Tree for pot

[Clangershome]

Hello, please can anyone advise on a large-ish tree that will do well in a pot in a warm sunny spot against a fence in a small garden. Looking for height more than depth due to small garden, something that will grow above the 6ft fence for a bit of coverage.

Olive tree?

I don't have one as they are not really my cup of tea but some near neighbours have some very tall specimens in (admittedly v.large) pots and they seem to thrive.

Acer?
Very pretty & comes in lots of varieties.
I think they need acid soil so make sure to ask because otherwise it won’t thrive. They can be expensive depending on size when purchased.
Some are slow growing.
www.rootsplants.co.uk/blogs/features/best-acer-trees#:~:text=Acer%20palmatum%20trees%20are%20perfect,turn%20fully%20red%20in%20autumn.

Dwarf citrus @Clangershome?

Eucalyptus, grows incredibly quickly and high, will be out of control
Bamboo in a pot, we've had one for 16 years in the pot, it was in the ground when we moved here
Buddleja, grow it like a tree

It will need watering in the summer, especially if we get another summer like this one.

To be honest it entirely depends what you grow and how big the pot is

Our eucalyptus I never ever water. And we live in the driest part of the country, might be the second driest actually.

The bamboo takes horrendous amounts of water

Buddleia you cant kill if you tried so I wouldnt have thought that needs a lot of care

Other trees will probably need quite a lot of water.

Interesting about the eucalyptus. Is it one of those miniature varieties? I can't imagine a normal one in a pot. It would have to be massive!

Oh our acer is so gorgeous we love it.

for any tree in pot recommend getting a watering system on timer. So easy to set up and cheap too x

I couldnt tell you what it is. It was tiny when we bought it, in a small pot, it is now nearly at the height of the house, we keep having to get it cut back so its odd looking, it wont stop growing.

Wow. That's impressive. I assume it's quite a big pot.

Thank you for all your replies. Yes what size pot is your eucalyptus tree in? I’ve been thinking of a eucalyptus but my parents mentioned they might be difficult to grow. They are very good gardeners. But they had theirs planted in the ground

Eucalyptus normally need lots of water - they are famously thirsty.

There's a nice dwarf variety called 'France Bleu' that's meant to do well in pots.

(I love eucalyptus!)

Everytime I get back from work and open this site, its dark. I will try to take a picture tomorrow morning

Not thirsty at all, we live in the east and famously get very little rain. However our garden is north facing.

Its tall and spindly, bit of a state but it keeps on going. Im always lopping bits off to try to cut it down

@Arregaithel Citrus are not hardy in the UK.

OP - for a tree that size, it will need to be a seriously big pot.

Thanks all, may look at the dwarf variety France blue that was mentioned. Anyone got one of these? X

What about an amelanchier for year round interest?

My neighbour has a fig tree in a large pot - it will like a sunny spot.

Oh yes. I have a fig in a pot and it is very happy. They like to have squished roots.
I think the dwarf eucalyptus really do only grow to about a meter tall?

Olive trees do well in pots and don’t need a lot of water

Acers wouldn't thrive in a warm sunny spot.
I don't love eucalyptus but they would work. You can stool them to keep them under control.
~Amelanchier and figs are good choices and in a warm sunny London garden you could grow one of the better varieties of fig,
Basically if the pot's big enough you can grow anything that likes those conditions. I wouldn't bother with buddleja. Even the tender ones are a bit weedy.

I have olive and citruses - the citruses did need some watering this summer, but they don't usually need much. They have a fig next door.