CHOOSING TREES FOR YOUR GARDEN

It is the tenant’s responsibility to select and maintain trees in their garden

You will need to consider:

• thesizeofthetreeaboveandbelowground

• theeffectitwillhaveonyourgardenonceitisfullygrown

• howthiswillaffectyourneighbour’sgardensandanynearbystructures

It is always good to communicate with your neighbours.

Treesthataretoolargeandunsuitablefortheirlocationorareplantedtooclosetotheboundarycanbecomeanuisanceforyourneighbours.

They can:

• reducelightintotheirpropertyandgarden

• overhangandobstructtheirgardenfootpathsordrives

• causebirddroppings,leafandseedlitter

• interferewithTVsignals

• blockviews

There is no guarantees with trees. They are all different.

Only trees suitable for small gardens should be considered, trees with an eventual size under 5m (16ft) highTherearemanytreeswidelyavailableforsmallergardens,inallshapesandsizes,evergreenanddeciduous.Giventhatmanyofushavelimitedspaceinwhichtogarden,itbecomesimportantthatanytreeschosenarerightfortheirsurroundings,intermsofproportionaswellasfortheirdecorativevalue.

For the name of suitable trees for your garden, see page 3.

There are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a tree for a small garden

Here are some of the more important ones:

Height and spread Thisisprobablythemostimportantfactor.Evensmallornamentaltreesmay,overtime,reachaheightof6-7m(20-23ft)ormore.Ifthisistoomuch,consideraweepingform,astheserarelyincreasemuchinheightorchoosealargeshrub.Ifspreadisaproblem,suchasinaveryrestrictedarea,consideracolumnartree,asthesedonotspreadasfar.

Season of interest Considerwhenyouwantyourtreetolookgood,thinkaboutfloweringtime,foliage,fruitandbark.Ifyouonlyhaveroomforonetreeideallylookforonewithmorethanoneseasonofinterestsuchasfruitorautumncolourfollowingonfromflowers

Deciduous or evergreen Bothtypesoftreeshavetheiradvantages,theobviousoneforevergreensbeingthattheykeeptheirleavesthroughouttheyear.Butmanydeciduoustreesprovidelovelyautumnfoliagecoloursnotavailablewithevergreentrees

Trees and buildings Treescandamagenearbystructuresandshouldnotbeplantedtooclosetobuildings,drains,walls,drivesandfootpathsorunderoverheadcables.Evensmalltreesunder5m(16ft)highshouldnotbeplantedwithin5m(16ft)ofbuildings,andwithin2m(6ft)ofwalls,drivesandfootpaths.

Trees planted on boundaries to form hedges Conifers,LeylandandLawsoncypressvarietiesarecommonlyplanted.Thesetreesrequireregularmaintenancetokeepthemingoodcondition,trimmingthemtopreventthembecomingovergrown,atleastonceeveryyear.Ifthesetreesarenotmaintainedtheycangrowintoverylargetrees,upto15m(50ft)highwithin30years.

Call into a garden centre and ask for advice, read the details on the labels to see if they are suitable for your garden

Head Office:TyGwyn,BrunelWay,BaglanEnergyPark,Neath,SA112FP

Tel:03007773000Email:ask@taitarian.co.ukWeb:www.taitarian.co.uk

Examples of Trees under 5m (16ft) in heightAmelanchier Alnifolia ‘Obelisk’(JuneBerry) Cercis Canadensis (ForestPansy) Chinensis(Avondale) Cornus Kousa (MissSatomi) Corylus Maxima ‘Purpurea’ (PurpleHazel)Euonymus Europaeus (RedCascade) Magnolia Stellata (JanePlatt) Prunus ‘Hally Jollivette’ (FloweringCherry) Ptelea Trifoliata ‘Aurea’ (GoldenStinkingAsh)Sorbus pseudovilmorinii (PinkBerriedRowan)

Ornamental cherries are often available from nurseries and garden centres grafted to create a smaller tree, reaching a height of 3-4m (10-13ft)Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare-zakura’ (ChealsWeepingCherry)Prunus pendula f. ascendens (PendulaRubra)Prunus × yeodoensis ‘Ivensii’ (YoshinoCherryTree)Prunus × yeodoensis(ShidareYoshino)