SMALL TREES FOR PATIOS AND DECKS
By Trey Pitsenberger, co-owner Golden Gecko

The summer entertaining season has arrived. When we move the party outside its nice to locate the eating or sitting area underneath the cool canopy of a tree. If you have the room a large tree, like the Mulberry in our yard, you’ll soon find everyone gravitating to the seating under the tree. The barbeque glows and kids climb ever higher up the tree daring gravity and their parent’s warnings. While large trees are great if you have the room, sometimes-smaller trees are called for. Trees that grow shorter than 25 to 30 feet are considered small trees. Some can be kept even smaller through pruning. You want the tree tall enough for shade and to walk under, but smaller in size, with non-aggressive roots that wont lift paving or invade flower beds. The less messy the tree, the better. While many trees drop leaves in the fall, we don’t want lots of fruit or other stain causing material drooping onto the pavement.

One great tree to use on patios or in containers on a deck is the Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). If you are from the cool costal areas the crape myrtle will be a new tree for you. Crape myrtles love summer heat and will get mildew in the cooler coastal areas. They grow to about 10 to 25 feet in height, but can be kept much smaller through pruning. As a matter of fact Crape Myrtles look better with a yearly, wintertime pruning. Since they flower on new wood, the pruning in winter causes much new wood to be produced in spring with a fantastic flower show for summer. The flower colors include white, pink, lavender, red, purple, and all shades in between. They have interesting, pealing bark, and beautiful fall colors from the leaves. Grow Crape Myrtles in the full sun.

The Redbud makes a good patio tree. The redbud trees used in the patio are Easter Redbud (Cercis Canadensis). They are related to our native redbud (Cercis occidentalis), but form nicer shaped trees and take to average garden conditions better. Growing to about 25 to 30 feet tall they are valued for their pink, purple, or white flowers in the spring. The blooms are borne on the bare twigs, before the leaves emerge. The shape of the tree is broad and rounded, providing an ample sitting area underneath. Prune this tree right after bloom in the spring, as winter pruning will remove many of the flower buds for spring.

One tree with very deep roots that almost never lifts the pavement is the Chinese hackberry (Celtis sinensis). These trees are related to Elms but smaller growing and very tough. They will tolerate strong winds, intense heat, and dry conditions. Growing to less than around 35 feet tall they have a canopy that casts moderate shade, with the leaves turning yellow in the fall. The bark is interesting with a corky look and ridges.

Japanese Maple makes a great patio tree. I like to grow it where it will get a little protection from the hot afternoon sun. The north or east side of the house are good places. The common Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is the variety that I like to use. It can grow up twenty feet plus, and tends to be a little easier to grow than some of the named varieties. Fall color ranges from yellow, to orange, to bright red.

You can plant these trees anytime. Fall and spring are best, but if you want to plant now just wait till late in the day or early in the morning before it gets to hot. Be able to water regularly and you will soon have your own small tree to entertain under.