Choice Trees!
Eric Ross
Posts: 12
Hello All,
Completely stripped my garden back a while ago, and just recently got to the fun part of actually designing/planting the layout.
Need some advice for the corner area, as want to provide some height to the planting, hide a lamp post and provide some screening from the neighbours, however I am very new to all of this.
I've done a bit of research, however "a little knowledge can be dangerous" and a little bit more is overwhelming!
I have a few constraints;
Trunk wants to be approx. 1m from the wall/fence in the corner - so I'm thinking a single trunk without a bushy/spreading lower half.
Once the tree is above the fence approx. 1.8m, it can spread out a bit but there is the lamp post/telephone/electric thing there so not sure how legal/sensible it is to spread too much - post approx. 2.5m from trunk.
My wife likes the apple/cherry blossoms & I thought I'd found the answer with the Alemanchier Alnifolia Obelisk (comments/suitability please), however she is less sure now because of blossom clean up that may be required.
She also likes the Acers (preferring the reds), and Silver Birches, however I'm concerned about the spread and height
Any advice would be much appreciated....
Thanks
Posts
Hello Tetley,
Guessing the answer to this might be a bit tricky & I may have to do some testing or something?
The top 400mm in that border is new "high grade soil & compost producing a balanced soil with a high organic matter content"
The next 300mm or so is topsoil from a local "waste management company" for when I was building up/levelling the garden to receive the lawn
The natural ground is clay.
Hoping that I haven't made a school boy error as I write this?!?
Have a look at prunus amanogawa. A lovely upright cherry.
Try , Syringa reticulata 'Ivory Silk' they are beautiful in Ontario, Canada, So are the tri-colour & copper beeches, but they do get quite large if not pruned. Try this beb-site to view. http://www.naturehills.com/ivory-silk-lilac-tree
As that is an electricity pole you will have the men from the electric company come round to check on your tree from time to time. (We have a pole in our garden).The spread of branches is not a problem as long as it is not tall enough to come within range of the wires. If it does they will cut down the offending bit themselves, but not necessarily in the most sympathetic way! So you could choose something your wife would like, such as a crab apple, or perhaps a rowan, choose a shorter growing variety, and then keep it to a sensible size yourself. I don't know alnifolia, but the ordinary Amelanchier can be grown as a multistemmed shrub and pruned if need be. It is very pretty and I have never seen petals on the ground in any way that could be a problem.( What will you do about leaves?)
I have Prunus 'Amo-no-gawa' and love it, but think perhaps a slim straight tree might just draw attention to the pole more than conceal it. Something eyecatching lower down might be more effective?
Thanks for the advice guys, think it has highlighted one of the main "problems" I'm having choosing though.
I don't know enough about trees to know what I can, or can't do with them.
I look at the ultimate height/spread & it scares me away as I don't know how much pruning different species can healthily take.
Good that the soil has narrowed my options a bit.
Think my wife would be ok with a bit of blossom
think it was a comment to help narrow down our options.
I'm liking the Amonogawa (as well as the original Obelisk), are these fine with "containment" to around 4-6m high 4m spread?
What about a Silver Birch?
Very useful regarding the electricity pole, thanks Buttercupdays, was concerned I may be breaking a law or something!!!
Agree with the straight slim comment, what I'm looking for really is a trunk at low level to allow planting in the garden, with the spread above the fence like a 3-4m diameter lollipop!
Again, thanks for the input.
I still think the Ivory Silk Lilac is the answer. It doesn't get too large and has beautiful white flowers near the end of June. Look it up on the internet. I love this tree it is one of my favourites.
Do like the look of the Ivory Silk Theresa.
Plan on having a Hardenbergia violacea, climbing up the fence behind the tree though (been planning the garden from the fence line out), and didn't know whether there'd be too much lilac with the tree too.
Was wondering whether to revisit the climber choice, but if I understand correctly and I'd need to grow the tree from seed....well, I don't know how long it would take, but I doubt I'd have the skills, or the patience....
I'm thinking of a 2m high sapling really....
I'm sure you can get it in the UK, research it on the internet. I'm in Welland,Ontario,Canada. If not maybe you can have one shipped from Europe, I know they have it there, my Dutch cousins have it in their gardens. If you grow this, which seems too invasive for my yard I don't think you need a tree. I think it will bring your fence down like wisteria does from what I've read on the internet.
.Hardenbergia violacea syn. H. monophylla is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to Australia from Queensland to Tasmania. It is known in Australia by the common names false sarsaparilla, purple coral pea, happy wanderer, native lilac and waraburra (which comes from the Kattang language
This is why I've joined the Forum!
Trying to do the research, but get conflicting information, or measurements on plants which sound the right size & then images of the plants taking over the world!
Research I'd done said 1.5 - 2.5m high, 0.5 - 1m spread, was planning that on the smaller fence panel, with a winter/spring clematis on the adjoining one for evergreen coverage and some colour most of the year round.
The crabapple/cherry choice was because I do love them in bloom, but had wondered about the Acer or Silver Birch because of the actual tree/bark/form as we should have colour in the background....
Might give a better view on the corner/dimensions I'm looking at?