Small trees that have a big impact in the garden

These tall natives tend to tower over and invade a little backyard, but you can choose small-scale eucalypt cultivars that are the perfect size for a limited landscape. 

Eucalyptus ‘Summer Beauty’ 

Hybrid gum trees like this and the Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ are ideal for gardens with restricted space. They will both grow up to 5m, but can be pruned and kept to shrub size if you like. ‘Summer Beauty’ has soft pink flowers with a hint of apricot and ‘Summer Red’ has mid-pink to brilliant red flowers.

Eucalyptus ‘Little Spotty’

This variant grows up to 8m high with a spread of 6m, and has creamy white flowers through late winter and into early summer.

Eucalyptus ‘Euky Dwarf’

Another great option is Euky Dwarf, as it’s a lovely specimen tree. It grows up to 6.5m high and forms a dense spreading canopy up to 4m. Masses of pink or cream flowers appear in late autumn. Both varieties are distributed through Fleming’s Nurseries.

The perfect conical symmetry offered by pines such as the Norfolk Island pine can be incredibly appealing. However, while handsome, these trees can reach over 20m tall and will quickly dwarf a small space.

Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)

Grow a piece of native history in your backyard with the Wollemi pine. With a unique cone-shaped silhouette, it has an intriguing prehistoric background – it’s one of the world’s oldest and rarest plants. And, obligingly, it’s happy to stay neat and compact if planted in a large container (at least 30-40cm diameter).

The dwarf Alberta spruce

The dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca var. albertiana ‘Conica’) has very dense, bright-green foliage that naturally grows in a conical shape. It grows up to 1m and can reach 3m with great age.

With gorgeous plume-like foliage, palms evoke a sense of the tropics and look striking in the garden. They can, however, grow very tall and certain species, such as cocos (Syagrus romanzoffiana), self-sow and become a weed.

Dypsis lutescens

Your garden will look glorious all year round with the gold-tinged trunk, stems and leaves of this golden cane palm. It grows to a height of 6-12m and makes an attractive privacy screen. For a more compact size, grow it in a pot.

Rhapis excelsa

This decorative lady palm, with dense deep-green and fan-like foliage, thrives in semi-shade and will grow up to 3-4m high. This palm also makes a great indoor plant.

A lovely display of falling autumn leaves is put on each year by deciduous trees, marking the arrival of the cooler months. But varieties such as liquidambar can reach dizzying heights, so are not suited to small gardens.

Japanese maples

You’ll fall in love with the delicate foliage and fiery red and orange tones of Japanese maples (Acer palmatum). These small- to medium-sized trees are a year-round stand-out feature. There are many cultivars available, too.

Pyrus ‘Capital’

The narrow column-like form of this tree makes it an excellent choice where space is at a premium. Growing to only 3m wide, it’s an ideal specimen tree or can be planted as a privacy screen. Its lustrous dark-green leaves change to reddish-purple in late autumn.

There’s nothing better for a garden than a tree that has beautiful blooms. If your backyard is in need of a little visual interest, a flowering tree will provide great colour and texture during its blooming season. If you pair the right trees together, you could have flowers all year round!

Crepe myrtle ‘Tuscarora’

With dark fuchsia flowers that flower in both summer and autumn, crepe myrtle ‘Tuscarora’ is a small tree that works well in any garden setting. If you have a driveway or entryway to your property, this tree would give the perfect first impression.

Magnolia ‘Teddy Bear’

Magnolia flowers are renowned for their iconic shape. With many magnolia varieties reaching high heights, the ‘Teddy Bear’ will stay nice and small. Plant along fence lines in a hedge formation, or as a standalone for beautiful flowers in your front yard.

Trees that produce fruit are doubly helpful in your garden, not only do they look amazing, they also give you something to eat!

Lemon tree ‘Eureka’

A lemon tree in the garden is a dream come true, except when it’s way too big! The ‘Eureka’ variety is the perfect size, and will produce juicy lemony lemons for your curds, salad dressings and desserts.

Laurus bay tree ‘Baby Bay’

A baby bay tree will give you a dark green foliage that can fit in with a Mediterranean garden style or be trimmed for a formal herb garden. Use the leaves fresh or dry for your stews and soups.

Aussie natives are really all you need in the garden. They’ll bring in birds, insects and all of the wildlife you need for a thriving eco-system in your garden. If large banksia trees or giant gum trees are a little too big, these two options will fit just right!

Blueberry ash

Blueberry ash is a shade-loving tree that produces fluffy white flowers that look quite similar to ballerina skirts. With blueberry-looking fruit, hence the name, this tree will give your garden the perfect amount of coverage, while staying visually interesting.

Callistemon ‘Endeavour’ Bottlebrush

Finally, there are so many varieties of bottlebrush that work well in smaller outdoor spaces. The ‘Endeavour’ has the typical bright red brushy flowers, and will give you a whole heap of birdsong as well!