I have an area 2 feet by 3 feet in front of my house that I would like to plant a tree in. Is this a good idea , or am I better of planting shrubs. It's facing east so there's plenty of sun. The zone is in 5b, southern Richmond hill Ontario. There are a variety of dwarf trees at the near by Nursery. Are these trees a good idea thanks
It's almost always a good idea to plant a tree, I think. You could choose a smallish tree -- the kind of thing that, in a natural forest setting, would be an understory species -- like a Japanese maple, a dogwood, or a purple smoke bush (genus Cotinus). Many of these have been bred into forms with beautiful leaf shapes and colors. Even in a tiny 2x3 space, you'd be able to have an underplanting of some kind -- maybe spring bulbs, or a lovely native ground cover.
I'm thinking that the 2' by 3' measurement is the available soil area. If so, my question would be how tall and wide can this tree grow? Most tree roots will grow BEYOND the drip line of the mature canopy of the tree. If your available planting area is surrounded by hard surfaces such as sidewalk/driveway, your tree probably won't thrive. Take a look here for how tree roots grow. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02926.html Newt
