Hi

after a small tree (6ft – 15/20 ft – happy to prune)for SE England – with lots of reqts
– hardy,can take full sun (S facing garden), evergreen (well want to block out other houses so stays bushy etc), not too tall/ambitious, pref with lower trunk clear so can plant underneath, flowering/interesting leaves/colours and with a long or different seasons of viewing

any ideas

thanks

Does such a tree exist? As a very general rule, conifers keep their “leaves”, and non-conifers are deciduous.

The usual recommendation for a small tree is Amelanchier lamarckii.

Holly. You can get ones with multicoloured leaves, you get berries, is evergreen, and you can prune it however you like.

Yes, holly is the only other tree I can think of. Make sure you buy a self-fertile variety, otherwise you may not get berries.

I think the ones I like are called Cypress Trees, they are a really bright nice shade of green, instead of that dull dark green traditional stuff like conifers, box, Privet, Holy etc. They don’t flower and can be killed easily when replanted, but once established they are easy to look after, anyway theres another option for ya 8)

anything evergreen isn’t really going to give you colour changes through the year.

Yew Trees are more pleasingly tree shaped than than typical cone-shape conifers, and not as dense as stuff like leylandi so you get some privacy without blocking out all the light

If the privacy is only for when you’re out in the garden then you only really need leaf cover in the summer

Beech trees turn brown but hold onto most of their leaves for as long time after autumn. Their spring colour when the leaves are young is fabulous. The landscape around me is full of beech trees and hedges and it looks lovely just now.

For flowers and a good autumn display then Persian Ironwood would be worth a look. Nice a broad, red flowers then extremely red leaves in autumn.

Doesn’t tick all those boxes but … Japanese maple? Lovely shape and colours and you can plant underneath it

Most Japanese maples would hate full sun, only a few like flamingo will thrive in it.

Try looking for large shrubs rather than trees – something evergreen like a viburnum burkwoodii or osmanthus then grow a clematis or something through it for later season interest. Or arbutus unedo is an interesting option but will either cost a bundle or you’ll need to be patient.

Oleander could well fit the bill

Leylandii?

Contradictory requirements here, if you want colour, then most evergreens are out, because they’re always green.
Larch does go brown in winter, and then sprouts vivid green new shoots in the spring, Holly can be had with variegated leaves, which is pleasing, and they don’t grow stupidly tall, like Leylandii, which should be avoided like the plague.
Beech or Hornbeam are good, very similar looking, both hang onto their leaves most of the way through the winter, although they go copper-coloured, and then sprout bright green shoots in the spring.
Hornbeam coppices well, the wood burns well, and is very dense and hard, it was used for tool handles, wheel spokes, spinning bobbins, etc.
Personally, I think I’d go for Hornbeam, or Beech.

As a hedge or individual trees?
For a hedge, what CZ suggested, beech/hornbeam.
Stand alone trees, maples or cherries, chat to local tree nursery for best varieties for area and needs, both have a lot of variants.

Want some giant redwood seeds? Doesn’t really meet your criteria but it’ll be funny as **** in 200 years time

Hornbeam is nicer than beech imo.

First thing that came to my mind was shrubs too. Pieris is great colour wise for example. Silver Birch looks great in domestic gardens, nice shade of green on the leaves. Magnolia.

if you can live with a deciduous tree I would recommend a Crab Apple

excellent small trees, can be cut back to any height

beautiful flowers and fruit too

Yew will create shade, and you’ll need a female to have berries for they have seperate M and F trees. You won’t grow much under one. The leaves retained by beech and hornbeam are in the ‘juvenile cone’, just the centre part of the tree. OK for a hedge, but not for a specimen tree. Holly leaves rot slowly, and again trees are M or F. ISTR some of the variegated strains are all F.

Dan’s Magnolia suggestion could be right.

(edit) Take a look at ‘Chilean Lantern Tree’.

Majestic Trees

Barcham

Chew Valley Trees

Ornamental Trees

Bluebell Nursery

We were after something similar, but in the end went with a Japanese Weeping Cherry / Prunus Snow Showers

Won’t get too big (should top out at 3m), spectacular flowers in spring and turning leaves in autumn. Yes it will be sparse in winter, but the rest of the year it looks ace. Also easy to keep under control

More large shrubs than tree but both of these fit the bill – Pieris or Photonia. Both evergreen, change colour, poss could be ‘crown lifted’ to provide space underneath, manageable heights.
Only issues is that they’re not particularly fashionable!!
Hth

Edit, links added
http://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/pieris-forest-flame/3751.html

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=1442