10 Good Deciduous Trees for Small Urban Gardens

Here is a list of deciduous trees that fit nicely into small gardens. Each has characteristics that offer visual interest at different times during the year.

1. Acer circinatum - Vine maple

Size: 15' tall x 20' wide

Comments: Vine maple is a Northwest native tree that grows in the shade of our forest trees, like Douglas fir and Western red cedar. It gets its name from the fact that it grows parallel to the ground, like a vine, in native settings. In sunny, urban gardens it grows upright with a somewhat columnar shape. Good fall color.

2. Acer grisseum - Paperbark maple

Size: up to 25' tall

Comments: Beautiful, peeling, reddish bark is attractive year around; bright red fall color.

3. Acer palmatum - Japanese maple

Size: varies - up to 20'

Comments: There are many trees in this group, some with red foliage, some with green. Some have lacy, deeply-cut leaves. There are upright varieties and weeping ones. All have graceful form. All do best if they have a break from all-day sun. Beautiful fall color; depending on the variety it ranges from clear yellow to fiery scarlet.

4. Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' - Bloodgood Japanese maple

Size: up to 15' tall

Comments: Graceful tree; foliage holds its red color longer through the summer than many other varieties.

5. Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' - Coralbark maple

Size: up to 20'

Comments: Bright red twigs and branches make for beautiful tree even without leaves; bright yellow fall color. 

6. Cercidiphyllum japonicum - Katsura tree

Size: up to 30' tall

Comments: Heart-shaped leaves emerge with purplish cast, becoming blue-green in summer and bright yellow in fall; graceful branching pattern

7. Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' - Forest pansy redbud

Size: up to 25' tall

Comments: Purple heart-shaped foliage; small pink flowers in spring

8. Cornus kousa - Kousa dogwood

Size: 20' tall x 20' wide

Comments: Resistant to anthracnose; creamy white bracts in late spring - early summer; red fruit in fall; yellow or scarlet fall color

9. Cotinus coggygria - Smoke tree

Size: 12' - 15' tall and wide

Comments: Green, gold and purple forms, with purple being most popular; 'Royal purple' holds color well through summer; dramatic clusters of tiny flowers in summer give the appearance of "smoke;" takes coppicing; drought tolerant

10. Davidia involucrata - Dove tree

Size: 35+' tall and 15+' wide

Comments: Wonderful specimen for the larger urban garden. Spring blooms look like white doves or handkerchiefs; vivid green leaves; best as a stand-alone tree.

For more information on these trees and much, much more, consult The New Sunset Western Garden Book. This is the newest edition of this classic garden guide, released in February, 2012.

The 4-Step Rose Food Program

Regardless of the type of rose you plant, it is important to remember that roses are heavy feeders. One of the reasons that many of them have severe disease and pest problems is because they are under-nourished. Stressed out plants, just like stressed out people, are more susceptible to health problems.

Here is a 4-Step feeding program for roses that was given to me years ago by a rosarian with a passion for both beautiful roses and keeping hazardous chemical use to a minimum. He has long since sold his nursery and moved out of the area. Thanks, Robert, wherever you are!

1. In February or March, after you have pruned your roses, apply 1 cup of superphosphate to each rose in your garden. Superphosphate works better than bone meal because it breaks down faster. It builds strong root systems and improves the rose's ability to flower repeatedly over the summer. It also costs less. Use it only once a year.
2. In March or April, apply 1 cup of alfalfa meal of 2 cups of alfalfa pellets to each rose. Some rosarians repeat this application in June. Alfalfa releases nitrogen slowly and releases an enzyme that dramatically increases the rose's feeder root system. This means that the plant can make better use of available nutrients in the soil, as well as the fertilizers you give it.
3. Starting in April, as the soil begins to warm, apply 1/2 cup of granular 16-16-16 fertilizer, and re-apply every 4-6 weeks. Your last application should be in August. (As with all granular fertilizers, water well after application unless you have adequate rainfall to dissolve them.) This step is the core of your feeding program.
4. In May or June, apply Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) to your roses to stimulate new, larger canes and to enhance flower color. Use 3/8 to 1/2 cup per rose. Magnesium sulphate, combined with a complete feeding program, does a good job of rejuvenating old, tired roses. 

Along with a good feeding program, be sure that your roses get plenty of water during dry spells. They aren't as thirsty as lawns, but still - they aren't drought tolerant. Also, roses need lots of sun. There are a few, rare cultivars that will grow in shade, but most will be leggy, buggy and fail to bloom unless they are in full sun.