The ornamental garden without a tree? Inconceivably. Whether as a house tree or a spherical, columnar or cone-shaped ornamental tree, they give structure to the garden.
There is probably no mistaking it: the ornamental garden includes strong ornamental trees, which are used to form columnar, conical or spherical trees. These should primarily have a decorative effect. When designing, however, attention must be paid to the expected height and the circumference of the crown, which should be in balance with the size of the garden. Personal taste also plays an important role in the choice of trees. This can be the scent effect, optical stimuli from leaves and flowers, as well as fruit formation. Which ornamental shrubs are suitable as trees? Take a look for yourself and decide according to your personal taste and to suit your garden.
Trees in the ornamental garden
Trees that take up little space and cast little shade are ideal for a small garden.
1Deciduous Trees
❶ Golden elm (Ulmus hollandica 'Wredei)
Due to its small size, the golden elm is suitable for smaller gardens. The tree can grow up to 10 meters high and 5 meters wide. This small tree or tree-like shrub is characterized by its upright growth and narrow, columnar to funnel-shaped crown. The branches and twigs grow stiffly upright and densely branched, and bright yellow leaves sprout from them. The ornamental value of the golden elm lies solely in the foliage. Later, their color changes from yellow to yellow-green. The leaves of the golden elm color less intensively in shady locations.
❷ Japanese Maple (Acer japonicum)
The Japanese maple is a feast for the eyes in every garden. This shrub-like ornamental tree is hardy and easy to care for. Its leaves turn bright hues in autumn. Depending on the variety, these can range from yellow to orange to red. Equally intense is the color of the attractive umbel-like flowers with their crimson calyxes and pink petals. The location is decisive for he althy and lush growth. This should be sunny to semi-shady. When the soil is well prepared and the tree after the plantsis watered regularly, then nothing stands in the way of thriving development.
An alternative is the classic Japanese maple (Acer palmatum).
❸ Ball acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Umbraculifera')
Whether in the front garden as an ornamental plant or as a shade provider in the park, the decorative spherical acacia attracts the attention of garden and nature lovers with its almost English charm. The numerous acacia species are extremely robust and easy to care for. However, ball trees need to be pruned regularly. Even hobby gardeners with less experience in tree pruning can easily carry out the ball pruning. If you want to cultivate these trees, you can do it even with little botanical knowledge, since ball trees are very easy-care trees.
2Blossoming Trees
❶ Catalpa bignonioides
An eye-catching feature will grow in your garden with a ball trumpet tree. When young it forms a spherical crown, in old age the tree grows more in width than in height. The leaves are reminiscent of elephant ears. The leaves lie on top of each other like bricks, like a dense roof. In autumn, the tree shines with its beautiful yellow leaf colour. Globe trumpet trees are ideal for driveways, as a house tree and for protection against birds. In addition, the care of the ball trumpet tree is uncomplicated.❷ Tulip Magnolia (Magnolia soulangiana)
With its large, tulip-shaped individual flowers, with a white base color and pink-violet hues, the magnolia tree is one of the most popular ornamental trees among hobby gardeners. This flowering rarity is widely found as a large shrub or small, short-stemmed tree, reaching 3 to 5 meters in height. It also gets taller with age. The Tulip Magnolia unfolds its magnificent blossom from April to May before the leaves sprout. In the summer, there may occasionally be a weak rebloom. The spreading crown on a short and usually crooked trunk on older trees is typical of the plant.
❸ Laburnum anagyroides
When designing your ornamental garden, gardeners like to use laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides). This magnificent flowering shrub is ideal for a solitary position in the garden. The numerous bright yellow flowers in loose, arching overhanging clusters are particularly attractive. These clusters reach a length of 20 - 30 cm. In terms of color, the common laburnum has a very nice effectthe lilac-pink flowers of the arching, overhanging panicles of Chinese lilac and behind red rhododendron.
❹ Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata)
With its striking white or pink flowers, the Japanese cherry tree is an excellent decorative element in front gardens in spring, but also as a solitary plant in every garden. There are countless varieties of this tree species, which differ not only in color but also in their natural growth habit. They tend this tree no differently than any other. It is extremely important for a lush bloom, the growth and the shape of the tree to cut the ornamental cherry regularly.
3Fruit-bearing Trees
❶ Columnar mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)
Cultivated forms of mountain ash are offered for the ornamental garden, which can reach a height of up to 3 meters. However, there are also trees of this type that can grow much taller. The columnar mountain ash is a strong shrub that can be raised to a columnar shape by pruning it appropriately. The approximately 20 centimeters long, dark green, matt glossy leaves of the tree are imparipinnate. From September, the mountain ash is particularly noticeable with its large umbels of bright crab-red berries. These form a good color contrast to the dark foliage.❷ Crabapple (Malus spec.)
The ornamental apple tree has a rather dainty growth. Characteristic are the beautiful flowers, the foliage with its autumn colors and of course the ornamental apples. The robust shrubs are quite easy to care for. Ornamental apple trees give the garden an attractive appearance all year round. This ornamental tree comes in many interesting varieties, some even have tasty fruit.
❸ Blood plum (Prunus cerasifera)
Bright pink flowers, which it unfolds in April, and the dark red leaves characterize the blood plum. Although it is often used in city parks, it has now also found a place in small ornamental gardens. The blood plum can be combined very well with the white flowering cherry plum. However, she only gets a few fruits, but they taste very good and the pulp has a nice appearance. The blood plum is a popular nesting site for birds. Therefore, it should be cut at the end of June. On the one hand, the first growth phase is completed at this point and on the other hand, the offspring have left the nests.
4conifers
❶ Japanese White Pine (Pinus parviflora)
The shrubby Japanese white pine is suitable for small themed gardens in many ways. It gives structure to the heath garden, as well as to Japanese gardens or the aesthetically designed, colorful ornamental garden. It is characterized by a wide, conical and irregular, but nevertheless well-branched and therefore dense and bushy shape. The Japanese White Pine is slow growing. In 15 years it reaches a height and width of about 2 meters. Their needles are strongly twisted, soft and gentle. The abundance of cones is low, but they last more than two years on the same tree.❷ Juniper (Juniperus communis)
One of the most popular coniferous plants in domestic gardens is the juniper because it is robust and easy to care for. Juniper is not sensitive to cold, but needs a lot of light. This should be taken into account when choosing the location. The columnar juniper is particularly popular with hobby gardeners. It is ideal for the rock and heather garden because it has a special ornamental value. In addition, the character of the columnar juniper characterizes the structure of these themed gardens. Birds, bees and beneficial insects like to settle on it.
❸ Yew (Taxus baccata)
Hardly any other conifer is as versatile as the yew. The green or yellow soft needles of this tree decorate the garden in summer and in winter. Yews can reach old age. In recent years, numerous yew forms with different growth forms and yellow to dark green needles have emerged, which are well suited for the individual position - from the yellow-needled columnar form to the broad-growing yew with overhanging shoots, the so-called eagle-winged yew. This ornamental tree likes a semi-shady to shady location. It develops better here than in a sunny, exposed spot in the garden.
❹Cypress (Cupressus)
The growth form and color of the individual cypress plants are different. The columnar solitary plant has proven itself for the small garden. Cypress trees grow very quickly. If not cut back regularly, some strains can reach a height of around 10 meters. Cypresses are therefore cut back at least once a year, either in autumn or in spring. However, because they are only partially hardy, they should definitely be planted in a sheltered location.