Tree advice -

yllw.ldbttr

I'm looking to plant a few trees in my back garden,
see attached pics, in particular to the rear and left against the fences.

I don't want anything that will get too large, maybe 6 - 8 ft tall, just something to make the garden a little bit more private.

Could anyone recommend a type of tree, preferably evergreen, and any idea how much I should pay for them, in the Cork area?

Would appreciate any advice you can offer.

looksee

6 to 8ft tall is quite small and around the same as a lot of bushes. Japanese acer, lilac, for example. However you will find that they will give a limited amount of privacy and will take up a lot of space in your garden.

If you go for a more mid height tree - around 15 ft - they will start to branch at about the height of your fence and provide privacy from overlooking bedroom windows and look less cluttered in the garden. You would only need maybe one or two in a garden your size with a few shrubs/bushes in between. You could consider silver birch, rowen, hawthorn (tree rather than bush), crab apple, prunus (check height when buying, some of them are big).

Evergreen is a good theory but they can look very gloomy in a small garden, and some of them get very big and would be a solid block of shade. Varigated holly is slow growing but makes a nice evergreen tree - plant and allow to get established (couple of years) then cut off lower branches to show the stem as it grows.

Oldtree

It looks like you are overlooked on all sides so getting some privacy is very difficult. I dont think a tree or evergreen would be your answer here as the garden is just too small. A shrub such as lilac or forsythia or dogwood would be the in the right area for you, all take a harsh pruning well so can be shaped easily. bare in mind that it will take a few years for the plants to grow.

While privacy may be an issue it may be less so in the winter and deciduous shrubs will allow light into the garden then.

or for something really nice black bamboo, can form a lovely barrier.

Other options for privacy are hard landscaping like a pegoda, bench/seat with cover, shed, veranda, thatched umbrella things like that, all of which can have things growing over them.

I managed to get a small private spot at the back of a 40 foot by 16 foot garden with the above shrubs.

macraignil

There are some apple trees that grow fairly short. They are commonly grafted onto rootstock and the combination affects the final height of the tree and some are selected to be short to make harvesting easier. They are not evergreen so if year round privacy is your priority then you could be better off with something else.
Looking at the space available it might be an idea to use a trellis against the fence and allow clematis and honeysuckle climb up to provide some extra height to your garden boundary. There are some evergreen varieties of these available or you could also use some ivy to cover the space in the winter.
Some rose varieties also grow as tall as you suggested if given a frame to climb. Fuchsia varieties also grow to this height near the coast but I have found ones I have bought to be slow growing like the Holly that would also be a nice choice if you can give it the time to get established.
Most trees grow much taller than eight feet but it is possible to grow some trees in containers to restrict their final size. I have seen some colourful evergreen trees I don't know the name of and yew grown in this way but I would imagine nice looking big containers for this would cost a lot.

Oldtree

There are other tree options such as the grafted to a specific height ie kilmarnock willow that wont get very big either. to give you an idea

http://www.google.ie/search?q=kilmarnock+willow&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=oWnLT4S0CsWZhQex4_zyDw&ved=0CGMQsAQ&biw=1117&bih=753

While hawthorn wont get that large either eg pauls scarlett red flower, the thorns can be a problem if children are around. What I do with that one is prune off the thorns above the kids head height, but if too close to the neighbours they will hack off the thorny branches.

Container planting as mentioned is an option I have also tried but requires a lot of care and watering. Trays under the container tell you when the container is no longer at field capacity and needs water. If you are willing to make the effort then you could grow any tree you want and when it gets too big or dosnt behave any more, start again. Bamboo does well in containers and would be a moveable feast.

yllw.ldbttr

Thanks for the advice everyone. Will look at a few of those options.
Visited a local place today and they suggested bay laurel, at 6-8 ft there were priced around the 90 euro mark each.
They suggested 3-4 would well cover the rear. Just wondering if you have any thoughts on their advice?

macraignil

Bay leaf is nice and even older plants do not get very tall. The leaves are good additions to stews and many other recipes. The ones I bought a few years back as small plants (Less than 2euro for a supermarket bought pot that had about five or six plants in it) grew well until they were nearly all killed by our recent cold winters. They have recovered now but they are still not back to the five foot height they reached before the severe frosts. I guess this is why there is the practise in some places of keeping them in containers so they can be moved indoors in the cold weather.

Oldtree

Bay is lovely but they were knocked back to the roots 2 years ago. I had a lovely big one nicely trimmed in the garden and it got hammered as did the father in law's. It did start to regrow last year from the root but has given up this year.

bear in mind that if we get weather like the winter before last (which seems likely to me) you can wave bye bye to all the time and money invested in it!

better to go for somthing a little hardier. Have a look round your neighbourhood and see what is established that might fit your criteria and go from there.

A slow growing golden conifer is Thuya plicata 'Zebrina' with a delicious pineapple smell when bushed against and if trimmed up properly and trained will give a lovely, easy to manage hedge (I have one).

It generally takes 8-10 years to establish a hedge, so patience. and you will need access to your neighbours to maintain the other side or else the other side will get mangled and the frost will get in the other side of the hedge.

here is a link to Future Forests hedge list (I have bought from them in the past and trees have been sent by post, bareroot in winter) to give you an idea of whats easily available and can be grown in containers if you want too:

http://www.futureforests.net/br_hedging.htm

looksee

Just my opinion, but I would not grow container trees, it is way too easy to lose them - go away for a fortnight in a warm summer, or leave them unwrapped in a cold winter and they are gone. I certainly would not chance a €90 tree in a container, there again I would not pay €90 for a tree!

Oldtree

I was thinking more of the common trees such as ash, beech, chestnut, willows, etc, all of which cost a euro in winter as whips. Like any container or basket they need to be watered while you are away. At the time I didnt wrap my container trees, but saying that I dont know how they would do at the recent -17 degrees. Still most large tree nurserys have container stock that have come through that weather so maby have a look there for ideas.

And no I wouldn't pay €90 for a tree either unless I really wanted it! I did pay €50 for a lovely butan pine in a container which I planted out, and €50 for a new zealand tree fern which died after 8 years af serious winter care!!

Bixy

Depending where you are in Cork, you could think about Pittosporum tenuifolium. Here on the coast in Leinster it is hardy, relatively quick growing but doesn't get too large. While it is more a large shrub than a tree, when it does get big you can cut the lower branches off it to give you a clear trunk in the garden. That way you do not loose too much garden space. Advantages; all year round screening, great honey scent off the tiny flowers. I use it in a small courtyard and it is perfect for screening an overlooking house and, having removed the lower branches to give me a clear stem of about six feet and places to hang the bird feeders off the remaining branches. However if you are inland it may not be hardy enough.

pwurple

looksee wrote: »

If you go for a more mid height tree - around 15 ft - they will start to branch at about the height of your fence and provide privacy from overlooking bedroom windows and look less cluttered in the garden. You would only need maybe one or two in a garden your size with a few shrubs/bushes in between. You could consider silver birch, rowen, hawthorn (tree rather than bush), crab apple, prunus (check height when buying, some of them are big).

+1
To maximise the space in your garden and provide a bit of privacy I would also go for the trees that looksee suggests as well. The birch especially has a great upright form. I would add laburnum as another tree of similar height, flowering at the moment. I have a back wall about the height of your fence, and along it I have a laburnum, a holly (silver queen), silver birch and a prunus. I get flowers from early spring with the prunus, through the summer with the laburnum, great autumn colour, and the holly shines through the winter. Even the bark on those are interesting. The prunus is a rich mahogony colour, the birch is shining silver in the winter, and the laburnum bark is an elf-like green.

There is loads of space beneath them for other planting as well.

Oh, and a great place for small trees like these in Cork is O'Sullivans nursery in Kerrypike. A little bit out of the way, but an excellent nurseryman. Plants are top quality. He really knows his stuff and will give you good planting advice. Prices are reasonable there.

paddy147

Silver/White birch and multi stem birch trees are lovely and dont get too out of control.

Very beautifull gracefull tree that allows lovely little glimmers of light and shade in.:)

NIMAN

Paddy,

How much would one of those well-established trees cost?

And how big will they grow to?

paddy147

NIMAN wrote: »

Paddy,

How much would one of those well-established trees cost?

And how big will they grow to?

I will ask my girlfriend,as shes the real gardener,not me.

Shes a huge fan or birch,and I must admit so am I.She spent a while picking out that particular tree from the Nursery.
It was and is part of her garden design plan and planting scheme/plan

But Im not a horticulturalist or a gardener,she is....I only make the cups of tea and take the pics.:D

Afaik,the pic of my missus holding the tree..that tree will grow to about 9-10 meters,eventually

It was 4.5 tall meters when she bought it and planted it last year.

She has a particular procedure for pruning a tree aswell,but like I said,I dont have a bloody clue,as Im not the gardener,Im only the deputy,shes the sheriff.

slowburner

paddy147 wrote: »

Silver/White birch and multi stem birch trees are lovely and dont get too out of control.

Very beautifull gracefull tree that allows lovely little glimmers of light and shade in.:)

I'll second that.
Low maintenance, attractive in themselves, and screening with dappled light rather than total shade - what more could you ask for?

looksee

Pittisporum (mentioned earlier) is a very attractive shrub, I love the black stem and the wrinkly leaves, but be warned, they can grow huge, in a spot where they are happy they grow into a full sized, solid tree. I had a lovely one in the garden, but I had to take it out as it was overwhelming the area.

yllw.ldbttr

slowburner wrote: »

paddy147 wrote: »

Silver/White birch and multi stem birch trees are lovely and dont get too out of control.

Very beautifull gracefull tree that allows lovely little glimmers of light and shade in.:)

I'll second that.
Low maintenance, attractive in themselves, and screening with dappled light rather than total shade - what more could you ask for?

Thanks, any idea what price range I should expect to pay, at maybe 8-10 feet?
Also, do they require a lot of sun, that area only gets a few hours per day of direct sunlight and can be quite boggy/ wet due to poor drainage. Would this be a problem and does this tree survive cold winters in general?

Thanks to everyone for your advice.

paddy147

yllw.ldbttr wrote: »

Thanks, any idea what price range I should expect to pay, at maybe 8-10 feet?
Also, do they require a lot of sun, that area only gets a few hours per day of direct sunlight and can be quite boggy/ wet due to poor drainage. Would this be a problem and does this tree survive cold winters in general?

Thanks to everyone for your advice.

Well our garden is a north facing garden and gets a few hours sunshine each day.

I do know that my missus mixed in comppst,manure,and alot of horticultural grit too.The grit is very good for drainage.

I,ll ask her later on,regarding prices and about the soil type.:)

pwurple

Those photos are of a himalayan birch, not the silver. A great tree. The multistem might be a bit of overkill for by a garden fence. That's more of a focal point tree there.

Pittosporums are a big family, some are huge, some are tiny. Irene Paterson might be a good one. It's the fifth on this page. About 1.5 meters tall.. and would compliment the birch too.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/searchbynameresults?nm=Pittosporum&op=0

macraignil

I have seen some birch trees grown too big for a small garden. One where a friend moved to recently had even cracked the garden wall.

slowburner

yllw.ldbttr wrote: »

Thanks, any idea what price range I should expect to pay, at maybe 8-10 feet?
Also, do they require a lot of sun, that area only gets a few hours per day of direct sunlight and can be quite boggy/ wet due to poor drainage. Would this be a problem and does this tree survive cold winters in general?

Thanks to everyone for your advice.

The native silver birch will do just fine on boggy ground - they're a pioneer species.

paddy147

macraignil wrote: »

I have seen some birch trees grown too big for a small garden. One where a friend moved to recently had even cracked the garden wall.

There are various ways to keep a tree at a specific height and width,if you dont want it to outgrow the garden.

Alof of people do just whack in a tree and dont think of 20+ years down the line,but there are various methods and ways of prunning a tree so that it maintains a specific shape and height and still compliments the garden space.



I know its not the ideal solution,but if you had gone and planted a tree that would become a large tree in time,but you didnt know at the time of planting,then this is the way to keep it to a specific height and shape that you want.