Small Trees
For the Rogue Valley
Trees suited for smaller garden spaces and urban environments
Our list below features small trees that are suited to thrive in our region of Southern Oregon. A small tree in a small garden can add height and make the space appear larger than it is. Have questions on how to best incorporate them into your landscape? Contact us for a landscape design consult!
Small trees list
| DECIDUOUS | ||
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Size & Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Acer buergeranum | Trident Maple | 15-20′ h x w |
| Acer circinatum | Vine Maple | 12-15′ h x 10′ w, native, prefers pm shade |
| Acer glabrum | Rocky Mountain Maple | 20-25′ h x 15′ w |
| Acer grandidentatum ‘Schmidt’ | Rocky Mountain Glow Big Tooth Maple | 20-25′ h x 15′ w, heat/drought tolerant |
| Acer griseum | Paperbark Maple | 25′ h x 20′ w, amazing bark and fall color |
| Acer japonicum | Full Moon Maple | 20’h x 25′ w |
| Acer palmatum | Japanese Maple | 15-25′ h x w (variable)- many cultivars |
| Acer shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’ | Autumn Moon Fullmoon Maple | 8-15′ h x w – golden/chartruese/pink foliage |
| Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala | Amur Maple | 15-20′ h x 15′ w, red samaras in summer & fall color, heat/drought tolerance |
| Albizia julibrissin ‘EH Wilson’ | Mimosa or Silk Tree | 20-35′ h x w, extra hardy form |
| Amelanchier grandiflora (like ‘Autumn Brilliance’ & ‘Princess Diana’) | Serviceberry | 15-20′ h x 15′ w, early white flwrs, great fall color, birds love berries |
| Amelanchier laevis ‘Spring Flurry’ | Spring Flurry Serviceberry | 28′ h x 20′ w, good tree form |
| Betula nigra ‘Little King’ | Fox Valley Dwarf River Birch | 10’h x 12’w |
| Carpinus caroliniana ‘Native Flame’ | American Hornbeam | 20-30’h x 20′ w, slow growing, tolerant of wet soil |
| Carpinus japonica | Japanese Hop Hornbeam | 15-30’h x w, slow growing, hop-like seed pods |
| Cercis canadensis ‘Ace of Hearts’ | Dwarf Eastern Redbud | 9-12′ h x 12-15′ w |
| Cercis canadensis (including ‘Forest Pansy’) | Eastern Redbud and Purple Leaved form | 20-25′ h x w |
| Cercis can. ssp. texensis (like ‘Alba’, ‘Merlot’ & ‘Oklahoma’) | Texas Redbud | 20′ h x 25′ w, ‘Merlot’ is 18’h x 20′ w, better species for our climate |
| Cercis occidentalis | Western Redbud | 15′ h x 10’w, heat/drought tolerant large shrub |
| Chilopsis linearis (like ‘Bubba’ and ‘Burgundy’) | Desert Willow | 15-20′ h x w, super heat/drought/deer resistance, showy blooms all summer |
| Chionanthus retusus | Chinese Fringe Tree | 15-20 h x 20-25′ w, late spring bloom, peeling bark |
| Chionanthus r. ‘Tokyo Tower’ | Columnar Chinese Fringe Tree | 15-20′ h x 10′ w, white blooms late spring/blue berries |
| Chitalpa tashkentensis ‘Pink Dawn’, ‘Morning Cloud’ | Chitalpa | 15-20′ h x w, heat/drought tolerant, blooms all summer |
| Cornus florida | Flowering Eastern Dogwood | 15-25′ h x w, depends on the cultivar |
| Cornus kousa | Chinese Kousa Dogwood | 15-25′ h x w, depends on the cultivar, more heat tolerant/disease resistant |
| Cornus mas | Cornelian Cherry | 18-20′ h x 22′ w, very early yellow flwrs, red fruits in fall/winter |
| Cornus x ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ | Eddie’s White Wonder Dogwood (C. nuttallii x C. florida) | 25′ h x 20′ w, better heat tolerance, huge flwrs |
| Cornus x ‘Venus’ | Venus Dogwood (C. nuttallii x C. kousa) | 25 h x 20′ w, better heat tolerance, huge flwrs |
| Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ | Royal Purple Smoketree | 12-15′ h x w, can be pruned into a single/multi tree |
| Cotinus coggygria x obovatus ‘Grace’ | Grace Smoketree | 12-15′ h x w |
| Crataegus crus-galli v. inermis ‘Cruzam’ | Crusader Thornless Hawthorn | 15-20′ h x w, broadly rounded, white flwrs, red berries |
| Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’ | Paul’s Scarlet Hawthorn | 22’h x 20’w, showy magenta blooms spring, red berries |
| Crataegus l. ‘Crimson Cloud’ | Crimson Cloud Hawthorn | 25′ h x 18’w, dark pink flwrs, red berries, wavy branches |
| Crataegus v. ‘Winter King’ | Winter King Thornless Hawthorn | 20′ h x 25′ w, vase shape, thornless |
| Davidia involucrata | Dove/Hankerchief Tree | 20-25′ h x 15′ w, late spring blooms w/unusually large white bracts, rust colored berries |
| Elaeagnus angustafolia | Russian Olive | 15-20’h x w, tolerant of heat, drought & range of poor soils |
| Fagus sylvatica ‘Weeping Purple’ | Purple Weeping Beech | 10’h x 15’w |
| Fraxinus excelsior ‘Aureafolia’ | Golden Desert European Ash | 20′ h x 18’w, yellow stems/bark, gold foliage spring/fall |
| Ginkgo b. ‘Mariken’ | Dwarf Ginkgo | 2-3’h x 3-6′ w, male, gold fall color, natural bonsai |
| Ginkgo b. Chase Manhattan’ | Dwarf Ginkgo | 3′ h x w, slow growing, perfect for rock garden, gold in fall |
| Ginkgo b. ‘Mariken’ | Dwarf Ginkgo | 2-3’h x 3-6′ w, male, gold fall color, natural bonsai |
| Hamamelis x intermedia | Witch Hazel | 10-12’h x w, unique winter bloom + fall color |
| Heptacodium miconoides | Seven-Son Flower | 15’h x w, late summer bloom, peeling bark, best with pm shade |
| Hibiscus syriacus | Rose of Sharon | 8-12’h x 6-10’w, can be pruned into a tree, summer bloom |
| Koelreuteria paniculata | Goldenrain Tree | 25-30’h x w, yellow summer bloom |
| Laburnum x watereri ‘Vossii’ | Vossii Goldenchain Tree | 25’h x 20’w, vase shaped, yellow flowers |
| Lagerstroemia varieties | Crepe Myrtle | 12-25’h x w, size is cultivar dependent, summer bloom + fall color |
| Maackia amurensis ‘Starburst’ | Starburst Amur Maackia | 25’h x 20’w, vase shaped, early summer bloom, nitrogen fixer |
| Magnolia acuminata ‘Yellow Bird’ | Yellow Bird Magnolia | 25-40’h x 20-25’w |
| Magnolia x (like ‘Genie’ and ‘Susan’) | Hybrid Deciduous Magnolia | 10’h x 6-10’w, size is dependent on cultivar |
| Magnolia loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ | Leonard Messel Magnolia | 20’h x w, pink flwrs |
| Magnolia sieboldii | Oyama Magnolia | 10-20′ h x 15-20′ w, stunning ivory flwrs w/red stamens, pendulent reddish seed pods follow |
| Magnolia stellata (many varieties) | Star Magnolia | 15’h x 10’w, shrubby habit |
| Malus spp. (and varieties….so many) | Crab Apple | 10-25’h x w, size is cultivar dependent, spring bloom, fall berries |
| Morus alba ‘Chaparral’ | Chaparral Weeping Fruitless Mulberry | 12’h x 16’w, tolerant of harsh conditions |
| Nyssa sylvatica | Black Tupelo, Sour Gum | 30-35’h x 20’w but SLOW, tolerant of poor drainage, RED fall color |
| Oxydendrum arboreum | Sourwood | 20-30’h x 15’w, late summer bloom, red fall color |
| Parrotia persica | Persian Ironwood | 25-30’h x 20’w, rainbow fall color |
| Parrotia p. ‘Vanessa’ | Colunmar Persian Ironwood | 15-30’h x 10’w, slow growing, tighter form |
| Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Summerwine’, ‘Coppertina’ | Ninebark (Tree-form) | 6-10+’ h x 6-8′ w, dark foliage, spring blooms, exfoliating bark (shown off in standard form) |
| Pistacia chinensis (including ‘Keith Davey’ male strain) | Chinese Pistache | 30’h x w, heat/drought tolerant, good fall color |
| Populus tremuloides | Quaking Aspen | 30’h x 15’w |
| Prunus cerasifera ‘Purple Pony’ | Dwarf Purple Leaf Plum | 12-15’h x w, NO fruit! |
| Prunus c. ‘Crimson Pointe’ | Columnar Purple Leaf Plum | 20-25’h x 10’w, white spring blooms, marron fruit |
| Prunus cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’ | Krauter Vesuvius Purple Leaf Plum | 20’h x 15’w |
| Prunus sargentii ‘Columnaris’ | Columnar Sargent Cherry | 35’h x 15’w |
| Prunus serrulata (like ‘Kwanzan’ & ‘Royal Burgundy’) | Flowering Cherry | 20-30’h x 15-25’w depending on variety |
| Prunus x ‘Snofozam’ | Snow Fountains Weeping Cherry | 12’h x w |
| Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula Plena Rosea’ | Double Weeping Cherry | 25’h x w, can be pruned to stay smaller |
| Prunus virginiana (including ‘Canada Red’) | Chokecherry (and Red-Leaf Chokecherry) | 25’h x 20’w, foliage emerges green and matures to burgundy |
| Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’ | Akebono Cherry | 25’h x w |
| Punica granatum | Pomegranate | 10-15’h x w, can be pruned into a tree |
| Pyrus c. ‘Jaczam’ | Jack Dwarf Flowering Pear | 16’h x 10’w |
| Rhamnus f. ‘Asplenifolia’ (tree form) | Fernleaf Alder Buckthorn | 10-15’h x 6-10’w, ferny foliage turns gold in fall + berries |
| Rhamnus purshiana | Cascara | 15-30’h 6-10’w, highly adaptable, birds love berries |
| Salix caprea ‘Pendula’ | Weeping Pussy Willow | 6-8′ h x w |
| Sorbus aucuparia | European Mountain Ash | 35’h x 20’w, abundant red-orange fruit in fall |
| Stewartia pseudocamellia | Japanese Stewartia | 25-30’h x 15-20’w, needs pm shade |
| Styrax j. ‘Fragrant Fountain’ | Weeping Japanese Snowbell | 6-10’h x 5-8’w, fragrant late spring bloom, gold in fall |
| Styrax japonicus (including ‘Pink Chimes’) | Japanese Snowbell | 23-30’h x w (15’hxw for Pink Chimes) |
| Styrax obassia | Fragrant Snowbell | 25’h x 20’w, larger leave and flwrs than S. japonicus |
| Syringa pekinensis (like ‘China Snow’ & ‘Zhang Zhiming’) | China Snow & Beijing Gold Chinese Tree Lilac | 20’h x w, late spring bloom attracts pollinators, cool bark |
| Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ | Ivory Silk Tree Lilacs | 20’h x 15’w |
| Vitex agnus castus | Chaste Tree | 12-15’h x w shrub, up to 20′ for tree, reliably deer resistant |
| Ulmus propinqua ‘JFS-Bieberich’ | Emerald Sunshine Elm | 35’h x 25’w, vase shaped, beetle/disease resistant |
| Zelkova serrata ‘City Sprite’ & ‘Schmidtlow’ | City Sprite and Wireless Dwarf Zelkova | 24’h x 18’w / 24’h x 36’w respectively |
| BROADLEAF EVERGREENS | ||
| Arbutus unedo | Strawberry Tree | 10-15’h x w (6-8′ for ‘Compacta’) |
| Arctostaphylos spp. (like ‘Austin Griffiths, ‘Lester Rowntree’ and ‘Dr. Hurd’) | Manzanita | 8-12+’ h x w, depends on cultivar |
| Camellia japonica | Japanese Camellia | with patience can be pruned into a tree |
| Eucalyptus spp. (like E. stellulata & E. coccifera) | Eucalyptus | 15-25’h x 10-15’w |
| Fremontodendron californicum | California Flannel Bush | 15’h x w, super droughty/deer resistant, large yellow blooms |
| Laurus nobilis | Bay Laurel | 12-30’h x 10-15’w, classic cooking herb |
| Leptospermum namadgiensis | Hardy Tea Tree | can be pruned into a tree |
| Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’ (and others) | Little Gem Magnolia | 20-25’h x 10-15’w |
| Olea europea ‘Arbequina’ | Arbequina Olive | 10-15’h x w, hardiest for our area, self-fertile |
| Osmarea x burkwoodii (aka Osmanthus) | False Holly | 6-8′ h x w, can be pruned into a tree |
| Quercus chrysolepis/wislizenii | Canyon/Interior Live Oak | 15-45+’h x w, slow growing native |
| Quercus suber | Cork Oak | 40-70’h x w but SLOWLY |
| Umbellularia californica | California Bay Laurel | 8-30’h x w, slow native (larger at coast) |
Want more help?
If you’d like more help with plant, shrub and/or tree selection or assistance with your landscape design, get details on our Design & Consult page about what types of services we provide.
