The Beauty of Small Trees

Unifying and Eye Catching

A small blooming saucer magnolia fits into a shrub planting easily. Here the pink blooms stand out against a rounded evergreen boxwood and the dark red leaves of a ‘Diablo’ ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’).

I was once tasked with planting a hillside. I wanted something that would counteract the vertical height of the hill and knew that tall trees planted there would only increase the top-heavy feeling to those at the base. And large shrubs would be undistinguished when viewed from below. With these thoughts in mind, I chose to plant several small trees that had spreading branches. I planted three 'Forest Pansy' redbud trees (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy') in a zig zag arrangement on the slope.