| What tree is a good option for a medium size garden? We are interested in any or all of the following: evergreen, fast grower, no invasive roots and little or no litter. |
| Here are a few of my favorites for medium sized yards: Aristocrat Pear (Pyrus calleryana ?Aristocrat?), an evergreen with a pyramidal shape growing 35 to 50 feet high and 25 to 35 feet wide. Has profuse white flowers in early spring and reddish purple fall color. Grows fast (12? over 6 years). This tree is drought tolerant once established. Plant in full sun in average, well-drained soil. Armstrong Columnar Red Maple (Acer rubrum ?Armstrong?) A compact, narrow growing red maple for smaller spaces or for use as an unusual accent or specimen tree. Size: 50 to 70 feet high and 15 to 20 feet wide with a columnar shape. Provides orange-red color in the fall and grows fast (12-15 feet high in 4 to 6 years). It's moderately drought tolerant once established. Best planted in full sun to partial shade in moist, well-drained soil but is adaptable to various soils. Blue Ice Cypress (Cupressus arizonica). This rather handsome, graceful pyramid shaped tree has fine-textured powdery blue foliage and mahogany red stems. Useful as a specimen, accent, or screen where its smaller scale is appropriate. Grows 10 to 15 feet high and 3 to 5 feet wide; the shape is conical-pyramidal. This tree has powdery gray-blue, silver-blue to icy blue foliage and requires well drained soil in full sun. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) grows 30 to 40 feet high and 25 to 35 feet wide and has a spreading, flat to rounded top. Can be multi-stemmed or have a single trunk. It produces reddish-purple to pink flowers in March-April and yellow to yellow-green foliage in the gall. It grows at a medium rate (7 to 10 feet in 5 to 6 years). Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) grows 60 to 75 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide and has a pyramidal when young growing more rounded at maturity. This tree has outstanding fall color, mostly red with shades of orange and purple. It's growth rate is medium to fast. Hope I've given you some ideas! |
