Tree for a small garden?

[dimmu]

We have a small overlooked garden and I was thinking of planting a tree to give us some shade and also to give a tiny bit of privacy.
Would prefer something that doesn't grow too tall or too wide, but would be fairly leafy.
Any suggestions?

Our garden is East/southeast facing so gets direct sunlight until around 4 pm. I was thinking of planting it in the market spot or thereabouts. We are half way up a hill so fairly exposed. I have never planted a tree before so would need to be something hardy and easy to plant. Would any fruit tree work? Would it have to be self-pollinating?

Our plan is to do up the whole garden or at least the lawn and patio in a few years but can't afford it at the moment.

A rowan might be nice, but it's not a fruit tree. An Acer with lovely autumn colours?

An apple mightl work as well.

An olive tree would be perfect in my opinion.

You won't get much shade with an olive tree, and they can be a bit expensive. They are lovely though, so they might be a lovely addition later.

A native tree is better in terms of adapting and for birds and insects.

How about magnolia stellata which is small or weeping pear (pyrus Salicifolius)?

Acer would work well

Fruit tree sizes depend on the rootstock it is grafted onto, you can get ones as small as 4 foot up to 20 foot plus monsters!

There’s plenty of self fertile varieties though all will crop better with a compatible different variety of the same fruit tree nearby.

I have a sunburst and a Stella cherry tree which are both self fertile and sweet, and morello which is also self fertile but sour.

One of my pears, Concorde, I think is self fertile.

Most pears are not self fertile though and the ones that are listed as such often give quite a small crop if grown alone.

Of my apples, I am fairly sure the cox orange pippin is self fertile, there are loads of self fertile varieties of apple tree.

Some plums are self fertile.

Think apricots and nectarines and peaches are too but I gave up growing them due to peach leaf curl disease.

I could be wrong, but I think you can get self fertile almond trees as well

We have an almond tree and the blossom this year is gorgeous

Thanks for the suggestions, will research them. Doesn't have to be a fruit tree, just something f
bushy/leafy and fairly fast growing that doesn't grow too tall or wide.

Where is the best place to get them, online or some local garden centre/tree nursery? We are in SW England.
And am I correct to think most trees need to planted in the autumn/early winter, or could I get one now (or when/if the lockdown ends)?

Maybe plant it in a pot to restrict the size?

Acers are deciduous, which means from late autumn till spring they will provide you with no privacy at all as they have lost their leaves. Most fruit trees are also deciduous. You want something every green.

The issue is it’s a fairly small space. So you don’t want something that will grow too big and dominate either.

Personally I’d go for a camellia. They are ever green, and you get various varieties. Some grow wider, some taller. And the flowers are lovely.

However they are slow growing and expensive. You’d have to buy a relatively mature one or wait for years till it grows to size.

Acer are deciduous, which means from late autumn till spring they will provide you with no privacy at all as they have lost their leaves. Most fruit trees are also deciduous

Ah yes, I think it is all fruit trees except olive that are deciduous.
If the OP specifically wants an evergreen tree then you are quite right, an acer or fruit tree wouldn’t be suitable.

Thanks again. We don't spend that much time in the garden when it's cold so it doesn't have to be an evergreen. Some shade and privacy in the summer would be nice, taking into account the small size of our garden.

Good point about not being out in winter,

However deciduous trees aren’t pretty In winter, it’s just bare branches, as you’ve a very small garden you may as well make it look nice year round

Plus deciduous means you need to clear up the leaves after they fall.

I'm not a fan of evergreen trees in small gardens. They shed all year round (olive trees make a lot of mess) and in the dark winter months you will want all the bright light you can get rather than winter shade. I'd go for a fruit tree, a rowan or an ornamental cherry.

How about a silver birch?

Our garden faces the same way as yours and we are successfully growing a Mountain Ash, an Acer, a Magnolia Stellata, a grafted willow (so it won't grow taller) and two elder trees (self seeded). Our neighbours have a successful pear and apple tree.

Prunus 'amangowa' - small cherry tree

Amelanchier are lovely small garden trees and fairly bombproof. Very pretty blossom in spring, delicate canopy in summer, gorgeous colour in autumn and berries over winter for the birds.

If you go fruit, avoid apples, as they do need pruning properly to look nice. I really rate orangepippintrees.com for fruit trees and advice, and their sister site pippintrees.com for ornamental trees.

An Amelancier?

They are compact, have some lovely blossom and berries in the Autumn.

Oh snap!

Oh and I disagree that deciduous trees aren’t nice in winter. They give structure and form. We have a full-grown weeping plum and it’s very dramatic on its own in the snow.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful!

As an alternative to a tree, you could grow a jasmine along the fence or a virginia creeper - we have both along our fence.

We put a eucalyptus tree in ours. Not deciduous and can keep the size maintained.

Amelanchier or a Himalayan Birch which is smaller than a silver and has a bright white trunk. Or a Rowan. The berries will feed the birds.

Our garden filled up with some self seeding plants that re seed each year, just for price of a seed packet and small amount of compost.