what type of small tree would work for in front of a house? We would like it to be 8 feet or shorter.?

Question

We have a small front yard with a flower bed. We hope to put a small fountain and a small tree. I would love something that flowers. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Good question, but more importantly, we need to know what USDA hardiness zone you are in to give you good advice.
My suggestion to you, is to take the list of trees you get, to your local independent garden center, and ask them which are hardy where you live, and which they can get for you. From there do some additional research.

That being said, the trees I'm recommending are for USDA hardiness zone 5, where I am.
Try a flowering cherry tree, (Prunus 'Kwanzan', 'Royal Burgundy', or 'Snowgoose') they tend to be smaller in stature.
Crabapple (Malus) is also a good choice. Several dwarf forms exist, 'Lolipop', 'Coralburst', and the knights of the round table series ('Galahad','Lancelot' etc).

There are also some shrubs, grown as trees that might work for you as well, peegee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata), and rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacuse) come immediately to mind, though there are others as well.

Good luck,
I hope that this helps

Answer 2

I believe a pomegranate is perfect for your needs. I put one in my flower bed this summer. It was about two feet tall and was blooming already. You can trim these back easily to the height you desire if it gets too tall for you. They bear the fruit which is small and red, then it blooms to a frilly, beautiful reddish orange bloom that is a real eye catcher. Mine is placed near a window unit air conditioner and gets the run off condensation water...I have hardly had to water it all. They grow quickly and put on quite a show without being unruly or difficult to maintain! They also self propagate easily so you can have some come up around it that you can share with friends. That is how I got mine!Good luck!

Answer 3

It depends where you are in the country. Try a dwarf fruit tree that is for your area.
Make sure that it is a true dwarf. I have two
semi dwarf cherries that are about twenty feet and still growing. True dwarfs are less than twelve feet and can be pruned.

Or try a Japanese Laceleaf Maple. They won't grow where I am. My Rose of Sharon only gets four feet tall and dies to the ground every winter.

Answer 4

Wheeping cherry trees are nice. They blossom in the spring and look like short willows through the rest of the year. They grow very slow and only reach about 8'-15'.

Answer 5

what they use in almost all the flower beds here are small birch trees.. they dont get too big so they work well for this... im a landscaper and thats usually what everyone uses on the corners of there house ... dont plant something that will get too big and wide other wise it will be too close to the house and you will have to cut it down.. Im in illinois here..

Answer 6

Try finding a dogwood. There are several varieties. Some of them are weeping and stay short.

But if you are looking for 8' tall I would suggest looking for shrubs, and then trainng they into tree shapes.
Kerria, forsitia, butterfly bush, roses, and just too many others.

Answer 7

Cassia, also called Flowering Senna.

Answer 8

Crape Myrtle. Here are some photos:

http://images.google.com/images?q=crape+myrtle&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

Answer 9

rose of sharon. can grow 16 feet high unless you trim, and flowers much of the summer.

Answer 10

we have a weeping cherry and that works well. we live in zone 7.if you're in this zone another good 1 would be a japanese maple. call your local ag. ext. office in your zone for more suggestions.