On 03/01/2015 22:19, Sacha wrote:
On 2015-01-01 22:43:40 +0000, Bob Hobden said:

"Chris Hogg" wrote

"Bob Hobden"wrote:

I put "very" in the title because the TV presenters idea of a small
garden
and reality is not the same. We are talking about 20ft by 30ft. and
it's
about 5 miles from Heathrow.

Friend needs a small decorative tree, preferably deciduous, for her
back
garden, gets sun for a couple of hours daily, quite a protected site
with
houses all around. Needs something that won't grow too tall or wide
and is
not horrendously expensive to buy. Her wish is to attract birds into
the
garden because at the moment she has no cover for them. Flowers or
autumn
foliage colour would be a bonus.


Something fastigiate? There's a selection here
http://tinyurl.com/ok88vbw including a couple of Liquidambars which
have good autumn colour. Some RHS suggestions here
http://tinyurl.com/pz7rgoh


Thanks Chris but we had a Liquidambar once, grew like Jack's beanstalk.

Did anyone suggest Amelanchier - Ray's suggestion.


Yes. Martin did, Sacha. I also think it's a good choice.
If the garden were a little bigger, I would suggest Crataegus x
persimilis 'Prunifolia', the cherry-leaved hawthorn, a magnificent small
tree with white flowers May/June, fiery autumn foliage colour before
leaf-fall, then relatively large red berries. It does have huge thorns,
however, which is great for birds but requires caution in people and cats!
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay