Native tree suggestions for small garden

Deedsie

Hi,

I want to plant a native tree or trees along the fence behind the oil tank in the attached picture. Its about 3.6 metres across from shed to wall.

The sun never directly touches this part of the garden so it is quite wet a lot of the time. I am hopeful trees may soak up a bit of the moisture.

Most of my effort so far wemt into sorting the lawn etc but now I would like to introduce some life into the garden, ideally trees that birds and insects could use as they mature.

Any suggestions? When would be a good time to plant them?

macraignil

Maybe elderflower. Here is a link to a short video clip of a purple leaf variety in my own garden. It has already grown a bit more for me this year and is looking more impressive but seems a bit more refined than the wild green leaved type and they are not generally very big trees. You need to check on the varieties you pick as I think you would be better going for smaller varieties with some types of cherry or cotoneaster also being good options for flowers and fruit for wildlife. I have some pear, plum and apples as well that have nice flowers and are growing on dwarfing root stock that means they should not get too big.

uck51js9zml2yt

macraignil wrote: »

Maybe elderflower. Here is a link to a short video clip of a purple leaf variety in my own garden. It has already grown a bit more for me this year and is looking more impressive but seems a bit more refined than the wild green leaved type and they are not generally very big trees. You need to check on the varieties you pick as I think you would be better going for smaller varieties with some types of cherry or cotoneaster also being good options for flowers and fruit for wildlife. I have some pear, plum and apples as well that have nice flowers and are growing on dwarfing root stock that means they should not get too big.

Do you harvest your berries or flowers?

macraignil

Kannon Sticky Vibraphone wrote: »

Do you harvest your berries or flowers?

Mostly just leave them for the wildlife to appreciate. Tried the elderflower champagne brewing before and it got contaminated with some mold and did not work. My uncle was able to make a good wine out of elderberries according to my aunt but not tried it myself. I did add some of my blackcurrants to a wine brew kit before and they seemed to add to the flavour.



The elderberries are fairly small so would be a bit fiddly to work with. I'm growing lots of redcurrant, blackberry, blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberries and gooseberries that I would use more as they are good to eat raw. I've read the elder berries need to be cooked to be OK to eat and I don't like jam which would be the obvious thing to use them for.

uck51js9zml2yt

macraignil wrote: »

Mostly just leave them for the wildlife to appreciate. Tried the elderflower champagne brewing before and it got contaminated with some mold and did not work. My uncle was able to make a good wine out of elderberries according to my aunt but not tried it myself. I did add some of my blackcurrants to a wine brew kit before and they seemed to add to the flavour.



The elderberries are fairly small so would be a bit fiddly to work with. I'm growing lots of redcurrant, blackberry, blackcurrant, strawberry, raspberries and gooseberries that I would use more as they are good to eat raw. I've read the elder berries need to be cooked to be OK to eat and I don't like jam which would be the obvious thing to use them for.

My wife makes elderflower tea.

Picked loads of blackberry in our field this week.

macraignil

Kannon Sticky Vibraphone wrote: »

My wife makes elderflower tea.

Picked loads of blackberry in our field this week.

Had not heard about the tea option so will try that next year.


Wild blackberries were a bit smaller than usual this year around here but I have planted a thornless variety that consistently gives much bigger berries. It's also much less troublesome to manage and pick the berries when there are no thorns. I think I noticed more fruit eaten by the birds this year for some reason. They even picked most of the gooseberries and redcurrants before they got properly ripe.

uck51js9zml2yt

macraignil wrote: »

Had not heard about the tea option so will try that next year.


Wild blackberries were a bit smaller than usual this year around here but I have planted a thornless variety that consistently gives much bigger berries. It's also much less troublesome to manage and pick the berries when there are no thorns. I think I noticed more fruit eaten by the birds this year for some reason. They even picked most of the gooseberries and redcurrants before they got properly ripe. Not short berries though as Autumn raspberries are still producing and grapes are nearly ripe in the poly-tunnel.

How big a garden have you? Where are you.

looksee

Again not native, but amalanchier might suit. It is difficult enough to think of smaller native woodland trees - I say woodland as the requirement to grow in a shady spot suggests woodland. You don't have a lot of space so something with a lot of interest - leaf colour, flowers, fruit etc would be preferable.

macraignil

Kannon Sticky Vibraphone wrote: »

How big a garden have you? Where are you.

In North County Cork. Got about a quarter of an acre that has a polytunnel and on which I used to grow some vegetables for sale to some restaurants. Had to let it go back to nature a bit with changes in work meaning I hadn't enough time to tend to the vegetables which were on too small a scale to be really profitable anyway. Had hoped to get in a couple of pigs to help with clearing the ground and using unsold vegetables but it turns out they don't get on well with horses so that is not an option. Got an irregular shaped area of about half an acre around the house that was built about five years ago that I have been setting out with fruit and flowers for wildlife and a few things for use in the kitchen. Living on the girlfriend's family farm so get to do some planting to improve the hedge rows as well and even had space to plant one of those giant redwood trees that I can see from the back garden and hope will survive to get to a decent size in future.

macraignil

looksee wrote: »

Again not native, but amalanchier might suit. It is difficult enough to think of smaller native woodland trees - I say woodland as the requirement to grow in a shady spot suggests woodland. You don't have a lot of space so something with a lot of interest - leaf colour, flowers, fruit etc would be preferable.

+1 on amelanchier being a good option.

Graces7

How about fuchsias? Even out here in the exposed ocean winds they thrive.

Flowers in abundance and the bees love them. Thick and bushy and tall enough.

The blackberries have been amazing this year. My elderberry tree lost much of its blossom in the early gales so I just added what berries there were to the blackberry jam.

standardg60

Not sure why no one has thought to mention that there are already two trees on the other side of the fence which would make planting a tree pretty pointless imo.
I would also have a word with the neighbour on the left about removing the seeded elder between the sheds as its going to get rampant.

Deedsie

standardg60 wrote: »

Not sure why no one has thought to mention that there are already two trees on the other side of the fence which would make planting a tree pretty pointless imo.
I would also have a word with the neighbour on the left about removing the seeded elder between the sheds as its going to get rampant.

Already approached them prior to us getting our shed. She was happy to leave it behind the shed. Not much more I can say about it really?

How would me planting a tree on my side of the fence be pointless? Id like to plant a tree in my own garden, thats at least one point.

purplesnack

Deedsie wrote: »

Hi,

I want to plant a native tree or trees along the fence behind the oil tank in the attached picture. Its about 3.6 metres across from shed to wall.

The sun never directly touches this part of the garden so it is quite wet a lot of the time. I am hopeful trees may soak up a bit of the moisture.

Most of my effort so far wemt into sorting the lawn etc but now I would like to introduce some life into the garden, ideally trees that birds and insects could use as they mature.

Any suggestions? When would be a good time to plant them?

Would you try Bird Cherry? I have them in my hedge and they produce a lovely flower and fruit. I planted them bareroot in November about 12 years ago. PM me if you would like a good supplier https://treecouncil.ie/project/cherry-bird/

standardg60

Deedsie wrote: »

Already approached them prior to us getting our shed. She was happy to leave it behind the shed. Not much more I can say about it really?

How would me planting a tree on my side of the fence be pointless? Id like to plant a tree in my own garden, thats at least one point.

Fair enough maybe she'll be less happy when it starts destroying her shed :-).

I just mean pointless from a horticultural point of view, as any tree you plant will end up being suffocated by the other two already established trees.

taxusbaccata

For wetter areas smaller Hawthorn, Rowan, Hazel or Guelder Rose would be good native small tree options. The later is a beautiful little tree. For wildlife I'd say Hawthorn is probably the best and is great for pruning and hedging if you want to control its dimensions.