TREES IN POTS

● When planting trees in containers, especially in an exposed situation such as a roof terrace, you can’t afford to be impatient. Choose saplings of no more than 1-1.2m to give them a chance to establish themselves and deal with wind-rock.

● Good ones to try include olive trees, because the UK’s cooler, northern climate stunts their growth; a small acer, such as Acer palmatum var dissectum ‘Firecracker’; or ornamental crab apples, including Malus ‘Evereste’ and M x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’.

● Another possibility is the weeping pear, Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’. Use as large a container as you have room for, and fill it to within 10cm of the top, to allow for watering, with a mixture of manure, good-quality compost and horticultural grit for drainage.

● Trees need regular watering and the compost should be topped up annually, with a good feed of manure and mulch in autumn.