SP514 Small Trees for Fall Splendor

Many cities, municipalities, utility companies and homeowners incur significant costs each year for maintenance or removal of large trees used in small urban areas. A preventative solution to the dilemma is to use small trees that will remain in scale with smaller urban landscapes and not interfere with power lines and in-ground utilities (i.e. cable, sewer, and telephone). Smaller trees will not provide the shade of large, dense-canopy trees, but are especially suited for courtyards, patios or framing a house.

Small trees are considered to mature in height at about 25 to 35 feet. No strict rule exists as to what constitutes a small tree. In fact, several of the plants listed here could be considered large shrubs, but with proper pruning and removal of lower stems, the plants develop into handsome small trees. Trees are typically defined as a single trunk group, but can easily include multi-trunk selections. Multitrunk trees can fulfill several purposes in a landscape, such as a planting baffle or partial screen.