Which diminutive tree for this small town garden?
johnleh
8 years ago
Gardening gurus, please help! I'm looking for advice on a specimen tree to replace the Olive in my bijou north London garden.
It will need to complement a planned new naturalistic bed planting featuring grasses interspersed with jewels from Geum and Sanguisorba to Daylilies, Echinacea and Salvia.
The tree will need to be small and shallow-rooted, with an upright, open habit to sit snugly in the corner, which gets a decent amount of sun. Beautiful green foliage in summer and autumn is a priority. My soil is neutral.
How about a small Amelanchier or Silver Birch, if such things exist?
Please ignore the urinal (it isn't, it's a farmyard washbasin since you ask) and the trellis with ivy, both of which will be replaced, the latter with modern slatted hardwood panels.
Any pointers much appreciated.
It will need to complement a planned new naturalistic bed planting featuring grasses interspersed with jewels from Geum and Sanguisorba to Daylilies, Echinacea and Salvia.
The tree will need to be small and shallow-rooted, with an upright, open habit to sit snugly in the corner, which gets a decent amount of sun. Beautiful green foliage in summer and autumn is a priority. My soil is neutral.
How about a small Amelanchier or Silver Birch, if such things exist?
Please ignore the urinal (it isn't, it's a farmyard washbasin since you ask) and the trellis with ivy, both of which will be replaced, the latter with modern slatted hardwood panels.
Any pointers much appreciated.
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Comments (14)
embzop
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Hi there , looking at house with north east facing garden, has anyone
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Comments (13)I would use plants to brighten the space. The hardscapes are all good, they just look a bit naked and grim. It can be hard to make a space pretty but usable for the kids too, but its not impossible. You have a lovely sitting area to enjoy. Plant some lovely feature bushes in that gravel area. You don't need to completely hide the clothesline, but having something pretty and showy in front will create a boundary and the eye will be drawn to the plants instead of the washing. If you can't plant into the soil there, some large size pots will work. Maybe some medium sized (1-2metre) ornamental trees in pots, like citrus, a weeping ornamental cherry, or bay trees, moptop robinias are nice too. They will be compact. You could cluster some pots of herbs underneath or plant them and let them ramble a little. Herbs like thyme and rosemary and lavender will suit the gravel area and the heat and be hardy with kids playing around, the odd bike falling on them or crushing underfoot would be quite okay. bulbs in pots or planted around the edges of the lawn are great value low maintenance and hardy colour. You can get great seasonal variation in your view then. Online bulb stores like tesselar and garden express sell bulk landscaping bulbs at very reasonable prices. You can get hundreds of bulbs for $30-50. Bulbs are great hardy plants that won't be killed by the odd soccer ball either. The flowers may get knocked over or the leaves, but the bulb is safe under the soil. Cheap and cheerfuls like nasturtiums are good value colour that will self seed every season. Also, plant some very bright flowering shrubs behind the soccer net and against the far wall. Maybe some hibiscus? You need something to catch and entice the eye, plant some large flowering shrubs with larger or bright flowers or foliage you will be able to appreciate from a distance....See MoreConcrete back garden :(
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Comments (14)Gosh, I've returned after a week travelling for work to loads more suggestions - thanks all! To respond specifically: - the house faces south so gets the lovely morning (and in the uk, sometimes the only) sun. - the husband has avoided putting plants in the planters due to maintenance and they're generally twee so comments here have confirmed to me that they will be coming out - love the idea of wooden boxes with the spiky plants and grasses - also like the concept of taking out the grass/bed/tree in front completely out and replacing with slabs - yes to lightening the windows - to the Barn company, I honestly don't mind the advice and I'd never seen sloping garage roofs. - nicking ideas from landscaping of new builds....great idea! - finally, Helen Scholes, I'm embarrassed about the spelling of kerb. Had no idea! Thanks again all....See MoreAndrew Millar
8 years agoJonathan
8 years ago
PROMaximize Design
8 years agoAndrew Millar
8 years agojohnleh
8 years agoThanks all for the helpful responses. Panacotta, I seem destined to end up with an Amelanchier as they keep cropping up since discovering them recently. Thanks for the further prompt. I wonder whether Robin Hill is one of the newer cultivars? They seem highly rated.
Embzop, I like Acers but felt they would grow too wide rather than tall (mistakenly with some cultivars I'm sure) and might suffer in the hot corner. I am tempted to place one in a pot on the patio opposite the bed to gently screen the deck area. I'll check out your recommendations thanks.
Huffyboy, I was sad to lose the Olive, my single modest contribution to the London skyline. But it had grown like topsy for eight years and the underplantings seemed be suffering in competition with the increasingly chunky root structure. It had also lost leaves throughout the bottom 75% (frost damage?). A shame, but a chance to pick something with more vivacious foliage to complement the planned planting.
Jonathan, thanks. Hard to assess Photinias from interweb pics but I'll be sure to check them out when I visit a nursery.
Maximize, I love the colour and elegant structure of the Jacq but as huffy alludes to below, I keep hearing stories of SBs growing more than anticipated. 8m is daunting for a garden my size! You mention multistem; does that mean stems from the base, as in the pic below, rather than substantial side branches?
Huffy, would be interested to see a pic of your birch.
Thanks again for the thought-provoking comments.
- PRO
johnleh
8 years agopannacotta
8 years agojohnleh
8 years ago
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