These 3 trees grow beautifully in small spaces — and in our WA climate

THOSE OF US with city gardens or limited planting areas expect a lot from the trees we plant; ideally, they will contribute multiple seasons of shifting interest throughout the year. Native to various parts of Asia and well suited to growing in our region, stewartia checks all the boxes.

Great Plant Picks (GPP), a go-to resource for selecting the best plants to grow in Pacific Northwest gardens, includes the following three species of stewartia on its carefully curated list of trees for small spaces:

● Orangebark stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha) is stunning, with a graceful form and a pyramidal canopy. Clean white, 2-inch flowers appear in early summer against the tree’s lustrous green foliage. Cooling temperatures in fall ignite saturated red and orange hues in the leaves before they drop to reveal rich cinnamon-brown bark on the trunk and branches. According to the GPP website, “The bark is shown to perfection with a backdrop of evergreens.” While orangebark stewartia eventually will get quite large, the tree is slow-growing, reaching 15 by 8 feet in 10 years.

● Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) is a beautiful small tree for landscapes of all sizes. Marblelike buds in spring open to white flowers with ruffled petals and a boss of golden stamens; the blooms’ resemblance to a single-petaled camellia is referenced in the species name. Dark green leaves shift to brilliant red orange to burgundy in autumn. As the tree matures, the exfoliating bark on the trunk and branches becomes a patchwork of pink, red-brown and gray.

● Beaked stewartia (Stewartia rostrata) has a multistemmed shrubby form. The GPP plantspeople offer the following caveat, “When compared to the Japanese or orangebark stewartia, this species is, to some, not quite the Cinderella the other two might be considered.” But don’t let that stop you, as beaked stewartia has its own dignified charms. Spring flower buds are held within dark maroon bracts that open to reveal 2-inch white blooms blushed with delicate pink. The showy bracts persist after the flowers drop, showcasing the reddish seeds. Dark purple-red fall color is more restrained than the other two species. The bark, which doesn’t exfoliate, is grayish brown with fine furrows.

Plant stewartia in full sun to open shade in fertile well-drained or sandy soil. Count on providing supplemental water during extended dry spells — of course, water attentively after planting and for the next few years to get your tree off to a good start.

Low branching forms of orangebark and Japanese stewartia showcase the trees’ fall and winter presence. Little pruning is needed and, in fact, the wrong cut can ruin the naturally graceful form of these lovely trees. GPP suggests, “Consult an expert pruner, or take a local class before attempting to prune.”

Even if you’re not looking to add a tree to your landscape, it can be fun to check out mature specimens in local public gardens. If, like me, you begin the new year with a walk through Washington Park Arboretum, look for the exquisite orangebark stewartia skirted with winter-blooming pink cyclamen in the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden. Elsewhere, you’ll find a grove of stewartia in Streissguth Gardens, a once-private, now-public garden on the east slope of Capitol Hill. Oddly, the garden’s website says there is no street address for the garden. The easiest landmark to navigate by would be the Blaine Street Stairs, one of Seattle’s epic stair climbs, running adjacent to the public garden.