Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Special branch
SALIX CAPREA ‘KILMARNOCK’ My favourite – if height is limited, go for clean green vegetation with this. And it won’t get much past 2.5 metres.
With its weeping characteristic, foliage drapes down with yellowish branches, ovate leaves and catkins.
When to plant
When it comes to planting trees, timing is everything. Autumn is the best time to plant in the ground – once the heat of summer has faded and any risk of waterlogging is at a minimum.
Picking the specimen and site is an important part of the process.
Leave enough time for the task end to end – it will take you about an hour. Dig a hole three times as big as the pot, and the same depth. Soak the root ball in water beforehand to make it easier to loosen the surrounding soil and for roots to spread.
With the base of the trunk at ground level, fill in the hole and firm down so that no air pockets are left.
Then water in well and lay a two to three-inch layer of mulch, made up of loose material, such as bark chippings or compost, that will keep roots moist.
Pot lucky
You might prefer to plant a tree in a pot and save your fixed floor space. This can be done at any time of year, and also means the trees you plant can come with you if you move house.
JAPANESE MAPLE The Acer palmatum cultivar ‘Bloodgood’ has deep red-purple leaves and red fruits in summer – and these beautifully winged samara fruits are ornate, like those on a sycamore tree.
OLIVE These give an unusual Mediterranean twist to any outdoor space. Young specimens are quite happy in a pot as long as they’re not exposed to temperatures below -10°C. Pot up early in the year to establish before winter, and use a loam-based compost and onefifth horticultural grit for drainage.
BLUEBERRY Coming in all shapes and sizes, not only are these quick-growing trees brilliant in a pot on the patio but, to get the most bang for your buck, some will produce fruits for you too.
‘Bluecrop’ cultivar is fast-growing, so it will reach its maximum height of two metres within a few years.