Best Partial Sun Outdoor Trees of 2025

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Partial sun outdoor trees are a great addition to any garden or outdoor space that gets a mix of sun and shade. These trees are specially selected to thrive in areas that receive less than full sun exposure throughout the day. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours, and can add beauty, shade and privacy to your outdoor space. Whether you are looking for a flowering tree, a fruit tree, or simply a decorative addition to your garden, there are many options to choose from. These trees are perfect for those who want to enjoy the benefits of gardening but have limited sunlight in their outdoor space.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Partial Sun Outdoor Trees
3 x Acer Trees - Japanese Maple Shrubs
The Acer Trees by GardenersDream offer an impressive selection of Japanese Maple varieties. These trees provide stunning colour from spring to autumn, enhancing the beauty of your garden throughout the seasons. You can easily spruce up your outdoor space by placing these delightful trees in strategic locations to create a captivating display. They thrive in sun or partial shade, requiring minimal care while needing well-drained, moist soil. This makes them a convenient choice for both novice and experienced gardeners.
YouGarden Hardy Phoenix Palm Trees for Gardens
The YouGarden Palm Trees bring a tropical look to your outdoor space, creating a holiday feel that lasts for years. Their dramatic fan-shaped foliage adds a striking element to any garden, while you can enjoy creamy-yellow flowers during hot summers. Despite their exotic origins, these palms are winter hardy down to -6C, making them suitable for the UK climate. Placing them in a sunny position ensures they thrive, providing you with a vibrant addition to your patio or garden.
Acer Metamorphosa Japanese Maple Tree in Pot
The Acer Metamorphosa Maple is a stunning deciduous tree that showcases hand-shaped foliage, transforming from light yellow with pink hues to a striking red-violet during the growing season. With an ultimate height of 1.5m and a spread of 1m, it fits well in various outdoor spaces. This tree thrives in sheltered spots with full sun or partial shade, ensuring you can enjoy its beauty in your garden. Regular watering during dry spells keeps the soil moist, making it easier for you to maintain this gorgeous plant.
Acer palmatum Katsura Japanese Maple Tree
The Acer palmatum Katsura is a beautiful slow-growing shrub that can also be shaped into a small tree, perfect for adding character to your garden. Its leaves transition from a pale green in Spring to a stunning red in Autumn, offering visual interest throughout the year. With an expected height of 2.5 - 4 metres over 10-20 years, it makes a lovely addition without overpowering your space. This tree thrives in partial shade and adapts well to various soil types, ensuring you can cultivate it with ease.
Acer palmatum Sumi Nagashi Japanese Maple Tree
The Sumi Nagashi Maple is a stunning deciduous shrub that can also be grown as a small tree. Its unique vase shape and striking foliage add beauty to your garden, transitioning from purple-red in spring to bright red in autumn. This variety thrives in partial shade, making it perfect for various garden settings. With a height and spread of up to 4m, it offers a substantial presence. Additionally, the small flowers in spring and potential winged fruit in autumn provide further interest throughout the seasons.
Acer palmatum Bi Ho - Large Japanese Maple
The Acer palmatum Bi Ho is a stunning outdoor tree that adds beauty to your garden. With its bushy, deciduous nature, it showcases lovely lobed foliage that transforms from yellow-green in spring to vibrant shades of yellow and orange in autumn. This tree can grow up to 2.5m tall, making it a striking feature in any outdoor space. Ideal for gardeners, it thrives in partial shade and tolerates various well-drained soil types, ensuring it fits well into your garden setup.
Acer palmatum Shaina - Compact Japanese Maple
The Acer palmatum Shaina is a compact Japanese Maple that adds vibrant colour to your garden. With bright red leaves in Spring that deepen throughout the Summer, this tree provides an eye-catching display. Its ultimate height of up to 4m makes it a great choice for various garden sizes. You will appreciate its adaptability, as it thrives in partial shade and tolerates most well-drained soils. This tree’s stunning foliage ensures a beautiful garden from Spring through to Autumn.
Acer palmatum Wilson's Pink Dwarf Tree
The Wilson's Pink Dwarf Tree is a stunning deciduous shrub that will enhance your garden. In spring, its bright pink foliage adds a burst of colour, creating an eye-catching display. As summer arrives, the leaves transform to a vibrant green, providing a lush backdrop. In autumn, the tree’s foliage changes to a beautiful mix of red, orange, and yellow, ensuring year-round interest. This tree prefers partial shade, making it ideal for those sunny spots in your garden without direct exposure to harsh sunlight.
Acer palmatum Summer Gold Japanese Maple Tree
The Summer Gold Maple Tree is a stunning addition to any outdoor space. Its slow-growing nature means you can enjoy its beauty without overwhelming maintenance. You will appreciate its unique foliage, which changes from pink in Spring to vibrant yellow and red in Summer, creating a striking visual throughout the seasons. The tree also produces small green flowers in Spring and red fruit in Autumn, enhancing its charm. With a maximum height of 2.5m, it fits well into various garden designs.
Acer palmatum Starfish Japanese Maple Tree
The Starfish Japanese Maple is a beautiful, slow-growing shrub that brings vibrant colour to your garden. Its star-shaped, purple-red leaves flourish in Spring and Summer, transitioning to a striking bright red in Autumn. You can enjoy tiny red flowers in Spring, adding to its charm. With a height potential of 2m and a spread of 1m over 10-20 years, it’s perfect for enhancing your outdoor space. This maple thrives in partial shade, making it an ideal choice for areas that don't receive full sun.
During our partial sun outdoor tree research, we found 17 partial sun outdoor tree products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 10,701 customer reviews through our big data system to write the partial sun outdoor trees list. We found that most customers choose partial sun outdoor trees with an average price of £28.35.
The partial sun outdoor trees are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of partial sun outdoor trees, including GardenersDream, YouGarden. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 10,637 consumers with an average rating of 4.7.

Toby Butcher is a Horticulturist, and he earned his title as a Master Gardener in 2016. Toby has acquired a 25-year experience as a home gardener planting, designing, grooming vegetables and flowers. He is the leader of a plant group in Durham. Toby owns a blog where he publishes articles on growing and growing your flowers at home, in a vase, or in a garden.