Ball trees are perfect for small gardens or front gardens, as their crown usually remains compact and they are also rather short in stature - high specimens can reach ten meters, but most varieties remain at a final height of between three and four metres. Evergreen spherical trees even set accents in winter, as they stay green all year round - perfect if the wind and privacy protection is to be maintained even in the cold season.
The Pinus mugo remains small and globular
Spherical conifers
When looking for an evergreen spherical tree, the easy-care and robust conifers are an obvious idea - with the exception of the native larch (which also does not grow in a spherical shape), the needles remain on the tree for several years and are not shed in autumn, as is the case with deciduous trees. There are two forms of spherical coniferous trees: cypress (such as Lawson's cypress), the native yew, the sugar loaf spruce or the Korean fir can often be cut into a spherical shape, but they do not naturally grow that way. For this reason, a regular shape cut is necessary. Other varieties have been specifically bred with a spherical crown and can be planted either as a ground cover shrub or as a semi or standard stem. We have summarized the most beautiful varieties for you in the table below.
| tree species | variety name | Latin designation | location | growth height | growth width | particularities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball cork fir | 'Green Globe' | Abies lasiocarpa | Sun to semi-shade | up to two meters | up to one and a half meters | perfect for rock gardens |
| Dwarf Arborvitae | 'Tiny Tim' | Thuja occidenalis | Sun to semi-shade | up to 100 centimeters | up to 150 centimeters | broad spherical growth |
| Dwarf Orb Arborvitae | 'Danica' | Thuja occidenalis | Sun to semi-shade | up to 80 centimeters | up to 100 centimeters | ideal for tub culture |
| ball pine | ,Pug' | Pinus mugo | Sun to semi-shade | up to 150 centimeters | up to 150 centimeters | ground-covering, globular shape |
| Spherical hook or mountain pine | 'Heather Pearl' | Pinus mugo | Sun | up to 80 centimeters | up to 60 centimeters | bushy, small tree |
| Spherical hook or mountain pine | 'winter sun' | Pinus mugo | Sun to semi-shade | up to 50 centimeters | up to 50 centimeters | yellow needles, ideal for containers |
Evergreen deciduous shrubs with a spherical crown
If it is to be an evergreen, spherical deciduous tree, you have the choice between different types and varieties of
- Holly (Ilex), such as the European holly (Ilex aquifolium) or the species Ilex meserveae and Ilex mutchagara
- Common box (Buxus sempervirens)
- Privet, for example the glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum)
- Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
- Portuguese cherry laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
- Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
- and the wintergreen oleaster (Elaeagnus ebbingei)
With the exception of box, holly, privet and cherry laurel, these are not hardy species that should be grown in pots and overwintered frost-free. Furthermore, these evergreen shrubs do not naturally grow spherically, but must be pruned into shape accordingly. Such a ball looks particularly attractive on a high trunk, for example.
tips
The 'Mariken' ball ginkgo, which only grows up to a meter high and is therefore ideal for pot culture, is also very pruning friendly, but not evergreen.