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Small Spaces / Urban Gardening

looking for small tree or tree-like shrub

10 years ago

I live in an urban townhown with a decent sized patio. I'm looking for a tree to fill that circular bed on the left. I can move the bed to the center, but I'd rather not tackle that. Since it's a rock garden, I really need something that's not going to drop berries or small leaves/flowers.

Right now I'm down to:
- Mexican Fan Palm
- Banana
- Tulip Magnolia
- Peegee hydrangea (least likely because it's deciduous)

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Comments (4)

apprenticegardener
10 years ago
How about a Japanese Maple ? That would seem to fit your requirements perfectly.

Best Wishes--Carl
Atlanta, GA
GailWright
10 years ago
How about a Red Leaf Banana? They are so tropical looking. What are you doing with the six slabs in the picture?
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In book "Wild Flowers of Florida", I found an explanation for the difference(s) between my tree and photos /descriptions of B. halimfolia. On individual trees, all flowers are either male or female. Author wrote of male flowers that they are "much less noticeable". Perhaps foliage density tends to follow suit. I am prompted by that reading to correct the above-stated "Deciduous" to evergreen. (Leaves did leave; now I recall that I pruned the branches.)
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elixir75
Original Author
10 years ago
I'd love to put a Jap Maple, but I'm in TX and this spot is west-facing. The afternoon sun scorches this particular spot. I think a banana may be my best bet.
alison
10 years ago
I'm too far north to imagine what the banana might look like, but I bet it would be nice. And the fan palm would be lovely.

Chaste tree, Vitex angus-castus, is a pretty southern substitute for lilac, with grey-green leaves and beautiful blue flowers. Desert willow seems like it would be nice, too -- not sure how tall they get.

Fothergilla is beautiful in bloom; you could prune it to a single stem I think. Sterile Rose of Sharon, trimmed to tree-form would be an unusual, tropical looking plant. (I did this with regular ROS and while I loved the look, the seedlings were killer!)

Hope you find something that works for you -- looks like a lovely space!

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