Help choosing trees for containers

paddylonglegs

hi there,

im looking for some suggestions on which trees to choose for some large containers at the front of my bungalow

some details:
- bungalow house, south facing
- half red brick on the left, half white render on the left
- 4 painted wooden planters will be placed at the front of the house
- each planter will be 600mm (2ft) wide x 600mm deep x 900mm (3ft) high

the wall area behind each planter in between the windows and doors is approx 600mm (2ft) or a little more.

Im hoping to choose trees that won’t be much higher thank the roof gutters - the scale might look out of place. So I guess after they’re placed in the container they won’t want to be much more than 6ft high. I think the spread shouldn’t be too wide either so not to cover the windows and doors.

At at the moment I’m envisaging himalayan silver birch of some kind. I really like these but wonder would they suit my application? Is it possible to get a dwarf specie or stung the growth?

i also think olive trees would be nice but they take years and years to get to any substantial size.

I also wouldnt dismiss a nice pine tree and I would consider magnolias. I’m just not sure what’s best for this situation.

Any ideas would be great, I’m finding a bit tricky and am open to suggestions.

New Home

60cm by 60cm by 90cm seem very small to me for trees that size, they won't have enough soil.

Wheety

How long have you got and how big do you want them to get?

How about a couple of shrubs?

https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/p/thuja-occidentalis-smaragd----emerald/thuja_smaragd


Or check here
https://www.johnstowngardencentre.ie/c/plants-for-front-doors/884

looksee

Agree with NewHome, that size of container is not big enough for a 6ft tree. That will be another issue with the pot size, they will dry out too quickly with something big in them. Also though, and without seeing the situation, I think to go to gutter height would be too much, they will look out of proportion.

As to the trees, silver birch would be very unhappy in that circumstance, a south facing wall will be a suntrap and I don't think a forest tree would do well there. All your suggestions are robust trees, I think you need to be thinking more shrub or dwarf tree. I wonder would standard roses look good? Or alternate them with something like Cypress Goldcrest.

New Home

Maybe a trellis of jasmine? The soil in the pot would probably (only probably, mind you!) be enough, and if you plant a tall trellis in it it'd climb up easily enough. Not sure how it'd fare in direct sun, though.

Lumen

Why containers? Do you need to move them around?

paddylonglegs

Lumen wrote: »

Why containers? Do you need to move them around?

Hi there guys,

Thanks for all the advice. Some good points that I wouldn’t have had enough experience to know about.

The front garden is all concrete, therefore I don’t have any other option than containers. I currently have many pots in the front with different plants, but it’s just too untidy now , and time consuming, and I want to be able to strip it back to a few large containers, and simplify.

My thoughts were that I would like to have some structure to the plant in winter, ie interesting bark when the leaves are off. That’s where I thought the likes of a silver birch would work. I also felt I need some height so that it will a. Cover the wall behind, and b. Be proportionate to the container it’s sitting in.

I would prefer to stay away from the climber on trellis, iv tried a couple and would prefer the simplicity of a tree/ tall shrub.

Timing wise, I would prefer to see some height within the next couple of years. We will be in that house for approx 8 - 10 more years. I don’t feel I have 20 years for a pine to grow.

rolion

Hi,

Been in your position couple of years ago.
Loved the green leafs and the nature,the birds and the trees in a concrete and steel sorroundings.

Decided to buy few trees from H E R E .
There were careful selected to be in same polenisation group.I have two apples,two plums,two cherries adn two pears.
Plus few double treees on same tree.

Bought plastic containers from local shops but with the castors/whels under so i can move them around easily.
I think they were 80 litres if i rememember now.
I up some pictures in the weather topic...

Filled with organic manure and top soil.
Dropped few times organic chicken pelletes,to give them soem extra "vitamins"
Trees started to blossom from first year i even eat fruits off them.
Now,year two,they are nice,healthy and blossoming nicely in this cold.

You might be able to do same,in moving plastic containers.
Keep the trees in small nice round shape.
I expect that i have to change the soil in one two years maybe but that should be enjoyable.

Have fun...

Lumen

Many trees are just not going to work in a container. Silver birch, no way. These are the roots of a mature silver birch:



Other birches, maybe.

https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/small-betula-birch-trees-trees-c183#t16

e.g. Betula utilis jacquemontii 'Trinity College'
https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/betula-jacquemontii-trinity-college-p1013

rolion's fruit tree approach is good, because you can choose a rootstock of exactly the size you want.

Otherwise, Acer (maple) varieties are obvious choices, if they're reasonably well sheltered.

More ideas here:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=274

magicbastarder

bay?

New Home

A small Japanese maple, maybe? But again, in a larger container.