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Great Lakes Gardening

Good Small Shade Tree

17 years ago

Hi everyone,

This is my first time using the forum and I am hoping to get some advice. I am looking for a fast growing, small shade tree that would require little care. I would like it to be no more than 10m. The site is very sunny and about 8ft from the house. At one gardening centre they recomended serviceberry.Is anyone familiar with its growing patterns??? I would like the tree to have some interest, perhaps in the foilage but it really can't be too big or messy since it would be right next to the deck. Thanks so much for your help.

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Comments (2)

busyd95
17 years ago
Serviceberry will fit your bill. They are rugged, not prone to disease and do not get very tall. However, they are not very showy apart from nice blossoms in spring. The best part about mine is a pretty branching pattern from the main trunk.
You might also want to think about a high branching shrub (sometimes serviceberries look like this, rather than a tree--serviceberries as trees are pretty compact--like a lollypop). For instance, a red-twig dogwood, which has pretty variegated leaves, dances nicely in the wind (good sounds). Mine has reached 10 ft.
nature_nut
Original Author
17 years ago
Great info. Thanks. The shrub idea might actually work very well. Is the dogwood fast growing?

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