Help... what trees will be best...

... on a gentle slope, with clayish soil (site of old brickworks factory)in an area where most soil is chalky?

It can get a bit windy, and is a pretty exposed spot.

I am looking to put a mix of trees in ideally.

And....finally.... where is the best place to buy good trees??

 

Hello, siriusb.

Well, that's a lot of questions in one go and I'm sorry but I can't help you so someone else will have to come to your rescue.

I can, however, welcome you to GC and hope you enjoy your stay with us.

 

Quite a question, Siriusb! :D

Are you thinking of the trees being a windbreak, planted as a row, or individuals?

Apart from acers, and probably fruit trees, pretty much any native tree would work well enough. You'd have to think about size, though. Trees are potentially very big things, which is something a lot of people underestimate.

Have a look at this site, where they provide trees for hedging - that might give you some ideas.

http://www.hedging.co.uk/acatalog/Index_Hedging__Trees__Shrubs___Conifers_1.html

There's also an excellent catalogue with photos from this one

http://www.hopesgrovenurseries.co.uk/index.htm

I got a lot of trees from the second one, and they were good, and a decent price, I felt.

 

The trees are likely to be planted in an unstructured manner as they are forming part of a area of rememberance for a recently passed friend. They will have lots of space and no underground pipes etc to worry about.

 

Maybe it's worth thinking about any favourites that friend might have had?

If there aren't any that spring to mind, I'd go with the sort that you see around in what's left of the woodland down south, like sycamores, ash, even chestnuts if space is no object, or if there's a bit less space, hawthorn, guelder rose, rowan..... they would all do fine, and there are lots more. If you google for native British trees, you'll get some more ideas, and more detail on them all. I'd advise getting them as whips, staking them well, and putting protectors on the stems.

Good luck.

 

Hi siriusb,

Here are a selection of my favourite trees taken from my garden. You might see some you like that you can research further for your location.

BM

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=21;t=000192;p=1#000000

 

Hi BM, how are you thanks for pm, happy new year to you my good mate. have wraped up my banana trees in the garden with fleece. at night they look like ghosts specially on a moonlit night. my eddible banana too is serviving. I hope to see some progress this year. I had a load of farm manure delivered to the allotment so I will be feeding my banana trees with them.

 

Sounds like there are some pampered bananas in Leicester :D

 

yeah man!!!!!!!!!!

 

siriusb - for my two pennyworth, think of what you want to achieve from the site - if its remembrance and you don't know what your friend liked - then think of colour and interest through the seasons. Spring flowers, summer foliage, autumn colour/fruit, and winter interest.

For spring flowers and autumn colour - amalancia, prunus, sorbus, rowan or acer.
For winter interest - dogwoods,white barked birch, scots pine
Summer foliage - cotinus, acer, rowan and birch.

Hawthorne is marvelous, but takes a few years to flower. Consider also apples, and other fruit trees.

I would map out your area and plan it out - so that whatever time of year friends and family visit, there will be something to please . Don't forget underplanting with bulbs - snowdrops, english bluebells and narcissus.