What tree shall I plant?

[merlin]

My beautiful but very old apple tree had to be chopped down today :(

I want to plant something else (but not a fruit tree).

Garden is north north west. Would prefer an evergreen to hide house at end of garden and more of an umbrella shape than upright IFYKWIM.

Any suggestions please?

[merlin]

Bump

[merlin]

Any suggestions pls?

[merlin]

Where have all th gardeners gone?!

[MaudTheGardenTheBlackBatNight]

What eventual height do you want? How far away is each house?

[MaudTheGardenTheBlackBatNight]

Would amelanchior meet your needs?

[merlin]

Ooh thanks Maud- I love the different colour changes on that.

Position would be about 60ft from my house and 20ft from end of my garden with a summerhouse in between. Apple tree was about 12-14 ft tall.

What do you think?

[merlin]

Actually looking at hw all it grows it may be a tad big!

[MaudTheGardenTheBlackBatNight]

That's why I was asking about distances. Amelanchier is lovely but you don't want to overshadow your or your neighbour's house or damage the foundations.

What about these? Malus (crab apple) is a good tree for all seasons.

[merlin]

I don't dislike the crabapple but not sure if I want all the fruits dropping off! Can def go a bit taller than the old apple tree grew but know I have to be careful with roots etc although house at end of garden has a driveway between my boundary and their house IFYKWIM so a fair distance from where I'll be planting.

[KateByChristmas]

Walnut - I know nothing about gardening but DF planted one for me when I was born

[Bienchen]

Acers come in all sorts of shapes and heights and are just stunning in autumn.

Although you say the orientation is NW, you need to check how much sunlight the actual spot gets. Some gardens can be northfacing but because they are long and narrow, the far end is a good way from houses and therefore quite sunny.

You could also consider some of the larger shrubs if you have the space spread-wise. A large mock orange is a stunning sight when in flower and smells divine.

Let us know what ultimate height and spread you can accommodate and how much sunlight there is and I am sure there will be lots of ideas.

[merlin]

Ooh ladies thanks for all the suggestions- re how much sun - once its high enough over the house pretty much most of the day. Max height would be say 15-20 ft and spread about 12 ft.

Prefer evergreen, no berries or bits that I will have to collect when they drop off!

[Bienchen]

Photinia x fraseri 'Birmingham' 20ft by 20ft but can be pruned to keep in check, evergreen, new leaves in spring are bright red.

Escallonia leucantha, evergreen with white flowers in summer, 20ft tall and 10ft wide, can be damaged by harsh winds, so may not suit depending where you live

Acer palmatum atropurpureum (20ft x 10ft), not evergreen but stunning in autumn

Garrya elliptica (silk tassel bush), evergreen, 15ft by 10ft

Cotinus 'Flame', deciduous but stunning foliage should make up for lack of leaves in winter

Last but not least, conifers are of course evergreen. Have (rightly?) gone a bit out of fashion as they were so ubiquitious in the 70s but there are a few gems, such as Abies koreana (25ft x 15 ft),

[merlin]

Thanks so much Bienchen- will take a look at those.

[bumperella]

How about a weeping contoneaster? They are lovely, evergreen (will loose some leaves very late winter/early spring) berries last well, white blossom - individual flowers v small, but LOADS of them in clusters.

[bumperella]

You'll not have to collect berries, as the birds will do it for you!

[fussychica]

Bamboo - sorry I'm on a bamboo buying fest - love them!

[Rhubarbgarden]

Acacia pravissima, common name 'Oven Wattle'. Fast growing evergreen with a beautiful wifty wafty weeping habit. Very pretty yellow flowers in spring - related to mimosa. I love this tree.