Tree Name | Mature Height (feet) | Dwarf Height (feet) |
---|---|---|
Crabapple | 20 | 5 to 10 |
Crape Myrtle | 15 to 30 | 3 to 4 |
Dogwood | 10 to 25 | 4 to 6 |
Franklin Tree | 10 to 25 | not available |
A seriously small cultivar, the dwarf dogwood (Cornus canadensis) has many of the traits of a traditional dogwood although it’s not not actually a tree, but a ground cover. This 4- to 8-inch tall diminutive member of the Cornus genus is also known as “bunchberry, “bunchberry dogwood” and “Canadian dwarf cornel.”
Come out at least 5 feet or more from the house. If you’re planting a row of dwarf magnolias, place them 6 feet apart…or, for a privacy screen, 4 feet apart is fine. For planting along a fence, position the tree about 4 feet out.
dwarf willow
Growing to a mere 1-6cm in height, the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea) is arguably the world’s tiniest tree. Well adapted to live in arctic and subarctic environments, this tiny wooden sprout has developed the key strategy to surviving the cold; staying really small.
The evergreen tree can reach 25 to 40 feet in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. Characterized by narrow, leathery, deep green leaves that can grow to one foot in length, its new foliage unfolds from rosy-pink sheaths that soon wither and fall off.
This tree, which grows 15 to 25 feet tall with a similar spread, features an upright, spreading form. The tree generally requires little pruning to encourage a good shape; however, a light annual pruning as needed to address pest and disease problems will help maintain the tree’s health and appearance.
Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8 or 9, is a mini-magnolia tree that usually only reaches 15 to 20 feet tall. It has nearly equal spread. The flowers of this miniature magnolia tree have narrower petals than those of Southern magnolia and some other species.
Pruning Goals
A dogwood grows 1 or 2 feet each year until it’s about 25 feet tall. You can keep the tree a bit shorter by heading upright branches back by one-third each year, but this may produce a tree that spreads wider than the usual 25 feet.
While you can grow a dogwood tree in a very large container, there are varieties that are naturally or cultivated to be smaller, even dwarf. Growing in a container is not without some difficulty, but it can be done.
Evergreen trees are the best choice for privacy screens as they don’t lose their leaves in the winter and protect your yard from prying eyes even in cold weather. Fast-growing choices include cypress, such as the Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) or arborvitae, such as Thuja occidentalis “Emerald Green”.
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