Your favourite trees for the garden?

[evelynj]

Last week I bought a rowan as a memorial tree for our dearly departed cat & realised that I haven't planted any trees since moving here 3 years ago. I'm missed the silver birches that I planted at my last house & may get a silver birch or 2 for somewhere.

I also saw a snakebark maple that I think I'm going to get today. I like trees that have a pleasing shape but don't know much about where to position them. What are your faves?

I do like the snakebark maples. There is also one with flaky orange/brown bark that is lovely, Acer griseum.

I love trees. I've managed to fit 10 in my small city garden

I like fruit trees. They have beautiful blossom, edible fruit and can be usually pruned to keep them small enough. Amelanchier and crataegus prunifolia are also good small trees - blossom, fruit and then autumn colour too.

Ooh, the griseum does look nice, though I'm somewhat restricted to what the garden centres have locally as I need to do it now! No patience ;). There was a garden programme on ages ago that I just watched where a forester planted his plot 30 years ago & it looked awesome! I'm wondering if I could put a small tree in a pot in the patio too...,,

We have a couple of fruit trees, which are nice and a a Japanese maple which is beautiful with gorgeous pink leaves for part of the year. We also have an accidental horse chestnut, which I would probably not advise...

I seem to have a fruit tree obsession. I've cherry, plum-4 types, 4 apples, 2 pears, and a couple of random ones that I put in this year. You would think I owned a small field, but no, it's just a normal garden that I keep finding space in. We will be over run in a few years with fruit. My oldest pear and apple have been in 6 years and have 200 fruit on each at least.

Don't even get me started on soft fruit bushes!!

Ooh, soft fruit! Keep wanting space for raspberries!

The snake bark maple has just arrived so need to pick a position & get digging!

My neighbour has a beautiful Acer Negundo Flamingo tree, very pretty pink edged leaves.

If hat was my lawn it would have been turned into an orchard!!

My favourite is a Rowan, as well. Have you considered an Amelanchier? Although it is sold as a bush, we grew on as a small tree. They give interest almost all year round.

Ooh the acer & the amelchanier? both look good! Luckily we're on a hilltop with lots of trees/treetops to look over otherwise an orchard would be tempting but the whole area is on a drystone wall that I don't want to put big roots near. May do an acer in a big pot on the patio. Must try not to get carried away!

Fig, plant it into an old washing machine drum to contain the roots. . And greengage. I love my cercis canadensis too.

I'm a big fan of betula jacquemontii - so white, so beautiful! But I do realise it's a bit of a garden design cliche!

You can't beat a good acer - not one of the shaggy ones that looks like a fraggle, but one with stems and structure!

Cloud pruned evergreens look amazing - I mean to give this a go soon!

And I do love a flowering cherry. I was in a garden of rhodos recently, and there was a single cherry tree. It looked so pure and elegant against all these blowsy flowers.