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The Best Small Patio Trees
Choose the best trees for your patio by considering size, litter, climate, maintenance and other important factors.
Several types of small trees will work well for patios. Whether evergreen or deciduous, flowering or in a large container, the right tree can provide shade, a screen for an unwanted view and add beauty to the patio.
When choosing a patio tree, consider the tree's habits. No tree is perfect, but neatness counts. Avoid trees that produce a lot of leaf litter, seed pods or fruit that may stain the patio or outdoor furniture.
Consider also the tree's mature size and avoid any tree that has the potential to outgrow a confined space or create maintenance headaches. When you look for patio trees, choose those that grow no more than 30 feet tall.
Evergreen Trees
Citrus (Citrus spp.) trees grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Dwarf citrus trees can be grown in containers and moved indoors when frost threatens in cooler climates.
'Improved Meyer' Lemon (Citrus limon 'Meyer Improved,' USDA zones 9 through 11) grows 8 to 10 feet tall and 12 feet wide. This tree produces the classic grocery store lemons.
Pearl acacia (Acacia podalyriifolia, USDA zones 9b through 11), a drought-tolerant Australian native, grows to 12 to 20 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. With silver-blue leaves providing year-round interest, it is covered in small, yellow puff-ball flowers in winter or spring.
Deciduous Trees
Japanese red maple (Acer palmatum var. atropurpureum, USDA zones 5 through 8) produces colorful purple-red leaves in spring and fall. Japanese red maple is a slow to moderate grower, reaching a height of 15 to 25 feet. At maturity, the tree's canopy may spread up to 25 feet.
'Desert Museum' palo verde (Parkinsonia 'Desert Museum,' USDA zones 6 through 9) is a thornless variety of palo verde. It has a green bark providing year-round interest, a profusion of yellow blossoms in spring, and, compared to other palo verdes, produces very few seed pods. This variety is semi-deciduous and has no thorns. 'Desert Museum' is a fast-grower to a height and width of 25 feet, providing light shade in hot climates.
Flowering Trees
White fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus, USDA zones 4 through 9) has showy clusters of white flowers in late spring to summer. This native tree grows slowly to 20 to 25 feet tall, and can ultimately become 25 feet wide.
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica, USDA zones 7 through 10) has attractive bark and summer blossoms ranging in color from white and pink to shades of purple, depending on the variety. Common crape myrtle grows to a mature height of 15 feet to 25 feet with a spread of 6 to 15 feet.
'Catawba' crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica, 'Catawba,' USDA zones 7 through 9) has dark purple flowers and grows 14 to 15 feet tall and wide.
Container Trees
Dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica,' USDA zones 2 through 8), with its conical shape, can add a formal element to the patio when planted in a container. It grows slowly to a height of 6 to 8 feet and 4 to 5 feet wide and tolerates shaping.
Dwarf citrus (Citrus spp., USDA zones 9 through 11) trees can be container-grown in a sunny and wind-free areas where they're protected from frost. Producing fragrant blossoms in spring followed by fruit, eventually they can reach 8 to 11 feet tall.
