Can we put another tree in, and if so where?

[Svanhildur]

We live in a flat with a shared garden. The only bit we actually own of the outdoor space is our patio. There are 2 flats on the 1st floor of the building as well, with balconies directly above the ground floor patios. All 4 flats have equal access to all the rest of the garden.

However, the people upstairs don't tend to use it and we on the ground floor tend to stick to our halves. There is a rowan tree in each back corner and next door have added a number of birch trees and a few shrubby bits plus rhubarb on the half-way point. We only have our rowan tree.

I include a diagram. The scaling is a bit off but you will get the idea. Red half of the building is ours and blue half is the neighbours. Grey is the patios, green are existing trees or other plants. Pink and yellow spots are where I was thinking we could maybe put another small tree?

DP is concerned about losing light in the garden. It's quite a small garden but very bright and sunny (on sunny days) in the afternoons. I just think it is a little dull. We don't really have the time or will to do any serious gardening so I was thinking a birch which would pretty well take care of itself (like the rowan does) and not get too large, add a bit of interest. We live in Iceland so the variety is downy birch (Betula pubescens) and they just don't get very big, due to the climate I suppose.

What do you think of the positioning? Is a birch tree a good idea? We'd obviously have to get permission from the other flats but I don't anticipate any issues there.

Pink looks a bit close to the house, roots could become an issue. The patio would lose some evening light if you put a big tree in the yellow spot as it looks to be west facing. Birches can grow quite big (and are commonest cause of spring hayfever due to their tree pollen, just something to bear in mind if you have lots of neighbours). Maybe choose a smaller tree for the yellow spot? I'm not sure what your options would be in Iceland though (in the UK I would pick crabapple or amelanchier). What about a flowering shrubs - check out cornus kousa var chinensis, or similar flowering dogwoods - it could be a focal point without losing you too much evening light.

They don't usually seem to get that big here, I think it's a combination of the climate and the soil perhaps, but they are always much smaller than birches in the UK.

I do have hayfever and didn't know that! Thanks for the tip. There are already tons about though, not sure one more would make a big difference? I really love their bark. That's one of the reasons I wanted one, because I find them beautiful in the winter too.

But perhaps a shrub of some kind is better. We're quite limited by the climate I think. No fruit trees here at all, just redcurrant bushes which I find a bit messy looking, and I can't find any cornus. Maybe a lilac of some kind?

I might get a birch to put in the corner by our gate instead. There's more space there than the picture indicates. We never spend time in that long bit because it's usually in shade but a tree would be nice for the front of the house..

Maybe another variety from the rowan family? You can get quite small ones can't you?