Tree in a pot?

Hi
I'm not much of a gardener.. sorry
The Mrs bought a tree seat for the front garden, which is flagged.

I'm looking for recommendations for a small tree that can be grown in a pot that we can put in the middle of this.
Bay? Kilmarnock Willow? Acer?
The mind boggles.
TIA
Dave

 

Hi Dave .
I see you're in Castleford, but can you give a bit more information to help with advice please?
Is the location sunny or shady, or maybe it only gets sunshine for a certain length of time each day. Also is it quite sheltered by surrounding houses or a bit of a wind tunnel, that kind of thing ?

If you can post a photo that would help. I would advise on how to do that, but I'm a newbie here myself.

 

When you say "small", what kind of final height did you have in mind? And what is the largest diameter and height pot that you can fit in the centre?

 

Hi @Davecl - Kilmarnock Willow really won't work for a couple of reasons, and willows in general would be difficult in a pot as they do like a lot of moisture.
As the others have said, a wee bit more info will be really helpful.
Trees are much harder to keep in containers, as they rely on you totally for their needs, and keeping them well watered through summer could be difficult in long dry spells, because rain also can't get through the tree canopy easily. COul dyou plant it directly in the ground, or is that not possible?
@JennyJB is in/near Doncaster, so she might be able to help too.

 

I don't grow any kind of willow - they need lots of water and we don't normally get that in the summertime. I think you'd be forever watering one in a pot.
You'll need something fairly upright if you want to be able to sit on the bench, so maybe not an acer. A standard bay might work but they tend to take a beating in the winter if you get a cold snap. I wonder if a standard rose might work in a big container, but I don't really grow roses (my soil's not really suitable for them).
Is there any chance of lifting a flag or two and make a planting space in the ground? That would give you much more choice, such as a flowering cherry or crabapple, or the upright form of amelanchier.

 

I am growing a Kilmarnock Willow in a pot and I don't water it, but I am in the rainy NW. However I wouldn't recommend one for that position as the hanging branches would possibly get in the way of peoples' heads when they are sitting on the bench. Also tbh it is ugly and I am thinking of getting rid of it. Last year it was completely destroyed by caterpillars and if it is the same this year it will be out!

 

A narrow form of Amelanchier might work. You'd need to have a large pot and be prepared to keep it well watered and fed during the growing season. I have an A. 'Obelisk" in a narrow bed alongside a fence in quite shallow soil, so similar to being in a large pot.

It's quite a tidy tree once the flowers have faded!

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Sorry for the delay, I didn't get any notifications for some reason.
Here is a pic in situ.
It gets full sun from around 1pm till sunset.
The garden has not long been redone like this so don't really want to take any flags up.

 

That looks a decent enough space for a big container
I think I'd go for one of the Amelanchiers as it would give you a nice canopy, without being too oppressive, and there's a decent length of season with them - foliage starting around now, flowers and fruits, and then foliage colour for autumn.

It might be worth moving the seat away, placing and planting up the container, maybe tying any branches so that they're reasonably upright, and then placing the seating arrangement back over it. It would be very difficult to do it the other way round. It's also worth remembering that it won't be very easy to get back in for maintenance, unless the seat is in two or more pieces and youcan move a piece away for doing that.

 

Sorry guys, but after much thought we've cheated and gone plastic

 

Oh that's a shame...but hey, your garden, your choice.

 

Actually that looks fun!

 

Just be aware that coconuts are heavy and can cause damage when they fall, even plastic ones

 

We have a fig tree in a very large container. This is the last repot. If we could find a bigger container, we'd need a crane!
I grow it for foliage as I don't like figs, which is fortunate as the squirrels nick and discard them while they are still unripe

 

How very sensible!
Not every ones choice but for you it sounds perfect. No rotting leaves, flowers or fruit to clean off the seating. No watering, feeding, pruning etc., to worry about so no guilt if the tree died from lack of care.
Perfict!!