It would help you know where you are...moisture levels, climate, etc.

nothing dies for lack of light.... unless we are talking cave like shade ...

and no tree really stops growing.. at some magical height ...

but!!!!! insufficient light.. will make things grow slower.. and sparser ...

you really havent given us much info to go much further with recommendations other than available light...

we need to know:

where are you .. big city name ...

native soil

does it drain

and do you have any experience planting trees????

and can we have a pic???

and finally ... i highly recommend decorative window films.. as per the link [flip to the web side ... found in bigboxstores].. as an immediate solution.. while it takes 5 years for your tree to do what you want it to do . ..... extremely easy to put up ... with sponge and squirt bottle ...

man o'live.. tree and decor ideas.. all in one.. lol ... a man for all seasons... lol ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Im in arkansas. The area can be very wet. There is a depression near it where rain water will collect.
If there is no rain then it is fairly dry.

There is another oak tree about 8 feet away from the area that sprouted from seed. It is 5 years old and 14 ft. high. But it is too close to the house and will need to be cut down soon. It is growing fine in the shady area, but it will get upwards of 60 ft over time and mess up my foundation.
it is 4 feet from the house.

I need a very small tree.

don't you guys have flowering dogwoods in the understory down there? I saw some pretty ones while visiting Branson.

Very small trees are called 'shrubs'. Yes, there are a fair number of shrubs that will grow as understory plants. Too many to make recommendations without more information.

Any small understory tree. American Holly (Illex Opaca), Paw Paw, (Asimina triloba) Redbud (Cercis canadensis).

The only way to keep a tree under 10 feet is pruning, though. Or you could buy a really slow growing tree that is already 6 feet tall from the nursery.

or bottlebrush buckeye?

6-10' is a medium shrub, not a tree. A shrub can will give you good screening for a bathroom window. Many shrubs can be limbed up when established, if you need to get under it for some reason. You may want to first check the area you want to put it in to see if it is packed full of tree roots.

I agree, nothing that is typically called a tree is suitable for that size.
There's any number of suitable plants, I might recommend a strawberry bush (euonymus anericanus) or an oakleaf hydrangea (hydrangea quercifolia) as suitable Arkansas understory natives.
Strawberry bush is a lank green stemmed shrub with long arching branches and attractive autumn fruits {{gwi:430881}}
. Common witch hazel is a much denser plant with weirdly attractive flowers just after leaf fall in the autumn. {{gwi:430882}}

How about a dwarf Japanese maple? Many have very ornamental leaves. The link below (no connection on my part, just for illustration) shows a listing of a bunch of them that are in your height range.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dwarf and small Japanese maples

You might want to check out the viburnums; they have good strong wood and there are many kinds. Most of them do like sun, though.

The Kerria might also be useful, or a tall growing forsythia or rhododendron. Those three need less sun.

If for screening purposes, I would use a broadleafed evergreen. There are a number of them that adapt to shade and still stay dense.

Many will need supplemental water though and some annual pruning.

Skip laurel, evergreen dogwood (Empress of China), Euonymus japonicus and kiautschovicus âÂÂManhattanâÂÂ, compact Carolina laurel cherry, Aucuba, probably a number of smaller hollies.

Other evergreens that might work are the standard or weeping yaupon hollies. Often trained as small trees and seem to top out in the 10 to 14ft range in understory shade. Females can have attractive berries.

This post was edited by bostedo on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 13:33