Slow growing trees - a selection of the 5 most beautiful

The most beautiful slow growing trees for the garden

However, as a garden owner, one should not make the mistake of confusing “slowly growing” with “remaining small”. Often the opposite is the case: just because a tree grows only a few centimeters per year, it can still become very large with age. This rule also applies in reverse: the very fast-growing paulownia, for example, only grows to about ten meters high.

Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)

The very slowly growing, deciduous sweetgum tree grows between ten and 20 meters tall. Due to its narrow, conical crown, there is still enough space in medium-sized gardens. This can be up to ten meters wide with age. The leaves change to brightly colored, bright colors early in autumn, which range from purple-brown to deep red to orange and yellow. The tree is a bit sensitive to frost when it is young.

Japanese maple (acer palmatum)

The popular Japanese maple, originally from East Asia, is often planted as a solitaire near a pond, in courtyards or in large planters or combined with ferns, grasses, bamboo and small trees. The very diverse species needs a sunny to light-shady location protected from the wind.

Norway maple (Acer platanoides)

The Norway maple native to us grows slowly but incessantly into a stately tree up to 30 meters high with a stately crown. The tree needs a sunny to partially shaded location and is also suitable for the urban climate.

European yew (Taxus baccata)

The European yew is probably one of the best-known and oldest conifers in Germany. The slow-growing, extremely long-lived tree can be used in many ways in the garden, for example as a cut hedge plant and topiary, for privacy or wind protection, in groups or as a solitary plant.

Oak (Quercus)

There are numerous species of oak, some of which are also very suitable for small gardens. In contrast to many other large-crowned oaks, the Armenian oak (Quercus pontica), for example, only reaches a maximum height of six meters. The scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea) and the swamp oak (Quercus palustris) grow significantly higher with heights of up to 20 meters. The golden oak (Quercus robur), which only grows up to 15 meters high, is also considered to be weak.