Trees for small yards

Red Maple is a fast growing tree, best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in December-January in Florida and autumn elsewhere. It is is adaptable to a very wide range of site conditions. It can be found growing in wet sites, swamps, on poor dry soils, and most anywhere in between. Due to its attractive fall foliage and pleasing form, it is often used as a shade tree for landscapes. In Florida it grows much shorter than in colder region, reaching 20-40 ft.
This plant is grown from seed collected in Florida, so it is suited for planting in Florida. It may perform worse up North.

This new Variegated Banana hybrid was grown from seed by Fermin Garcia Rayes at TopTropicals. It is a seedling of a variegated Banana that grows on our property (obtained from Thailand), originally labeled as variety Ae-Ae, but has less variegation than Ae-Ae (similar to variety "Florida"). Only selected leaves of the mother plant occasionally come out variegated. The plant is very large, can grow over 20 ft tall, fast clumping, and very vigorous (unlike Ae Ae which is very fussy and not easy to establish). Edible bananas are short, 4-5", very sweet, with a mild vanilla flavor. They have seeds inside, so this is the original natural species, not genetically modified.
About Ae Ae: Ae-Ae was first found in Hawaii, it is a very rare collectible Banana and yet it is fruiting year round. It has green and white variegated foliage and the peel on the fruit is also variegated. Flowering and fruiting of bananas occur year-round where they are hardy outdoors. The beautiful coloring of the variegated leaves and bananas makes it very desirable. It is a beautiful banana, they say there is a reason it is only for the elite in society. It likes slightly acid soil for the leaves to have good variegation. It may flower and fruit at any season of the year. Prefers full sun, but in hot areas should be protected from burning sun especially before established. It does not travel well and for a pup to be viable, it has to be fairly large. In areas with too hot and too bright sun, it may not do well in full sun, and dry conditions scorch them. It can be grown in a container as a specimen. Musa AeAe is hard to find, and very expensive plant.
See video: How to get variegated vanilla bananas: discovering natural banana with seeds

Brownea grandiceps - Rose of Venezuela, Scarlet Flame Bean - small tree with spectacular red flowers. A true tropical, it requires frost-free environment with hight air humidity. The plant grows into a nice small size tree, with dense umbrella-like spreading canopy.
The flower lasts a few days, however the view is unforgettable.

Jamaican Rain Tree. Rare slow growing plant, can be grown as bonsai or small specimen tree. Very showy flowers.

Yellow Bird of Paradise (dwarf poinciana)- a showy flowering small tree for a small yard or patio. Drought tolerant.

Pride of Barbados, Dwarf Poinciana, Flower Fence - bright pink/red flowers, national flower of Barbados. Showy flowers almost year round. Dormant in winter.

Cananga fruticosa - dwarf Chanel #5 Ylang-Ylang, small tree or compact shrub with scented flowers. This dwarf variety appears to be more cold hardier than regular Ylang-Ylang Tree!
Special growing instructions are here

Jamaica Caper Tree, Mustard Tree. Jamaica caper produces large quantities of flowers with white petals and many purple stamens, which extend beyond the petals. Fruit are slender, rust-colored pods which split open to expose orange-red seeds. The dense, strong Jamaica caper is very wind resistant and extremely salt tolerant.

Ceiba hybrid - Dwarf Pink Princess - is one of the Nature Wonders that takes your breath away!
A compact marvel of nature that redefines beauty in small spaces.
This exquisite hybrid of the Pink Silk Floss Tree (Ceiba speciosa) grows to a manageable height of just 8-12 feet, making it perfect for small yards or container gardening.
In bloom, the tree is a spectacle: nearly leafless, with its crown exploding into tens of thousands of pink flowers, creating a vibrant, colorful mass.
Its spreading crown and profusion of blossoms make it a showstopper, proving that you don't need a giant tree to make a big impact.