How to choose small garden trees for autumn color - plus planting tips

[@paulinewqi]

The fire and glory of the AUTUMN garden...totally dumbstruck for words...mother nature at her best!... Tqtq so much for posting this video....💖💝💐..I just want to freeze up so many views...

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@frutter7706]

Hi Alexandra, I've followed you for some time now and just wanted to let you know that I LOVE your videos! I follow a lot of other gardeners and watch all their videos too but yours are just perfection, so informative and well written and so inspirational. Thank you, Filipa xx

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you so much!!

[@denisegordon06]

What a beautiful place! Thanks for taking me on a walk with you!😀

[@islagrace5053]

I came across a video where a person had about 10 different kinds of maple trees in his mid size yard. In autumn every tree had different color. It was the MOST glorious sight.

[@LibbySingsMezzo]

Three small trees that I planted, all maxing out at about 20-25 feet: Amelanchier - white spring flowers, edible berries in June (if you can beat the birds), gold/orange/red color in autumn. Stewartia, which flowers in June after the leaves are out, fall color this year started burgundy, then changed to orange/red. English Hawthorne, flowers in the spring; the leaves don't get very colorful, but it loads up with orange berries which stand out after the leaves fall. And of course you could always try late variety dwarf apple trees. No foliage color, but the fruit! Also, many large shrubs can be trained as small trees.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Excellent suggestions. I have an amelanchier.

[@meredith3588]

Black gum is one of my favorite trees, such beautiful fall color.

[@TheEnduringGardener]

I do love Autumn and just planted a small acer griseum in my garden. 👍🏼

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Acer griseum is such a beautiful garden tree. I had one, but it sadly didn't like my soil.

[@mariedeyo7399]

Ubs gone it was. The best deep RED color I got in the garden are two Blueberry bushes that I got new this year and put in a pot. Just absolutly wonderful color. I plantet beedens also in the same pot for the bees and its still in blum and just stunning. That is something even for a smal balcony or big windowbox. Thank you Alexandra, again for a great Video. Greets and lots of wellwishes from germany. 🌻👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@marylynnhaynes7558]

I’m in the US. Love your channel. Thank you for sharing.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@mariedeyo7399]

What a nice garden or better park. I have a Acer and it always has nice color. But the best deep red

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I agree!

[@jeromegagnon8335]

I always save your videos for last since I love them the most. Thank you

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad you like them!

[@janetj471]

I think that maples and birch fall colour looks great when it has a background of evergreens . The green seems to make the reds and yellows pop.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It does!

[@GrannysGarden]

Another beautiful garden and packed with autumn colours. I'm not familiar with the gum tree I must look into it. My fall colour is coming from my Crepe Myrtles at the moment,. Definitely every garden should have some autumn interest and if possible mix the reds with the yellows. Good tips on location of trees and depth of planting.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Crepe Myrtles are so beautiful.

[@alizacooper2937]

Really beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you too!

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

Great video! At one point, I struggled to decide on the appropriate small tree and large shrub for my garden....because they do take up a sizeable amount of space and have such a presence I was nervous at choosing the wrong ones. I've learned it's best to choose natives and the tried and true vs the over-exotic.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Absolutely - though the definition of 'native' can be somewhat elastic, as trees which have been here for a few thousand years - or even just a few hundred - aren't necessarily defined as 'native', but they do obviously like it here, so they qualify.

[@AJsGreenThumbLLC]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I was thinking the same thing. Thank you!

[@feeonaghchambers7403]

Thanks as always, Alexandra. I thoroughly enjoy these videos. Autumn is probably my favourite time of year as the colours are so spectacular.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you!

[@Flower_hoarder]

🍂🌿🍂LOVELY 🍂🌿🍂

[@emmaapplegate1970]

Very helpful advice, thank you, once again.

[@KerriEverlasting]

You had me at Autumn 😂💖

[@allisongryski8452]

In an effort to increase our urban tree canopy cover, my city (in Canada) is having a subsidized tree sale on Halloween and I'm so excited to pick up a Cornus kousa 'Satomi' for just $10. It has pink blooms in spring, fruit in late summer, and red leaves in fall, so it should add a lovely multi-season focal point in my back garden.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's such a beautiful tree, how fortunate.

[@barbkenas5663]

Great info!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Neldidellavittoria]

And then there's that lovely Tibetan cherry you guys have in England, with the beautiful red bark. Alas, it's not available here in Argentina. Thanks for another lovely video.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I've just looked that up, yes it is beautiful. Thank you.

[@rachelhoward334]

Our local council give away thousands of native trees every year , we sign up so they know how many to order. So far we have had cherry plum , crab apple and Hazel. We order in Nov and collect in Dec. 😊

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That sounds lovely.

[@ashiola]

Cool episode!

[@rachelhoward334]

More likethis please, trees for small/ med garden , how to plant for best effect, evergreen shrubs that will grow large enough maybe instead of a tree for interest. Thankyou

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

There's one on shrubs next week, so I hope that will be helpful and I will cover trees again too, thank you.

[@laurenb6451]

Hello! Another lovely video! I just want to comment that in a home I lived in many years ago there were evergreens whose names I did not know that would indeed change colors in the winter, one from bright green to a deep reddish tone and another that would turn from green to a surprising brilliant gold.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, another commenter said that there are evergreens that change colour so I was being too sweeping in that statement. I should probably have said that most evergreens don't change colour, and thank you for commenting. I like the sound of these evergreens, I must find out more about them.

[@laurenb6451]

Sorry I cannot tell you what they were because it was before I was as avid a gardener as I now am and the person who bought that house destroyed everything. ☹️

[@marshahuebner7650]

Inspiring

[@georgiacinq-mars1899]

Great video, was that your husband walking your dog at the beginning of the video? Very handsome!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes it was!

[@digsowgrow]

At the risk of splitting hairs there are quite a number of 'evergreen' that do change colour e.g. pinus mugo carstens wintergold

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

ah, yes, you're right! Although it's not quite that amazing rainbow effect.

[@digsowgrow]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden I think they are at their best when combined

[@Zil_Senczy]

The beautiful fountain at timestamp 3, is that tree in the center of the pond real or a fountain? It's amazing!

[@nspector]

Oh, good question! Had to go back and see what you meant. If it's a real tree, the trick is how did they get it in there protecting the roots from being in water all the time? Planting it young, they may have surrounded the more surface roots with a barrier, forcing the roots to go deeper in order to spread out? That would be quite something, though, as most roots don't do well coming up against a barrier like that, especially so close. It really could be a fountain, couldn't it. And looking again, seeing from how high the water is falling, I'm leaning toward it being a fountain. Maybe Alexandra can answer this. Mystery!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

It's a sculpture but an amazing one, I think. Even though I've seen it several times, I still have to blink a few times to check.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Sculpture = fountain. Really interesting.

[@dorothylaplante7243]

So beautiful and informative. I am thinking of a Japanese maple but I need a smaller one. This video is informative.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ms181]

I enjoy your videos very much but am always frustrated by the fact that I live in a hardiness zone of 9b...not suitable for so many of your lovely suggestions. : (

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - but are you sure about that? We equate very approximately to a Zone 9 ourselves and many plants do well across a wide range of zones - the issue mainly being one of how cold the winters get. For example, both the rowan and the Nyssa sylvatica trees in this video are fine in all zone 9, including 9b. And there are acers suitable for Zone 9b as well although you have to pick your variety a little more carefully. Only the Cork Azalea is 'not suitable for 9b'. And in terms of the general tips on choosing trees - all apply to any zones. Knowing what plants do well in your zone is a huge help in buying and caring for plants, it is really an excellent starting point. But there's a huge amount of gardening expertise that is not Zone related, so very often you can use the information from a Zone 5,6,7 or 8 garden even if you have to check plant requirements. I hope that helps, with best wishes, Alexandra

[@kaarenjukes8308]

Please Alexandra, we have Autumn not Fall. Why put that in your title. I do think the American language has infiltrated enough via silicone valley. English both British and Australian is an endangered species. You would never see a US you tube channel referring to Autumn.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Oh, you definitely have a good point. But 'fall' is shorter so sometimes it fits in better. I do only ever say 'autumn' (I think!)

[@maryloureeve9938]

C’mon. Please be realistic and film in a small garden.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

The tree suggestions are very realistic for small gardens.

[@sarahmarti141]

Great info!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!