5 Ways to Use Trees to Create a Sensational Garden Space
Trees define spaces in multiple ways and bring a layer of shade and intrigue to the landscape
Falon Mihalic
April 14, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Landscape Architect in Texas and Florida and owner of Falon Land Studio LLC. Through landscape design, I create spaces for quiet reflection and lush gardens using native plant palettes and sustainable stormwater techniques. I'm a contributing writer to Houzz so that I can be active in the conversation about sustainable design for residential projects. Learn more about my company's work at falonland.com
Houzz Contributor. Landscape Architect in Texas and Florida and owner of Falon Land... More
Trees are essential to creating memorable spaces in a landscape design. Used singly or in groups, they play with light in different ways and can create new types of spaces that enclose, focus, divide or unite the garden. Tree placement and how trees are planted in relation to one another and other spaces within the garden are critical components of a landscape’s design. Here are five ways to use trees to create unique garden spaces.
1. Specimen tree. A specimen tree is any tree that’s used alone as a major focal point in the garden. It can be a large shade tree with a spectacular spreading form and strong upright trunk, like the Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) shown here. A specimen tree in a landscape defines the space by creating shade and a focal point. Specimen trees get better with age and should be planted with plenty of room to spread and grow.
Other ways to use specimen trees include choosing specialty cultivars with unique forms, like weeping varieties, or even smaller ornamental trees, to create a focal point in a smaller space.
Other ways to use specimen trees include choosing specialty cultivars with unique forms, like weeping varieties, or even smaller ornamental trees, to create a focal point in a smaller space.
One specimen, Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), stands strong with contrasting red leaves against the gray paving and neutral tones of this home’s facade.
11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form
11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form
2. Allée. The allée is a path or driveway lined by trees. It creates a kind of outdoor hallway; the trees partially enclose the path or driveway to provide shade and a rhythm of vertical trunks. The allée is a classic landscape planting type and adds drama to a driveway or path.
The tree types you choose and how far apart you plant them determines how the allée creates shade, enclosure or openness. Shown here is an allée formed by a walking path through a garden. The trees are spaced to let some light through onto the path below.
The tree types you choose and how far apart you plant them determines how the allée creates shade, enclosure or openness. Shown here is an allée formed by a walking path through a garden. The trees are spaced to let some light through onto the path below.
This allée is composed of ‘Robin Hill’ serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Robin Hill’) trees and a small gravel path. Ferns create a textured ground plane under the trees.
See more ways to add formal grandeur to the garden
See more ways to add formal grandeur to the garden
3. Quad. A quad of trees is four trees planted on a grid. It’s an architectural planting style that works well with clean lines and paving. You can also create a grid of trees without paving by planting in grass or ground cover to create a space akin to an orchard.
A quad of trees works well with small flowering trees or fruit trees when planted with equal spacing on all sides. A quad of trees is like an outdoor garden room in itself, because it creates a square in the center where you can have seating or a water feature, or leave it open.
A quad of trees works well with small flowering trees or fruit trees when planted with equal spacing on all sides. A quad of trees is like an outdoor garden room in itself, because it creates a square in the center where you can have seating or a water feature, or leave it open.
Shown here are four paper birch (Betula papyrifera) trees planted in a small courtyard garden to create dappled shade and give a nice vertical structure to the small space.
5 Best-Behaved Trees to Grace a Patio
5 Best-Behaved Trees to Grace a Patio
4. Small grove. A small grove of multistemmed trees brings lushness to small spaces. Small groves are different from grids because they are spaced more loosely, and often not symmetrical. Small groves can be planted in clumps with enough spacing between for the trees to spread, or they can be planted in a grid for a more formal garden.
A small grove of birch trees in an irregularly spaced planting makes a small but lush garden space in the front yard seen above.
A small grove of birch trees in an irregularly spaced planting makes a small but lush garden space in the front yard seen above.
Shown here is a small grove of three multistem trees with thick trunks planted among long grass. Notice that the trees have varying numbers of trunks for a more naturalistic look.
5. Pleached trees. Tree pleaching is a method of training tree branches into narrow spaces, similar to an espalier. Pleaching can also be called a flying hedge and is gaining popularity in the United States. The pleaching creates a line of trees that have been pruned and trained into a very narrow canopy to create an elevated vegetation screen. Here you can see the branches have been trained onto supports that keep the vegetation very narrow.
Pleaching can create crisp lines around a boxed space or can be used to separate one space from another. Precision and regular maintenance are important for pleached trees to look good. Make sure the trees are spaced and aligned precisely and the branches pruned regularly to maintain the look.
Pleaching can create crisp lines around a boxed space or can be used to separate one space from another. Precision and regular maintenance are important for pleached trees to look good. Make sure the trees are spaced and aligned precisely and the branches pruned regularly to maintain the look.
Three pleached trees create privacy at the back edge of this small courtyard garden.
More: How to Create an Unforgettable Garden
More: How to Create an Unforgettable Garden
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Lovely
Please never plant Bradford Pear. They are invasive and are crowding out native species. This notice is from the Missouri Department of Conservation, but should be true for all parts of the country. I wish nurseries would quit selling them. They're awful.
https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-asks-public-not-plant-invasive-bradford-pear-trees
I was just guessing the species not recommending them - I like them as much as Crown Vetch - not at all. They are a developer's tree - nice shape - short lived. I didn't know they were invasive - maybe they would crowd out Russian olives and Honeysuckle? I will keep pulling them up when I hike just to be sure; so sad to diversity wiped out by good intentions/greed and unthinking behavior.