If a garden needs a tree but does not have room for a broad canopy, look at its shape as closely as its flowers or foliage. Weeping forms, narrow upright plants and contorted stems can each change the outline of a bed. Check the mature size and how the plant is trained before letting its unusual shape make the choice for you.
Weeping forms can be a focal point
A weeping tree can draw the eye toward a path or the middle of a planting, especially when its branches move in a breeze. Camperdown elm is one example. It is grafted, so the height and final shape depend in part on the graft and how the tree develops; do not count on every specimen staying at the same height. Leave room around it for the branches to spread and for you to reach the ground beneath them.
Weeping conifers can have an even more architectural shape. Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ and Cedrus libani ‘Pendula’ may grow along a support or stretch branches out horizontally, depending on training. Ask how a particular nursery plant has been staked and what it may look like without that support. Their evergreen foliage gives the bed some structure in winter, but their shape still needs space. For smaller year-round choices, see Dwarf Conifers Shine in the Winter.
Narrow plants suit narrow places, within limits
Columnar growth can be useful beside a bed or where a wider tree would crowd a walkway. Sky Pencil holly is a narrow evergreen shrub; Skyrocket juniper offers a taller upright form. Neither name tells you the exact mature dimensions of the plant you are buying. Check the cultivar label and allow for its eventual spread, access for pruning and the light available in that spot.
A row of narrow plants may look good in a small container at the nursery and feel crowded once planted. Set the spacing for the mature plants, not for an instant screen. Our guide to trees in the landscape explains how smaller forms work alongside the existing canopy.
Twisted branches earn their place in winter
Harry Lauder’s walking stick, a contorted hazel often sold as Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’, shows its twisting stems best after the leaves fall. Size and growth habit vary, so give it room rather than assuming it will remain a tiny tree. Place it where you will see the stems in winter, perhaps against a quieter background instead of a crowded bed.
Nature’s Friends Landscaping can help choose a form that fits the garden. If you are still deciding between a striking specimen and a conventional shade tree, start with the mature-size questions before planting.
