Japanese Maples and columnar trees
are top picks for container culture

A pair of graceful Seiryu Japanese Maples shading a Vancouver, BC, garden are featured on the cover of Gardens West magazine. This upright cultivar is one of our favorite small trees, perfect for courtyards, small gardens and container culture.

Inside Gardens West, our photos illustrate “New Trees for New Times,” an article authored by Brian Minter of Minter Gardens.

Minter explores the growing trend of planting trees in containers. Echoing planting trials conducted at Wisley Garden near London, Minter trialed some trees in containers at the expansive garden.

“The results showed that not only did the trees look great, especially underplanted with shade loving annuals, perennials and grasses, they also provided wonderful screening and a little shade during hot summers.”

Trees in containers added warmth, light shade and screening to seating areas, Minter writes.

“Growing trees in containers is the way of the future. The elements they bring to a small-space patio or balcony contribute to the enjoyment of a quality lifestyle.”

 Photos and highlights of the article are posted on the Gardens West website.

Enjoy a virtual tour of Minter Gardens. Visitors can shop at the nearby Country Garden Store, where Schmidt-grown trees and many other wonderful plants are found.

“The compact form of Shishigashira Japanese Maple makes it an ideal choice for potting,” Minter advises, calling it “a stunner” with all-season appeal.

Minter likes the constantly changing nature of Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’) foliage; “yellow-orange in spring, turning to a pleasant soft lime green in summer and then to bright gold in fall.”