When it’s hot, and it still can be well into September, there’s nothing like sitting under or amongst trees. Courtyard and urban gardens have long made a feature of compact trees and with the ranges available now so can you whatever your outdoor space is.

Use these fabulous plants to bring style, shade and vertical interest to your garden. Here are some suggestions: if your outdoor space is limited, choose from the wonderful range of foliage colours and plant shapes that Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) has to offer. With more room to play with, Carpinus (Hornbeam) is a superb garden tree, full of character and interest through the year.

Japanese Maple is a family of small, slow growing trees or shrubs that are ideal for container growing. They’re also great for establishing in the ground. They’ve been cultivated as ornamental trees for hundreds of years and it’s easy to see why. The fantastic range of foliage effects and plant forms means that there is an Acer palmatum to suit almost every mood.

Acer Palmatum can be a real miniature tree – ‘Garnet’ will grow to just 2 metres in height and ‘Corallinum’ gets to around1.2 metres. ‘Crimson Queen’ is another great choice with red-purple leaves on arching shoots and reaches a height of about 3 metres. All of these are perfect for container growing. Alternatively you can go for bigger cultivars like ‘Bloodgood’ which reaches a height and spread of roughly 5 metres.

Carpinus is perfect where there is more room and offers an interesting option if you’re looking for a bigger tree. With an elegant growth habit and attractive foliage (great autumn effects), they bring a sense of style to larger spaces. The heritage of Hornbeam is more utilitarian though this doesn’t take away from its beauty. The name derives from the hardness of the wood (known as ‘ironwood’ in America) and historically was used for wagon wheels, carving boards and tool handles.

Hornbeam usually reaches between 10 and 20 metres in height but may grow as tall as 30 metres in optimum circumstances. Common Hornbeam can reach up to 25 metres in height but ‘Columnaris’ grows to approximately 10 metres with a spread of 6 metres. Spire-like when young, it becomes ovoid as it matures. Carpinus turczaninowii is an interesting choice, reaching between 6 and 12 metres at maturity. Its leaves are glossy dark green and turn orange in autumn.

Both these tree species need fertile or moderately fertile well drained yet moist soil in sun or partial shade although some varieties of Acer palmatum need more shade to achieve optimum leaf colour. Both are fully hardy and need limited maintenance beyond a trim in late winter or early spring.

Newington Nurseries, a haven for plant lovers, on the A329, Newington, nr. Stadhampton, Oxon

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