False_Acacia
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Ideas for trees in a long, narrow garden?

I'm trying to create a 'meadow' in one area of my garden. I've had some advice on ways of creating the right mix of grass and flowers but I'd like to plant 1-3 trees in the space. The space is 30 metres long but only 7 metres wide so I can't have a species that grows too wide (or too tall, really). My landscaper has suggested fruit trees (e.g. apple) but I don't want to attract wasps. Can you guys suggest something attractive, perhaps scented that won't grow too big? I'm in England but in the Southern part so most things - except seriously tropical plants - can be grown here.

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bonsaiboy
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Try growing a hardy species of palm tree. There trunks can't realy thicken, and there roots cannot grow longer once they reach a certain point. Some species to try would be a Windmill Palm, or the Canary Island Date Palm (wich does grow big, but not wide). Also, you could try a species of hardy cycad, like cycas revoluta. They grow slowly, and need there soil on the dry side, but they can be quite intresting with age.

jdeb
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Location: Somerset

Hi

You could take a look at one or more of the following:

Malus hupehensis (a crab apple). Pretty flowers and fruit - but bitter so it does not attact wasps. Very upright and will never make a big tree.

Prunus sargentii Racho. Flowering Cherry and unpright (incredibly narrow).


Good luck

J

Toms92gp
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[quote="jdeb"]Hi

Malus hupehensis (a crab apple). Pretty flowers and fruit - but bitter so it does not attact wasps. Very upright and will never make a big tree.

[quote]

That was going to be my one of my suggestions, they are pretty trees in full bloom and never get much over 20ft (6.5m) tall.
Japanese maples are good small trees to, they don't have colorfull blooms but they can have colorful follage.
Crepe myrtles are great small trees, Late summer they cover themself in Colorful flowes when not many other trees or shrubs are blooming, their leaves are small so they cast filtered shade that isn't dense so other plants grow good around them. The usually grow more up right then out generally 12ft (4m)wide by 20ft (6.5m) tall.
Dogwoods are good to for a small garden, beautiful spring flowers, with small red berrys in the fall and even into early winter after the leaves fall off that attract the birds. the grow 20-30 ft (6.5-10m) tall

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applestar
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:mrgreen: :mrgreen: I'm doing something similar with my small garden :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
So here are some ideas that I've been mulling around.

If you want a meadow, you probably don't want trees that cast heavy shade. (Of course this depends on which compass direction your garden is oriented) Also, I think a meadow would look better planted with native plant community members. So that's something to think about. What is a typical volunteer trees in a meadow in your area? Is there a wooded area in any direction of the proposed garden? What kind of trees are they? The effect you're looking for is that a seed wafted in on the breeze or was dropped by a passing bird to naturally take root in your meadow. You might also look up larval host trees and shrubs for your local butterflies. This would invite them to stay in your meadow garden.

If you don't want a fruiting tree, how about a nitrogen fixer? I don't know what is native to your area, so this isn't exactly the one you want, but golden honey locust tree casts a nice soft shade. So something similar to honey locust (acacia?)/robinia in the smaller size might be a good fit.
You might also consider bigger shrubs rather than trees. Bay laurel or bayberry maybe. Or shrubs that can be limbed up into small trees.

Think useful -- how about dog rose or apple rose with their edible hips?

Are you sure you don't want fruit trees? Columnar apple trees wouldn't take up much horizontal space at all, and many other dwarf fruit trees can be espaliered (although that's kind of OPPOSITE the meadow effect... :roll: )

Check out the Permaculture sub-forum. That's where I'm getting most of my ideas from. :wink:

False_Acacia
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Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:19 pm
Location: England

Thanks for all the ideas.

My 'native' trees vary hugely - the Surrey Hills have both ancient English woodland type trees (oak, yew, ash, rowan, birch, lilac, willow) and more exotic species (magnolia, mimosa) that have been grown here since the middle of the c18th. Plus heaps and heaps of fruit trees (which I don't want for the 'wasp' reason).



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