Ornamental trees planted near the house create a warm welcome and add lasting value to your property. A thoughtfully chosen tree can bring many seasons of beauty and interest from the outside as well as through the windows. 

When selecting trees to plant near the house, it’s important to consider practical considerations as well as aesthetic ones. You want something that suits the space, climate, and style of your home. Small ornamentals can add bursts of color without overpowering, often adding multiple seasons of interest. 

Beyond being visually pleasing, the right tree can provide shade, privacy, and a habitat for wildlife. With careful consideration and selection, a tree close to the house becomes more than just a decoration. It becomes part of the home’s personality.

Here are some stunning cultivars that are perfect for planting near the house. 

Magnolia ‘Little Gem’

Large blossoms open like porcelain cups in summer.

Evergreen southern magnolias are magnificent trees, but they tend to be a bit large for planting near the house. Fortunately, there is a wonderful compact variety called ‘Little Gem’ that makes it possible! ‘Little Gem’ has all the perks of a full-sized southern magnolia, but at less than half the size. 

This pretty evergreen can grow to 30 feet tall in some cases, but typically tops out at 20 feet. It has large, waxy, dark green leaves with brown flocking underneath. The blooms are large and creamy with a light, lemony fragrance.

It’s perfect for adding year-round beauty to the landscape. It has a significantly smaller spread than its height, unlike its larger counterpart. 

Dogwood ‘Cherokee Brave’

Reddish-pink bracts brighten gardens in early spring.

Dogwood trees are stunning bloomers that appreciate partially shaded areas. ‘Cherokee Brave’ is a showy cultivar that reaches about 15-20 feet tall, making it an ideal tree for planting near the house. It’s bred for vibrant reddish-pink flowers and compact size. 

‘Cherokee Brave’ has attractive grey bark and medium green foliage. The large, showy flowers are actually bracts that surround smaller, yellow flowers. They give way to small red berries that stick around into the fall months and feed birds. It’s a moderate grower and tolerates full sun if it gets ample moisture.

Eastern Redbud ‘Hearts of Gold’

Spring color explodes before leaves mellow into soft gold.

Eastern redbud trees are gorgeous ornamentals known for their heart-shaped foliage, massive blooming habit, and stunning autumn display. ‘Hearts of Gold’ is a stunning cultivar prized for its flashy golden foliage paired with rosy-purple flowers in the spring. The foliage mellows to a light green in summer, and then yellow-gold in autumn. 

This variety is a great tree to plant near the house. It grows to about 20 feet tall, with a spread of 10-15 feet. It’s compact for a redbud and makes a wonderful specimen. Water it consistently for the first year to help form a deep root system. Healthy specimens can live 50 years or more. 

Chinese Fringe Tree

Upright growth softens beautifully as the crown spreads.

White fringe tree is an ornamental and refined flowering specimen that works well near the house. It’s slow-growing, reaching from 12 to 20 feet at maturity. It has a similar spread, so give it a bit of space for this reason. It’s an upright grower but has a crown that spreads as it ages. 

In late spring, white fringe trees produce tons of white, fringe-like flowers that dangle in clusters, like fringe. They’re lightly fragrant and attract several species of moths. Birds love the fruits, but they are dioecious, so you need a male and female tree to produce them. The broad, green foliage turns a clear yellow in the fall. 

Full Moon Maple ‘Aconitifolium’

Slow growth makes this maple quietly enchanting.

Maple trees come in many shapes and sizes, and full moon maples’ compact size makes them great trees for planting near the house. ‘Aconitifolium’ is a striking, small cultivar with deeply cut foliage and incredible fall color. It’s slow-growing and typically tops out around 15 feet. 

‘Aconitifolium’ has a low-branching form with graceful layering. In spring, it produces small red flowers, and the fresh, green foliage emerges tipped with red. The color returns full force in the fall as the foliage turns red, orange, and gold, all on the same tree. It’s beautiful even in winter when you can enjoy its graceful branching form. 

Serviceberry ‘Autumn Brilliance’

Fall foliage bursts into vivid reds and oranges.

‘Autumn Brilliance’ is a perfect tree for planting near the house. Serviceberry trees are gorgeous ornamentals with 4 seasons of beauty to offer. In spring, masses of snowy white flowers precede the leaves. Green foliage follows the flowers as smooth, edible, purple berries ripen. They are edible for people and feed birds as well. 

Serviceberry trees truly show their best form during the fall months. The foliage changes to brilliant shades of orange, red, and burgundy. ‘Autumn Brilliance’ shows off more vivid colors than most serviceberry trees. In winter, they show off their attractive gray bark and nicely balanced branching.

Paperbark Maple 

Garden corners come alive with striking peeling bark.

I adore maples of all kinds. Some are too large for planting near the house, but the paperbark maple is just right. It’s one of the largest trees on this list, but it tops out around 25-30 feet, so it just squeaks in as one that works for this purpose.

The most noteworthy aspect of this tree is its gorgeous, cinnamon-colored, peeling bark. This makes it wonderful for the winter landscape. 

In spring and summer, it’s covered in small, trifolate leaves that are bluish green in color with a silvery tone underneath. In spring, it flowers, but they are not showy. They do, however, do a great job of feeding pollinators. The fall colors are breathtaking in shades of scarlet, orange, and burgundy. 

Japanese Magnolia ‘Ann’

Late spring blooms make the garden feel magical.

Japanese magnolias are stunning trees, great for planting near the house. ‘Ann’ is one of the ‘Little Girl’ series hybrids developed at the U.S. National Arboretum. It’s a smaller cultivar that grows about 8-10 feet tall and has a shrubby form, though you can train it into a small tree. 

Japanese magnolias are beautiful in the summer with large, soft foliage. It has fair fall color, turning yellow and bronze before the leaves fall. It’s in the spring that this tree truly shines. Mid to late spring sees ‘Ann’ producing large, reddish purple blooms that are pale pink inside and smell glorious. 

Crape Myrtle ‘Tonto’

Multi-trunked form gives the landscape a playful character.

Crape myrtles are a landscape staple here in the South. They are beautiful trees that have four-season interest with delightful peeling bark in the winter. Their foliage comes in green with a pink tint, and turns gorgeous shades of orange, red, and burgundy in the fall. The bloom is the real treat, though.

‘Tonto’ is a small cultivar, reaching about 12 feet tall at maturity. It has an upright, vase-shaped growth habit. You can train it to be a single or multi-trunked tree near the house, or a large shrub. During the summer, each branch holds up, or rather, bends beneath the weight of a giant cluster of magenta flowers.