Deciduous Trees and Shrubs

The Chinese Pistachio is a stunning small deciduous tree, celebrated for its spectacular autumn display in rich shades of red, orange, and yellow. Its dark grey bark, adorned with shallow, textured furrows, adds year-round visual interest. In summer, delicate clusters of white flowers appear, giving way to vibrant red berries that mature into striking deep blue fruits. Perfect for small to medium gardens, this tree brings extra winter light and airiness to the landscape. It also makes a standout feature tree, a charming avenue specimen, or an elegant addition to parks.

Soil: Adaptable to most soils.
Conditions: Full sun. Frost, coastal and moderately drought tolerant.
Size: Height 8m x width 6m.

Malus Gorgeous Crab Apple is a compact deciduous ornamental tree celebrated for its spectacular spring floral display and long-lasting ornamental fruit. Masses of delicate blossoms cover the tree in mid-spring, creating a stunning feature that attracts bees and other beneficial pollinators. Following the flowers, highly decorative crimson-red crab apples develop in late summer and persist well into early winter, providing vibrant seasonal colour and attracting birds to the garden. The dense canopy is clothed in rich dark green foliage throughout summer before transforming to glowing golden tones in autumn. It makes a beautiful feature tree, welcoming entrance planting, or ornamental specimen in garden beds, delivering year-round interest with minimal maintenance.

Soil: Fertile, humus-rich friable soil.
Conditions: Full sun. Adaptable to most climates.
Size: Height 3m x width 3m

Dwarf Almond (Prunus dulcis syn. Prunus amygdalus) is a reliable and low-maintenance fruit tree that produces delicious almonds while remaining compact in size. Grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock, it develops an upright yet manageable growth habit, making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens, home orchards, or large pots and containers. Being self-fertile, only one tree is needed to produce a crop, although yields may improve when planted near other almond varieties. The tree forms an attractive open canopy and in spring it becomes a striking feature with masses of delicate white-pink blossoms. After flowering, it sets large, broad, paper-shelled almonds that mature in autumn. The nuts are ready to harvest when the outer hull begins to split open, revealing the shell inside. Thanks to its heavy cropping habit, ornamental spring display and compact size, dwarf almond is an excellent addition to productive backyard gardens where space may be limited.

Soil: Well-drained soil.
Conditions: Full sun. Almonds require a climate with dry summer-autumn and cool winters. 
Size: Height 3m x width 3m

Acer Emerald Lace, commonly known as the Emerald Lace Japanese Maple, is a graceful and elegant deciduous tree, particularly stunning when grown as a standard. This variety is treasured for its finely dissected, lace-like leaves that emerge bright green in spring and maintain their vibrant colour through summer, before turning brilliant shades of red and orange in autumn. Typically grown on a standard, it reaches a height of 1.5 to 2 metres, with a similar spread, making it a striking focal point in any garden.

Soil: Moist, well-drained soil.
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade. Frost tolerant.
Size: Height 1.5-2m x width 1.5-2m

The Granny Smith Apple produces a medium to large fruit with a tart-tangy flavour, bright green skin and crisp white flesh. Depending on your tastes, it is arguably one of the best apples for eating, and a good cooking apple because of its ability to retain flavour. The tree is a visual treat with a profusion of pink-white flowers in mid-spring. The blossoms are draped in clusters along the branches and are a magical sight to behold. As a bonus to the sumptuous display, the flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Granny Smith requires another apple variety close by for pollination. Suitable pollinators include Red Delicious, Gala and Pink Lady.

Soil: Grows in a variety of soils, and prefers heavy loams.
Conditions: Prefers full sun to part shade. Frost tolerant. Cold tolerant to -35C.
Size: Height 3-6m x width 2-5m