Plant/tree to go by front door

[bluebiro]

Can anyone advise what might be a good tree/large plant to have in a pot by the front door? Would need to be fairly narrow - max 50cm width.

I have been looking at Japanese maple (maybe a coral bark) but would they get too wide? I guess I could trim it to keep it narrow but would this look rubbish and/or kill it?

South-facing front door (but in shade from early afternoon due to wall being in the way).

Would be grateful for any suggestions!

Japanese maples often get wider than they are tall, so probably not the best option - how about a standard bay tree?

Bay tree - can be trimmed to the size you want it. That's what I have 😀

Thanks for your replies. I was thinking that bay trees can look a bit "neat" and I was after something a bit "wilder" looking, if you see what I mean, but I guess I could let one grow a bit wilder!

We have two olive trees which look a bit wilder than the bay trees we have at the back of the house.

Hadn't thought of olive trees - will look into those too, thanks

Mine looks fairly wild, which is due to laziness rather than design

Also handy when I need a leaf for cooking

What about a phormium? Some of the striped ones are very striking, they can grow quite tall but aren’t too wide, but if you need to squeeze past them you won’t damage them.

Bays don't need to be neatly trimmed, I hard prune my potted one every 2-3 years and it quickly grows back to a lovely thick multi-stemmed shrub with no shaping needed.

Another option is a sturdy climbing-plant-support-obelisks-type-thingy in a pot with a climber, you can cut long stragglers but leave it looking a bit rambly.

I think an olive tree would be gorgeous! A house near here has two, either side of a soft sage coloured door. Very subtle and smart looking.

Thanks for the further replies - will look into the other suggestions too!

Camellia would be lovely.

Make sure you plant it in ericaceous compost as they are acid-loving plants.

And you get lovely flowers in Spring.

Brown turkey fig.

Also great suggestions, thanks - may look at growing some of these in the back garden too!

The fig tree will need a lot of sun, but they thrive on neglect if that's your thing.

Fig trees get very big eventually - not sure how they'd respond to aggressive pruning required to keep the width you want. They also get very tall, and roots need to be confined - not sure if you were looking for a pot specimen? And they are very slow growing ime. I have a brown turkey in a pot by my back door, which gets sun all day from 10am, and after 4 years it is still only about 40cm tall and last year gave me its first, and so far only, fruit. And they lose all leaves in winter.
Not trying to put you off, but offering my experience in case it helps.

Neglecting plants definitely is my thing unfortunately UntamedWisteria!

I am looking for a plant in a pot, Beware - your advice is useful, thank you.