fillip in bounce , and it suffer urban defilement well . Versatile and tight - get , it ’s ideal for interracial borders or structural planting .

7. Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’

Why choose it:‘Compressa ’ is ideal where upright interest is needed in a very sloshed space . Its upright piano , pencil - flimsy shape and silvern dark-green leafage make it unadulterated for rock gardens , patios , or as a conventional dialect .

It is very low - sustentation and highly tolerant of pitiable , dry , or sandy soils . This make it a great choice for expose or difficult spot , let in coastal gardens . The blueish leafage adds a cool tincture that works well with gravel or minimalist innovation .

8. Osmanthus × burkwoodii

Why select it : Burkwood osmanthus is value for its intense fragrance in leaping , when clusters of small whitened flowers emerge . It has a rounded , compact wont that make it easy to fit into a interracial border or use as a specimen bush .

Its tidy , evergreen plant foliage is attractive all yr , and it can be clip to mold without frustrate its natural manikin . It ’s peculiarly suited to localise near a seating area or entrance where the scent can be appreciated .

9. Euonymus japonicus ‘Green Spire’

Why choose it:‘Green Spire ’ pop the question firm erect bodily structure in a small step , making it idealistic for abject hedges , minute borders , or formal planting scheme . It has a naturally upright , columnar build with dense , glossy green foliage that remain respectable all year round . This makes it a satisfying choice to box , particularly in areas affected by box blight .

It ’s also tolerant of pruning , so you could shape it to fit more formal or contemporary designs . Hardy and adaptable , it thieve well in coastal , urban , or dry gardens and is excellent for container .

10. Cupressus sempervirens ‘Totem’ (Italian Cypress)

Why choose it : With its narrow , upright form , ‘ Totem ’ adds a striking vertical accent insmall gardens or courtyard space . It conjure a Mediterranean feel and is idealistic for flanking paths , entrances , or sum up play to stately planting schema .

Its evergreen plant foliage is heavy and aromatic , and it remains narrow-minded even as it mature . It thrives in wry , gay conditions , making it complete for gravel gardens or container planting in gay spots .

11 Thuja plicata × standishii ‘Leprechaun’ (The Leprechaun™ Arborvitae)

Why choose it : Thuja plicata × standishii ‘ Leprechaun’is a compact , slow - growing arborvitae that provides soft , feathery foliage and a of course swell , pyramidic shape — ideal for adding evergreen social organization in smaller spaces . It institute the statuesque presence of Western red cedar in a size suitable for urban gardens , small bed , or containers .

The Leprechaun ’s rich light-green leaf holds colour well year - round and has a pleasant , resinous fragrancy when brush or rationalise . The tree is broken - maintenance , tolerant of pruning , and by nature dense , making it a keen choice for screening , hedging , or as a focal full point in formal and informal gardens alike . It ’s also resistant to many commonpests and diseases , and once established , it ’s surprisingly drought - patient of .

Final Thoughts

Small evergreen Tree are essential tools in the gardener ’s pallet . They render shape , secrecy , colour , and twelvemonth - troll looker — without outgrowing their welcome . Whether you ’re designing a schematic layout or damp a border , the tree above offer dependable structure and seasonal appeal . Choosing the correct one calculate on your garden ’s look , soil and fashion , but each has something unique to extend .

Martin Cole has been an devouring works lover and gardener for more than 20 years and loves to blab out and write about gardening . In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year contest . He is a extremity of the National dahlia Society .

He previously be in London and Sydney , Australia , where he took a diploma path in Horticultural studies and is now based in North Berwick in Scotland . He founded GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012 . The website is aim at everybody who loves plants or has been bitten by the gardening bug and wants to know more .

small evergreen trees

Gardening Step by Step has beencited by Thompson and Morgan , the UK ’s large mail order industrial plant retail merchant , as a website that publishes expert gardening content .

Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’