10 Best Deciduous Trees for Your Garden

In this video we look at the best small to medium deciduous trees suitable for growing in your garden. We look at the merits of each and the conditions they require to grow at their very best.

In recent years we have all become more aware of the benefit of trees both on our own physical and mental health and well-being and also, the benefit that they have on the environment. This is a symbiotic relationship which works together in balance, however with fewer trees and more people producing more CO2 the scales have been tipped and the balance needs to be addressed. Every tree planted is making a contribution to redress the balance and if everyone in the UK planted about one tree a year, and looked after them to secure their establishment and well-being, we would have at least 750 million more of them in ten years’ time. We need them and they need us.

At this time of year, in autumn it’s the deciduous trees that really stand out and are looking fabulous, in this video I want to look at some really great small to medium deciduous trees suitable for growing in a domestic garden that will provide lots of year-round interest and will give so much enjoyment. I will discuss some trees that we have planted in this garden and because we want to plants lots more trees I’m in the process of investigating different varieties that may be suitable and so I’ll share my findings with you. I have confined this list to a top ten, with an unexpected extra bonus tree! It’s certainly not an exhausted list and there are lots of wonderful trees that I haven’t covered so I welcome any other suggestions that you may have.
In this list I haven’t included trees that we have used as hedging such as Carpinus betulus – hornbeam or fagus sylvatica – beech, all of which make beautiful large trees, instead I’ve tried to include trees that are naturally smaller without the need for high maintenance pruning. All the trees mentioned have been awarded an RHS AGM. AGM stands for The Award of Garden Merit and is a long-standing annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on an assessment of the plants’ performance under UK growing conditions. You may have seen a little symbol on a plant label or when you search for a plant on the internet and it means that it has undergone trials, often at Wisley and are judged by expert forums. The AGM is intended to help gardeners chose the best plants for all-round garden use. The list currently includes more than 7,500 plants and they are all subject to regular review to ensure they still warrant their place, with some losing their place each year and new plants being added to the list. Plants that have an AGM are suitable for growing in the UK but are also likely to be suitable for gardeners in Europe and North America with similar weather conditions, USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6 through 9.
The best place to buy a new tree is at a specialist tree nursery and who sell directly to trade but also to the public. This is by far the cheapest and most direct way of buying trees but you do need to know exactly what you want and it helps to know the Latin name including genus, species, cultivar and variety. When buying new trees, there is a lot to consider from the cost, the availability of the tree, how you will plant it and the size. Most of us are inpatient and want as big a tree as possible however smaller trees have the advantage of being easier to plant, are quicker to establish, are much cheaper to buy, meaning that you can buy more trees for your money and if you are buying a tree for the environmental benefits then having an articulated lorry transport your huge tree to you then the environmental benefits are wiped out. Buying a tree of a semi mature size is fair enough if they live for two centuries but what’s the point in buying a semi-mature Malus (apple) or Prunus (Cherry) as these trees only live for about 70 years. In environmental terms it like starting to invest in an Olympic athlete when they turn 40. Furthermore, a short-lived tree will have lost its juvenile vigour and reacts poorly to the process of being moved. Better to buy small and from a nursery where they have been grown from scratch rather than an imported tree with an already hefty carbon footprint. Planting smaller means that the whole process is easier, you don’t need carbon guzzling machines to plant them, but rather you can dig a hole yourself, saving time and money, small trees need no or minimal staking and if you do get it wrong and plant it…

0:00 Intro
4:17 1) Betula Utilis Jacquemontii
6:55 2) Amelanchier canadensis
8:24 3) Acer Griseum
10:31 4) Cornus Kousa
12:36 5) Gleditsia tricanthos
14:14 6) Prunus incisa ‘mojo-no-mai’
15:33 7) Acer Palmatum ‘Blood Good’
17:11 8) Liquidamber styraciflua worplesdon
18:48 9) Cornus contraversa ‘variegata’
20:17 10) Cercis canadensis ‘Eternal flame’
22:00 Outro

[pinkpoodle]

What an informative video! I’ll be rewatching this video multiple times! Thank you!!❤

[daniel]

Awesome video. This will definitely help in the future. Keep up the good work!

[rachaelhumphries]

Great video, thank you for sharing 🥰 so grateful I’ve found your channel x

[AL_THOMAS]

This is a seriously helpful video. It should have far more views! It helped us choose 3 trees for our garden along with the one about evergreen trees video. Thanks

[drifter]

Great video, thanks 👌🏻 My own personal favourite is the Parrotia Persica. Lovely tree, stunning autumn colors 🍁

[jpro]

Great video with some trees I’d never heard of! I’ve just planted betula pendula and a prunus cerasifera nigra in my garden.

[grahammorrell]

Great video. After watching your wonderful video. I purchased a nice eternal flame tree (no 10 in video) . What a wonderful tree it is. Looking forward to seeing it grow. Thank you Murphy's Garden.

[peterfrance]

Some beautiful trees. Just what I was looking for. Thank you.

[carefreedelight]

hat a wonderfully helpful video. I so wanted to know about all the things you so carefully researched on each tree which has helped me to make my decisions on which ones to have. Of course, I wanted to have them all! Are you thinking of doing one on evergreen trees or very tall hedges preferably evergreen ones. Otherwise, thank you so much. I really loved and appreciated the video.

[jennycollard]

Enjoyed your video as I’m in the process of choosing a tree for a north facing aspect in a small garden. Very interested in the idea of visiting a specialist tree nursery as opposed to a garden centre. Can you recommend one? I’m in the East Midlands but willing to travel!

[mrchips]

Is "snow queen" the same tree as a jacquemontii? I am after another tree of similar size to the one I already have but I thought the snow queen was a different cultivar. I purchased a "jacquemontii" last year but my local garden centre now only has snow queen and trinity college

[simranarora]

I like wedding cake tree and forest pansy. Do you think they both clash from design perspective?

[stevebrucken]

Maybe it's because you're in England but you failed to mention the cold hardy zones for these trees for North America that would be appreciated other than that very good commentary

[tom]

Plant trees that are indigenous to your area so you support your native ecosystem

[BWings-ubej]

This would have been a much better video if she gave the growing zone and dimensions in ft not meters.