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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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Original poster

Monkey puzzle tree

15 replies

Lovemusic33 · 02/05/2021 18:44

The monkey puzzle tree has always been on my wish list and today I was out and about and spotted one for sale outside someone’s house so I had to have it. Firstly I have no idea where to plant it, I don’t really have a spot for it unless I dig a hole in my lawn. Would it be ok to stay in a pot for a while? It’s about 2ft tall so only a baby. Also it looks a bit yellow on the tips, does that mean it needs feeding? What kind of soil do they prefer?

OP posts:

MilduraS · 02/05/2021 20:15

It should do ok in a large pot for a few years. They're slow growing but I'd still be wary of putting it into a lawn at any point unless you have a very large garden. There are two in front gardens near me and they are both taller than the houses and block a lot of light.

Original poster

Lovemusic33 · 02/05/2021 22:13

Thank you, I think I will keep it in a pot until Iain the lottery and can buy a house with a big garden🤣.

My garden is a ok size but I don’t want it to block out sunlight. Maybe keeping it in a pot will stop it growing too big? I’m worried once it’s planted in the ground it would be hard to move as they do grow quite a big root system.

OP posts:

MereDintofPandiculation · 02/05/2021 22:52

it would be hard to move as they do grow quite a big root system. It would be hard to move because you can't get near the thing to dig it up! They're lovely trees, very striking in their looks, but, my goodness, they're vicious!

doodlejump1980 · 02/05/2021 22:56

Plus they’re protected the SECOND you plant them. In a pot you can move them, but digging them up when they become invariably too big is a nightmare.

viques · 03/05/2021 10:45

They grow enormous! Eventually. They are also quite greedy for water and nutrients so nothing will grow under them, and they are very spikey. They are spectacular though. A few years ago we were walking Offas Dyke and came across a little grove of them -complete with cute wild ponies - totally unexpected. Apparently there had been a local land owner who was a bit of a plant collector and he had had them planted on the hill on a whim, and they took, of course. I wish he had planted native trees instead, I think specimen trees belong in an arboretum or park, not gardens or wild areas.

MereDintofPandiculation · 04/05/2021 08:48

@doodlejump1980

Plus they’re protected the SECOND you plant them. In a pot you can move them, but digging them up when they become invariably too big is a nightmare.

What do you mean by “protected”?

QueenAdreena · 04/05/2021 08:54

Someone who lives near us has one in their front garden. It is enormous and must block all the light into their front windows. Their neighbours hate it too. I would be very cautious about planting one in the ground!

Original poster

Lovemusic33 · 04/05/2021 09:11

I think I will keep it in a pot 🤣

I don’t think they are protected once planted, I was watching a gardening programme a few weeks ago where they cut down/dug up a monkey puzzle tree. I can imagine it being quite hard to get rid of one though once it’s established. I’m awaiting a delivery of a bigger pot for it to go in.

OP posts:

MereDintofPandiculation · 05/05/2021 12:27

@doodlejump1980 What do you mean by "protected"? Do you mean physically protected by their sharp pointed leaves? Or do you mean protected in law?

SycamoreGap · 05/05/2021 12:32

Don't plant it out - they are huge and then the council add a protection order and you are stuffed.

doodlejump1980 · 05/05/2021 12:38

Protected in law I’m afraid. You can move them in a planter fine, but once they’re in the ground they’re protected.

Pinkywoo · 05/05/2021 12:57

Google tells me that they it's illegal to cut them down in their native Chile, but in the UK they're only protected if they have a TPO.

MereDintofPandiculation · 06/05/2021 10:26

@doodlejump1980

Protected in law I’m afraid. You can move them in a planter fine, but once they’re in the ground they’re protected.

Can you give me a reference to that, please? I'm not aware of a similar level of protection being given to any other tree.

IamwhoIsayIam · 06/05/2021 16:10

Oh no! I wish I hadn't read this thread!

I just planted a monkey puzzle tree taken from my Dad's house. He died last June so it is kind of sentimental.

It's only 2ft tall and I've planted it against the back wall of the garden, at the back of a bed.

Should I root it up again and put in a giant pot?

I thought it was so slow growing it would never be an issue in my life-time/ownership of the garden.

MereDintofPandiculation · 07/05/2021 11:14

@doodlejump1980 Have you a reference to the law protecting monkey puzzles in the UK? I'm not aware of any other tree being similarly protected. On the internet I can find references to it being protected in Chile, but no reference to protection of commercially grown trees in the UK. I also find it hard to imagine Leeds Council planting monkey puzzles within feet of the inner ring road if that committed them to keeping the trees till they were 80ft high.

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