At Platylobium Landscape Design, one of the things that we always consider is how we will include vertical layers in a garden. This layering effect can be the difference between a run-of-the-mill space versus a beautiful native landscape design. Believe it or not, it can also make a space feel larger.

More often than not we use trees for this purpose, but what if there isn’t enough room for a tree?

Our solution to this is to use large shrubs. With a little bit of planning and care, a gorgeous shrub can be transformed into a small tree.

What shrubs can I use?

Some of the species that we regularly use for this purpose include Grevilleas (such as ‘Moonlight’ or ‘Dorothy Gordon’) which provide lots of gorgeous colourful flowers and interesting feathery foliage. Banksia marginata andintegrifolia also regularly get this treatment at Platylobium, and result in gorgeous sculptural forms. Leptospermum brachyandrumhas arching silver foliage and interesting peeling bark. It will naturally grow into a multi-stemmed tree-like shape but can be trained to have a single (or handful) of stems. Hakea francisiana, with its stunning poker-shaped blooms, is another favourite.

How do I turn a shrub into a tree?

Easily! With a clean sharp pair of secateurs simply trim off the lower branches of your shrub. This is best done while the plant is relatively young. Take it slowly and don’t remove too many branches. As it grows you may want to take out more but just take your time and see how it goes.

Benefits

This approach really shines in small landscape garden design as it allows you to include all the elements of a larger garden, just on a smaller scale.

The species that suit having their canopies lifted often flower prolifically, which means that your new small tree can become a feature plant, bringing colour and attracting birds and wildlife.

This technique creates more planting space (that area around the trunk will need filling). This is great, if like us, you are constantly collecting new plants. These low growing shrubs, groundcovers and strappy plants also bring in that layering effect that we were talking about earlier, which creates balance and interest.

It can also be really useful when trying to incorporate shade and height into a pool design, (just ensure that your placement complies with pool regulations).

So if you want to add a tree to a small space (or just want to cram a few more interesting trees into your garden), give this technique a try. We’d love to see the results, so tag us in any pics! If you need some help or inspiration we can help out both on site or with a landscape design online.