How to Choose a Tree for a Container

Make a bold statement on your patio, by the front door or in the sun room with a huge decorative pot topped with a beautiful small tree. Use trees in containers to add height anywhere and to add flowers, fruit and fall color to your garden.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Decorative Tree Containers
• Trees For Containers

1. Choose a tree that will grow where you plan to put the decorative container. A sun-loving Tibouchina can take the patio's heat, where a red maple might burn up. Measure to be sure the combined height and width of the tree and pot will actually fit into your available space, and that the tree suits your style once it's in place.

2. Investigate trees that can tolerate restricted root zones, and look in public places for trees that are grown in containers locally. Get the whole names of trees you like - different varieties of a particular tree will have different growth habits.

3. Also look for dwarf varieties of trees for container growing. You can use 2-gallon pots to grow dwarf citrus trees and conifers on a balcony with room to spare. Or, select small flowering trees and dwarf varieties of larger trees like junipers for pots in the midsize range - and check out full-size street trees to grow in huge containers (up to 30 gallons).

4. Pick features you'll enjoy year-round in a container tree. Go for the ideal evergreen loaded with berries in winter or the perfect deciduous tree for flowers, leaves and perhaps fruit.

5. Consider tropical trees in containers for a great way to fill your sun room with exotic flowers and fragrance - trees too tender for your climate but too beautiful to ignore.

6. Look for the unusual among container trees: Roses, hibiscus and trained wisteria are all beautiful in tree form.

7. Think of container tree growing as a matter of balance: tree-to-pot and top-to-roots. The tree you choose must balance its pot in size, style and texture, while still having room for roots in proportion to its top growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure the container you choose can drain, or no tree will grow in it.
• Put an obelisk or trellis in your pot as a focal point while your young tree grows.
• Take advantage of online shopping for unusual and dwarf varieties not popular enough for local nurseries to stock.
• If you already have the pot and the tree you like is too small, find another pairing. The root zone will be out of balance with the top if you use them together, and the combination will look strangely out of proportion to your eye.