Please recommend a small pretty tree for my front garden

[SunnySummerDays]

I keep looking online but can't really see what I want/need.
It's a small garden with s little wall round and planted cottage style with plants and a cobbled path between. I'd like a small pretty tree with one trunk rather than many branches. Not too tall or dense . No more than 4m really and not too wide. Thanks for any suggestions !

[SquarePegRoundHole]

You could try going to your local garden centre and asking there. They will more likely know what will suit your position, soil type, weather etc.

[BouleBaker]

How about magnolia stellata or Salix kilmarnock?

If you go to the RHS website they have lots of advice on choosing plants.

[WhiskyChick]

A Japanese maple would be lovely. Great shapes and differing colours through the year to enjoy

[Ifailed]

which way does your garden face? Have you had a wander around your locality to see what seems to be doing well? If you see one you like but don't know what it is, take a photo and show it on here or at a nursery.

[bookbook]

My favourite -
Amelanchier pretty small tree lovely blossom in spring, berries that the birds adore and then autumn colour

[AstrantiaMajor]

My list

sorbus cashmiriani
Amelanchier
Acer Griseum
Acer Sangu Kaku
Robinia Frisia Casque Rouge
Prunus little pink perfection.

I have just restocked my whole garden after a make-over and used plants from Crocus. They are a little more expensive but have been very strong plants well packaged and they have a huge choice. Other good suppliers are Telegraph Garden and Ashridge Nurseries.

[Sadik]

Good thread! I've pretty much reduced my garden to a blank canvas, and am now thinking about small trees / shrubs to add. I've got japanese maple and amelanchier on my list - will have to look up the other suggestions :)

[JT05]

Another vote for Amelanchier. Wonderful small tree, can be grown as a bush.

[AstrantiaMajor]

I have mostly trees in my garden and have gone mainly for interesting bark and late colours. The Acer Griseum is snake bark maple and the Sangu Kaku has a scarlet red bark which is has shone in my garden since October and will keep it colour even after the lime green leaves appear. I also bought Betula Jacquemonti because I love its pure white bark, underplanted with Cockburnianus. In winter its white arching branches really brighten up a dark corner.

The dwarf Robinia Frisa have a twisted bark and branches so it is interesting even in the winter. I prefer this to the twisted Corkscrew Hazel. In small garden it is imprtamt to to buy the dwarf Robinia as the standard grows very tall . Cornus midwinter fire is great for underplanting I have this snaking through the garden

[terrylene]

I wouldn't touch a Kilmarnock willow with a barge pole. We had one and it was down the soakaway and up the downpipes like a ferret!

I have a winter flowering cherry 'Autumnalis' which is good value - nice bark, pretty leaves, winter colour and flowers all winter and spring. I keep it well pruned like a Japanese one, but am told the roots are a bit iffy on Cherries too .

[maamalady]

I have just put in a flowering cherry in my front garden - Okame Harlequin. I had an Okame in my previous (tiny) back garden and loved it; I am hoping this one does well.

[Semaphorically]

There are some new magnolia hybrids that aren't too big that are lovely, we have a little hedge of them. I also second the PP who suggested magnolia stellata.

[MrsBertBibby]

We put in a weeping crabapple last autumn, I am dying to see it in action.

www.mailordertrees.co.uk/collections/malus-crab-apple-trees/products/malus-red-jade-crab-apple-tree?gclid=Cj0KEQiA25rFBRC8rfyX1vjeg7YBEiQAFIb3by4KXpaBpnKQoCCF56ZSr-6KFboOoHmtNAiBxDJB70caAtHC8P8HAQ

We had thought about a Kilmarnock willow, but the ones in the centres all looked like shit, and then we found this malus.

[SunnySummerDays]

Oooo loads of suggestions. I'm going to write them down and google images of them . I'll come back later when I've had a mooch. I'd looked at amalanchier, June berry and ballerina...
The thing is I read the description and think oh that's good, right size but then the images look really big!
Because I want put in the corner st front I need be careful it's not too wide as next door won't be happy! I love the idea of the amelanchier with the birds, they definitely ticks my box. I'd looked at malus royalty but then the pics look a bit too tall! Really appreciate your posts, thank you

[SunnySummerDays]

Which variety amalanchier do you have and how tall / age are they now. I realise I can prune to keep in check ....

[SunnySummerDays]

Forgot to add I have stellata. They have been in a couple of years and still no taller than 4 feet, I thought they were bushes?

[ChuckSnowballs]

Amelanchier Ballerina - I have one and am looking at it right now. I bought it 3 years ago and it is now 10 ft tall. It branches off at 4ft, so when I am just intending to cut the highest branches back to the branch off point when they get too big. It means it will be trunky til 4ft and then branch out and I can control it that way without ladders. I also have one in my front garden, and another more shrubby one next to the canal. I love them.

Same with the paper bark maple. I will cut back to the branch off point of the branches get too big. That may take more time though.

[AstrantiaMajor]

If you go on to the RHS site, type in the tree, it will tell you the eventual spread, height, conditions required and suppliers. You don't have to be a member

I have got Amelanchier Robin Hill, but I needed tall thin, so they were 15 feet when they arrived.

[bookbook]

Hmm - I don't think mine would help - its grafted onto a dwarfing root stock , and was bought from a specialist bare root tree nursery about 35 years ago. I don't recognise any of the new varieties at all !

[Sadik]

I'm going to go to the local garden centre this week armed with dd for sense checking, some of these ideas + dimensions of my spaces and talk to them & see what they think - very exciting :) :)

[NennyNooNoo]

Crab apple?

[NennyNooNoo]

Or Japanese flowering cherry?

[linspins]

Another vote for amelanchier. They are such pretty trees with lots of different stages. I had one near my kitchen window in our last house, and miss it now we've moved. Going to get another one!

[SunnySummerDays]

Hi, well I've ploughed through all these suggestions. And another 209 more! Today i went to a really good nursery and actually loads of the ones I short listed were there. So I have a good mooch and took pics to muse on. So far I'm thinking of -
Amalanchier Lamarchii snowy mespilus, in the nursery it was a tree, and the label says 3x3 height spread which is ok. As other pages I looked at said bigger. Need re check this . This seems to tick all my boxes to be honest, all year interest and bees birds like it and it's pretty.
Looked at prunus autumnis rosea, again 3x3, long time flowers.
Prunus snow goose 4x2.25 is ok
The nursery man RAVED about pyrus chanticleer saying his fave and best, but from what ive read it's too big! Much too big!
Sorbus pink pagoda ( not really sure about this )
Amalanchier pretty but more of a shrub? 3x2
Ballerina one too wide?
I've got a stellata that hardly grows !
Prunus little pink perfection nice too.
Can't really find the harlequin to read up more on....
Any thoughts from anyone on the above?
Thanks

[bookbook]

My Amelanchier was just labelled as Lamarkii when I bought it. Its over 35 years old now, and about 11-12' high, and about 8-9 foot wide. If that helps?
It is my favourite tree in the garden- :)