Sapling ideas

[britespark1]

Hi, my DS has read about the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative about planting trees and would love us to buy a sapling to plant, however we have a typical new build house and garden therefore not a massive amount of space.

Does anyone please have any recommendations for which sort we could buy please? Thank you.

How about an acer? They look incredible and don’t grow too big.

Crab apple? Or maybe something like a hawthorn that you can trim into a bushy shape or grow as a small tree.

Thank you both. I really am clueless but will have a look at your suggestions.

If you want something for wildlife and looks, a rowan (mountain ash) is lovely. Very pretty tree.

Amelanchier, berries in autumn, flowers in spring, nice leaf colour spring and autumn.

Winter flowering cherry, small flowers all through winter, good autumn leaf colour

Ok, as I did an exam on this exactly this today but this question didn't bloody come up....
Amelanchier x Grandiflora 'Ballerina'
Acer griseum
Betula utilis var jacquemontii 'Moonbeam'
Malus 'Laura'
Malus 'Golden Hornet'
Magnolia stellata 'Jane Platt'
Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet'
Laurus nobilis
Photinia 'Red Robin'
Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

Now back off to revision for my last exam (cyclamen, poinsettia, tomatoes and a few other randoms)

Ooh, what are you studying for?

Yes agree especially Amelanchier, ornamental cherry, crab apple.

Some other options
Silver birch
Olive tree (if you want evergreen)

You can also get pleached trees if you want to save space, pleached hornbeam for example. Quite a formal look.

If you only have a narrow flowerbed to plant it in then be careful about the pot size or rootball size, you may have to start with a small one and be patient.

Another vote for Rowan- doesnt get too big, pretty leaves, blossom, fruit for the birds or for rowan wine, and autumn colour. So basically everything, super wildlife-friendly, and no thorns that will find themselves in your wellies or jumper sleeves at some point. Deciduous, so lots of winter light.
Or . . Cornelian cherry for the very early flowers, helping bumblebee queens who stagger out mid-winter when it has been a very warm january, then all die of weakness.

@Harrysmummy246

Ok, as I did an exam on this exactly this today but this question didn't bloody come up.... Amelanchier x Grandiflora 'Ballerina' Acer griseum Betula utilis var jacquemontii 'Moonbeam' Malus 'Laura' Malus 'Golden Hornet' Magnolia stellata 'Jane Platt' Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet' Laurus nobilis Photinia 'Red Robin' Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

Now back off to revision for my last exam (cyclamen, poinsettia, tomatoes and a few other randoms)

Does your poinsettia exam cover how to not kill it and make it come red again next year?

If so would be very grateful for a summary

@MrsBertBibby My RHS level 2 cert to go with (another but hopefully final) career change to actually gardening for a living

@Billybagpuss Not too cold, no draughts, don't let them dry out and feed occasionally is the gist of the first part. 2nd part redness is to do with making sure they don't have too many hours of light in the run up to xmas- they need what is called a short day (I think 10 hours or less, it didn't come up and now I have wine!). So darkness for 14 hours then bright light for 10

Wow! Thank you all so much!!

Not sure about Laurus nobilis! Once it gets large it grows at the heck of a rate. Mine was keeping pace with an overgrown conifer hedge. We took it down to 5ft about 5years back and it’s already back up to 12. Surprisingly pretty when in flower, and, of course, edible in the sense of bay leaves. No Portuguese meat dish would be happy without its folho de louro.

Poinsettia: I was able to put mine in a back room that we didn’t use in the evening, so no light after sun down. Otherwise you have to put a light proof box over it each evening.

Some bushy poinsettias turn out to be half a dozen just about rooted cuttings, it’s no reflection on you if you can’t keep these going.

It's on the RHS list as suitable (defined as below 10m).

Feel free to argue with them.

Just because they say it's suitable doesn't mean it is for the OP's setting. 10m is way too big for a lot of gardens, especially modern new builds.

Indeed, but I have yet to see a bay tree anywhere near that if I'm honest. I look after 5 at one work place, none of which would be too big for a new build garden. Certainly not 12 foot monstrosities growing before the eyes.

I didn't just reel off the list, I did actually consider what to suggest.... I'd not be actually any good as a gardener otherwise

@Harrysmummy246

It's on the RHS list as suitable (defined as below 10m).

Feel free to argue with them.

Yeah, well that’s 33ft of bushy evergreen, and it gets there quite fast once it’s established. I currently have two of them (plus 3 in pots whose growth is therefore constrained) and removed another which was first floor window level and in the wrong place.

I suspect they may stay slow for quite a while. But once they have a good root system and trunks of 15cm or so, they have a lot of energy to put into growth. They’re amenable to pruning, but you don’t want to add work without good reason.

A triple apple tree - 3 different apple varieties on one tree. Have one in the garden and it hasn't grown too big.

Fruit trees on dwarf rooting stock won't get too big. I would recommend quince as they make beautiful trees, amazing blossom and you can't get the fruit in the supermarket.

I also have a Rowan in a pot which is wonderful.

A self-fertile fruit tree on dwarf root stock.

Cherry might be good. Lovely blossom and tasty fruit.