In the modern urban environment, most home owners do not have as much open garden space as 20 years ago.
Planning is key to creating your own sanctuary in the small space you have available.
You might only have space for a single tree. How do you decide what you are going to plant if you can choose only one tree? The planning can be overwhelming. At Trees SA, we have the experience and knowledge to assist you in all the phases of the process. From planning to selection to implementation, we will be here for you.
Where to start? Start by deciding what you will be using the space for, and if you have specific requirements that the tree needs to meet. If you are thinking soft and more ornamental, something like a flowering Plum or a Pride of India might come to mind. If you need something very practical for shade, you might consider something like a Forest Elder or a Wild Olive. The area you stay in would also have a great influence on what you are able to plant. On the seafront, your choice of tree would be vastly different from something you can consider if you stay in a sheltered area in suburbia. This may limit your options, but there will always be a few trees to consider.
We have compiled a short list of trees below that can be considered for use in a small urban garden (click on names to learn more):
Japanese Maple – Acer Palmatum
Silver Birch – Betula pendula
Safsaf Willow – Salix mucronata
Graveyard Cypress – Cupressus sempervirens Stricta
Little Gem Magnolia – Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’
Johannesburg Gold – Melaleuca bracteata Johannesburg Gold
Sneezeweed – Ptaeroxylon obliquum
Bladdernut – Diospyros whyteana
Pride of India – Lagerstroemia indica
Frangipani – Plumeria rubra
Flowering Plum – Prunus cerasifera Nigra
Tree Fuchsia – Halleria lucida
Sweet viburnum – Viburnum sinensis
Sandanqua viburnum – Viburnum suspensum
Henkel’s Yellowwood -Podocarpus henkelii
Wild Olive – Olea europeae subsp. Africana
Forest Elder – Nuxia floribunda
Wild Peach – Kiggelaria africana
Hibiscus – Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Cape Holly – Ilex mitis
Cross Berry – Grewia occidentalis
Assegai Tree – Curtisia dentata
Coastal silver Oak – Brachylaena discolour
Lemon Eureka – Citrus limon Eureka
Lemon Meyer – Citrus x meyeri
Lime – Citrus aurantifolia
Kumquat – Citrus japonica
Orange – Citrus x sinensis
Apple – Malus domestica
Crab-apple – Malus spectabilis
Pear – Pyrus communis
Almond – Prunus dulcis
Plum – Prunus domestica
Apricot – Prunus americana
Pomegranate – Punica granatum ‘Bhagwa’
