Small Trees
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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) |