'Autumn Brilliance' Serviceberry in bloom.

           That little stick he planted forty years ago now towers over the house and the extensive surface root system has eaten up huge portions of the lawn and garden.

If space is at a premium where you live, here are some excellent small to medium sized trees. A few aren’t commonly planted, but are well worth tracking down for your landscape. 

 Serviceberry or Juneberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) is normally grown as a large shrub, but makes a very attractive small (15 to 20 foot) specimen tree when trained to a single stem.  The hybrid A. x g. ‘Autumn Brilliance’ bears extra-large clusters of frothy pinkish-white flowers followed by bunches of small, edible dark blue berries (photo right).  In autumn the foliage turns the vivid bronze-red for which it earned its name.  The bright red twigs and steel-gray bark carry interest over into the winter months, making it one of the best four-season trees.  Serviceberry grows best in full sun to partial shade and a moist well-drained soil, but will adapt to almost any situation.

Amur Maple (Acer ginnala) Like the serviceberry, amur maple is usually grown as a large shrub or hedge plant, but can be pruned to a tree form and used effectively as a specimen planting.  Amur maple grows very quickly (to about 15 to 20 feet tall) and can tolerate most soil conditions with the exception of very wet sites. The small creamy white to pale yellow flowers in spring are followed by red “winged” fruits and in autumn, the foliage turns brilliant shades of red, yellow and orange.  Although amur maples can stand some shade, for the best fall color plant them in a sunny location and choose a named cultivar such as 'Embers,' 'Emma,' 'Flame,' and 'Red Wing.'

White Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is often called snowflower because of the feathery white flower panicles that cover it in the spring.  A slow grower, this small tree rarely attains a height of more then twenty feet in the home landscape, but does tend to be quite wide-spreading and can end up almost as wide as it is tall.  Its finest feature is the beautiful hanging clusters of white flowers that are produced in late spring, however, the smooth, medium to dark green, glossy foliage is also quite handsome. The female plant produces grape-like, bluish black fruits that are a great favorite of songbirds who will usually gobble then all before winter comes.  White fringetree has virtually no disease or insect problems and tolerates a fairly wide range of soil conditions.  For the best growth, plant it in spring in a moist, sunny spot that is sheltered from the wind. 

Ironwood or Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) is a 20 to 30 foot tall tree, native to much of the northern plains.  In its natural habitat, ironwood often grows beneath other trees, making it a good choice in a location that doesn’t get a lot of sun.  It works especially well in a woodland setting grown in clumps of three or more.  Its most interesting features are the distinctive shredded bark and the seed sacs that resemble the papery cones of the hops vine.  Ironwood has few disease and insect problems and tolerates a wide range of soil types and moisture levels, but will grow best on a fertile moist site. 

Japanese Tree Lilac (Syringa reticulata) Blooms in late spring with huge billowy clusters of cream-colored blossoms that are either fragrant or malodorous depending on whom you ask.  Even those that don’t care for the scent don’t find it to be so objectionable it should be of major concern when you are deciding whether to include the tree lilac in your landscape. The bark resembles the beautiful reddish-brown bark of the cherry tree.  Japanese tree lilacs are very disease resistant and pH tolerant and do best in a well-drained, moist soil in full sun.   'Ivory Silk' and 'Summer Snow' are two excellent cultivars. 

Flowering Crabapples (Malus) are some of the most widely grown ornamental trees in the North.  Who can resist their fragrant single or double blossoms in shades from white and rosy-pink to burgundy or deep reddish violet?  The red, orange and gold fruit persists all winter long and is a welcome meal for birds migrating back in early spring.  Even the foliage is attractive varying from a light, glossy green to a deep maroon or silvery red.  Unfortunately, over half of the more then 200 varieties have disease or other problems, so it is very important to choose a cultivar that is disease-resistant as well as good-looking.  Some varieties that have proven to be resistant to most diseases are  ‘Adams’ (20 feet tall, a single pink flower with red fruit), ‘Adirondack’ (16 feet tall, white flowers and orange-red fruit), ‘Indian Summer’ (20 feet tall, rose-red flowers, and bright red fruit), ‘Prairifire’ (20 feet tall, pinkish-red blooms and reddish-purple fruit), and ‘Professor Sprenger’ (26 feet tall, white flowers and orange-red fruit).

For best bloom and health, flowering crabapples should be grown in a sunny spot with a well-drained, slightly acid soil.  While they require medium fertility, avoid over-fertilization, which can may make them more susceptible to fire blight. Trees growing in grassy areas should be protected in the fall from rodent and rabbit damage (see my article on fall clean-up). 

Amur Chokecherry (Prunus maackii).  (20-30 ft.) I don’t usually recommend trees with inherent problems, but the amur chokecherry has so many good qualities that you may want to go the extra mile to grow this exceptionally beautiful tree.  I first saw the amur chokecherry at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where I couldn’t take my eyes off its smooth coppery bark gleaming in the sun.  While most trees in the rose family are selected for their flowers or fruit, the amur chokecherry is chosen for the colors of its bark which can vary from a gold, copper or bronze to a deep mahogany.  Some amur chokecherry will shed their bark in large papery strips, while others peel only slightly--but all are at their best in winter when one can fully appreciate how extraordinary the bark truly is.  Clusters of tiny, dark fruits that are popular with songbirds follow racemes of slightly fragrant, white flowers.  It is also a caterpillar host and tiger swallowtails can be seen laying their eggs on its leaves in late summer.  Although it is extremely cold-hardy, amur chokecherry does have some major shortcomings such as a susceptibility to fire blight and a tendency to have weak branches.  Its worst problem is its propensity to form girdling roots that can eventually make it tip right out of the ground.  To avoid girdling, choose a tree that hasn’t already started to girdle in the container and make sure your planting hole isn’t too small or has compacted sides.  After about two or three years, carefully dig a trench about six inches wide and six inches deep starting twelve inches from the trunk and completely encircling the tree.  If you find a major root starting to grow toward the trunk, either prune it back or redirect the root away from the tree using stakes to hold it in place.

Korean Mountain Ash (Sorbus alnifolia).  If it weren’t for the name, you probably wouldn’t guess that this 30 to 40 feet tall tree is a relative of the more commonly grown European and American mountain ash.  The foliage is a glossy dark green and unlike others of its species, Korean mountain ash has simple leaves that resemble those of the alder tree.  Showy white flower clusters appear in spring followed by the very ornamental salmon red fruits that are a big favorite with cedar waxwings returning in spring.  The gray bark is smooth with white, diamond shaped markings.  Korean mountain ash does well in sun to partial shade, is pH tolerant and adapts to most well-drained soils.

Beautiful Trees Video
Why we should all plant and appreciate the beauty of trees from Nebraska Extension.

For more information:

• The Right Tree Handbook
• Sustainable Urban Landscape Plant Select Database
• Small Plants for Small Places