Citrus Trees

• Many types of citrus trees not only thrive in containers, but also produce more fruit than their branches can handle. Use the largest container you can to grow citrus trees. Wheeled containers are a good choice. Prune the trees to control both size and shape and to prevent too much fruit from forming. Keep the trees in a spot that gets plenty of sun. Satsuma orange, Meyer lemon, key lime, kumquat and limequat do well in containers. Calamondin, a cross between tangerine and kumquat, grows only 3 to 4 feet tall.
  
  

Banana Trees

• Dwarf cavendish bananas grow about 6 feet tall and require plenty of bright sunlight and water. The plants have dark green, leathery leaves that grow up to 3 feet long. Dwarf cavendish produces small, edible fruits in bunches. Let the fruit ripen slowly on the plant or cut off the bunches when nearly ripe and hang them up to finish ripening.
  
  

Olive Trees

• Arbequina olive is not a dwarf variety, but rather a very slow-growing olive that can live for years in a container. Osmanthus fragrans, also called sweet olive, can grow 10 to 15 tall and produces strongly scented flowers that smell like apricots. Prune potted olive trees to control height. Olive trees produce white flowers in spring. Tea olive (Osmanthus delavayi), grows 6 to 10 feet tall, with glossy green leaves. Tea olive blooms in late winter or early spring.
  
  

Flowering Trees

• Slow-growing trees such as ginkgo and tupelo work well in containers, though eventually these trees will become too large for even the largest flower pot. Crabapples, Oriental cherries and dogwoods can be pruned to control their size, as can Japanese maples, and can live their entire lives in containers.
  
  

Evergreens

• Several small evergreen trees grow happily in large containers. Dwarf camellias and star magnolias both features dark green foliage that contrasts beautifully with the white, pink or red blooms. Dwarf crapemyrtle varieties bloom prolifically in late spring. Boxwood, weeping cypress, juniper, cutleaf vine maple and mugo pines also make good container trees.
  
  

Bonsai

• It isn't called the "art" of bonsai for nothing -- the painstaking process of pruning and wiring trees to keep them miniature-sized takes a variety of special tools and equipment, not to mention a lot of time and practice. The results can be stunning, however. Several types of trees are good subjects for bonsai. Bonsai trees range in size from a few inches tall to several feet tall, depending upon the tree's natural form and the gardener's wishes. Start with a small, young tree and train it as it grows. Some types of trees suitable for bonsai include maple, dogwood, firs, redbud, holly, pine and magnolia.