Majeekahead's Blog

How about a deciduous conifer then!

mmmm.... your just not going to give up trying to convert me are you! lol well ok, no doubts that you know your stuff, make me some saggestions, but i don't want anything too big, too expensive, and there are roses planted near by so i don't want anything that will suck all the goodness out of the soil. if you can come up with one that fits the criteria will defo look into it.

Is the area in sun most of the day - and how dry/moist is the soil?

hi spritz, actually the soil is pretty good, it's had a lot of work, so it tends to keep moisture quite well, and it is semi shade in the summer full sun in the winter, so soil is about right really for most things. what do you have in mind?

How about a larch with contorted branches ? nice autumn colour, interesting branches in the winter, very nice in spring as the buds break out into soft green needles, in fact a good all round tree, something a bit unusual and will not suck the life out of the ground. can also be selectively pruned if neccessary to keep it in bounds. It's a grafted tree so might cost you between £12-20 depending on size .

I was wondering about a Camellia as you said you have Azaleas and Rhododendrons. I can't grow them as our soil isn't acid, but I have a beautiful red Camellia (bought and potted to celebrate our Ruby Wedding). it's just coming into flower now. It's C.japonica 'Adolphe Audusson' and the only direction Camellias don't appreciate is to face East, as the frost can catch them and burn the petals. It's a beautiful shrub and you could plant smaller things within your colour scheme under it and in front for later in the year. You could also plant a small flowered Clematis (a viticella?) to climb through it. I've got a red one called Mme Julia Correvon. She has settled down nicely and seems to enjoy scrambling through shrubs! Any help? You like - or not?

Barbara, only problem with Camellias, short period of interest.

How about a flowering currant - ribes sanguiuineum (the ordinary pink flowered one). You prune it immediately after flowering so as the season progresses, your bins get progressively hidden. Or a weigela, but that will need cutting down in mid summer, just when you want it to be hiding things.

thank you so much for all your saggestions, i will look into them all in the next couple of days, - i do like the idea of camellias, although the flowers are short lived, they are big and blousy and evergreen - had'nt thought of them till now as i had one in my garden at my old house a few years back which was pink, and i always think of them as pink even though i know you can get other colours. my only concern is are the toxic? i know that rhododendrons are and azaleas can be doggie, i have lots of them but they are all in the front garden for this reason. what ever goes in this location has to be safe, as it is in 'her' part of the garden! - will look into it tho. i also like the idea of ribes i did have one in this garden when we moved in, but it was in completely the wrong place, so i tried to move it, but it was too big and did'nt take at all, so this is also a good possibility, but i really want red or blue rather than pink, but i think i have seen a red one before - are there any red varieties that are good Andrew? and weigela another good idea, you can get one with a dark red follege if i am not mistaken, but as with the camellia, not sure if it is safe, will look into it. and bluespruce i would really like a tree there so i don't know the one that you have reccomended, but it seems to fit into what i want so i shull also have a look at that too. another couple of ideas i have had myself are a spring flowering cenanothus or dog wood (red stems)- not much going on in the summer i know but you can get some nice variegated varieties that might fit in quite well, - not sure on that tho. i'll do some research and let you know what i think. once again thank you all.

i just had a look at some Larch trees, and while i agree they are beautiful, they are fast growing and get to over 100ft - a bit on the large side me thinks, unless you know of a variety which is dwaf?

Angie baby :o) - I grow over one thousand ornemental and dwarf conifers, did you really think I would recommend a species type for such a restricted space. How about a camellia ? :o)

I agree that the Camellia flowers don't last all that long, but if majeeka planted a Clematis to scramble through it, she'd have a lovely evergreen glossy-leaved shrub, big beautiful flowers in spring AND colour later on! I shall defend my suggestion and hope she likes it! Sorry, but I don't like the smell of Ribes, it smells like cat pee. (OOOh how rude!) I keep my nose well away from mine (white) and the flowers don't last too long on them, anyway! Larches are my very favourite trees. Pity they grow so big!

That's my point! there are many, dwarf and ornamental varieties. So they do not have to get BIG!

Forget conifers,I'm flogging a dead horse here. Acer palmatum Senkaki, usual maple attractions, with nice coloured stems in the winter, and contrary to believe, most maples are quite adaptable once they get their feet in the ground.

lol, well all i can say 'sprucy baby' - lol (do you like that?) is you recommended a tree i looked it up on google and i could'nt find any reference to dwaf ones! if you know a variety name for one that is guarenteed to get no biger than about 15-20ft i am defo interested, but lets face it you can't alway trust the advice of the seller, and i would'nt want to be told i have a dwaf one then it over takes my intire garden! lol i am no expert when it comes to trees, flowers and house plants are my thing! - i bet i could recommend some lovely brightly coloured roses and lillies to plant bang smack in the middle of your conifer bed if you like? lol - but i doubt you'd go with it! - i mean i was told my Rhus tree was well behaved and i believed it! now we all know thats not true don't we! it's lucky i have you lot to give me good advice on this! acer would look lovey but don't think it would like the conditions i get what you are saying, but this corner is everything they hate. i do have an acer palmatum in a pot, i can't remeber the variety but i know the common name is 'coral bark' it has orange/red new growth in the spring and the leaves are yellow/lime green through the summer and change to orange in the autumn, and the stems are bright red (hense the name coral bark) the reason that it is in a pot is because i have'nt been able to find a spot which it likes, and i have tried it on this side of the garden - not in this corner, but it did'nt seem to like the early morning spring sun! i have 3 other acers in my garden but all in very sheltered spots, on the opposite side. i do get a fair amount of wind, i had considered this acer for my red and blue corner, but the colour is not really right and i think it would be too windy. what do you think? i do like the idea of a Camellia, i have a red rose planted one side and a red shrubby silvia the other so they would be able to take over on the wow factor once the camellia has finished, it's a nice size to hide the compost bins and it's evergreen. think it might be just what i am looking for.

Angie, 'Sprucy baby' doesn't have the same ring about it .
'Angie Baby' was a brilliant song recorded by Helen Reddy back in the seventies, but you would be too young to remember, Google it and you will see what I mean. Anyway, back to the subject of plants. My apologies,you are right! I made no mention of larch varieties and cultivars in my previous post ,so there was no way you would have known that's what I really meant. the two I had in mind are both similar, and are larix kaempferi 'Diana' and 'Horstmann's Recurved', they can be grown as trees or cut back a bit every year and kept as shrubs. Come to think of it , there are also one or two exellent weeping cultivars that look very attractive and don't grow very tall, if you are interested ? If you do decide to choose a camellia ? no problem, I'll get over it.

i quite like Sprucy baby! and unfortunately i am not too young to know the song 'angie baby' as i recall it was about a mentally challenged woman! - figures! lol - i was born in the seventies, maybe thats where my parents got the name from! lol personally i prefer the rolling stones verson 'Angie'. - much more up my street! anyway on a more serious note i will look into the varieties you have recommended i like the sound of a weeping one that would be good, but must admit i am leaning towards the Camellia idea. but won't make a definate choice till i have researched them all. thanks for all your help

How about Acacia Baileyana Purpurea. It is on my favorites list and I have some in pots. Gorgeous blue/purple/silver foliage and pretty leaves, they have yellow flowers and grow quickly, absolutely beautiful. They are not too big and won't last forever so you can change it if you get sick of it in the future.

Nice tree Andrea.

Large bush really, it only grows to about 3 metres so it won't be too much of an overkill

I would say slow growing tree in excess of 20 feet x 10-15 feet wide when mature, although can be kept as a shrub with regular pruning.

just thought i'd up date you all...... i have been to homebase today and treated myself to a beautiful red Camellia, my Rhus tree is currently in a pot, so no danger of it succering through that! lol and i must say the Camellia is perfect. thank you so much for all of your saggestions and advice, i will post some photos once it starts to flower,......so problem solved!

Angie, did you say you had acidic soil ?

i have never done a test on it stephen, but i think it must be, as i have 9 Rhododendrons, a Pieris (over 7ft tall) 3 Azaileas, Skimmia and various others that seem to thrive. i do give them a feed and a top dressing every so often, but i seem to have to work a lot harder on the Roses, so i gues that would proberly mean that my soil is quite acidic. at the end of the day in my experience you can grow anything you like regardless of your soil type, if you group the plants by soil type in areas of your garden, and are prepared to put the extra effort in with the soil and feeding.

Well, I guess it falls to me to be devil's advocate...

what is the matter with Sumac...?? they are lovely leaved and colourful, Yes they can be determinedly prolific but who's the boss here? I've seen it used for bonsai. If you want it in your garden, I say go for it...but exert control.
If it tries to wander, cut the roots and pull them out..but at the same time you're reducing the root mass, cut back the shoot too. I have three growing in my garden and I didn't plant any of them...the birds contribution I think. All three are near the shady back part of my garden and contribute to the coolness in the heat of summer. Their wood is very soft, especially when young, and a small hand pruner is all you need to keep them in check. You can take a large older tree right back to the roots and it will become shrubby.