I took the plunge and repotted it on the ground yesterday. Getting a bigger a pot was an option but then I would have to repeat this again in the future. I have followed everyone’s advice as follows. Put acer feed at the bottom of the hole mixed with some Levington Rose , Shrub and tree compost which I believe is slightly acidic. Took a look at the root ball - there were no signs of larvae. The root ball looked fairly healthy in my opinion but I'm not an expert. I filled the gaps with some more compost and Acer feed which is slow releasing. Put mulch on the top (Strulch). Watered really well and removed a lot of the dead leaves. Here's hoping to a better future and that it doesnt die on me!
I will strictly water it everyday and see how we go. Thank you everyone for your lovely advice. I shall keep you posted on the progress. Here's some photos.
That poor Acer must be sighing with relief. Why some people plant trees in small pots, I've no idea. Mind you, in our last garden, on the chalky North Downs in Kent, I had camellias, Acers and a rhododendron each grown in half barrels submerged in the borders, each filled with ericaceous compost and fed with liquid feed. They did well. Then we moved house last September and we bought a camellia and an acer with us, and they are still happy but in a neutral soil ;-)
That sticky yellow stuff at the bottom of your hole sounds like clay to me too. The compost that you dug into it should hopefully help to open it up a bit and improve the drainage in that area.
Nice idea from hogweed to get another small acer for the empty corner. I don't think it would conflict with the 'big fella' if you chose a different colour one. Alternatively, if you want something with a bit more height (acers can be very slow growing) you could stick an obelisk in your big pot and have a climber in it.
There's a very good website for Taylors clematis which shows in the plant details which ones are suitable for container growing. I use it for reference to check out the little baby ones I buy for a few quid in the supermarkets 😉. I don't have a morrisons nearby, but other forum members have posted positively about their bargain clemmies from there 👍.
@Paul N sadly I inherited the acer in the pot when I bought the house 3 years ago.
@Kitty 2 slightly misread the suggestion from hogweed. I thought he meant to put a small acer on the ground next to the big fella. But now it makes sense to perhaps put it in the large pot in the corner until it's ready
A climber that does well in a big pot sounds like an excellent idea to me. It's something I dont have in my garden and it will look original . Any suggestions on clematis that do well in a corner that have a really nice fragrant smell? I will take a look at the website you suggested!
I haven't seen supermarkets sell baby clematis, but maybe that's because I never looked hard enough. I could buy one from a Garden centre though. What about a Philadelphus shrub - do they do well in large pots or do they prefer the ground?
Perhaps buy a little acer and grow it on just in case big brother does not thrive! But don't put it in the big pot!!
Reading back, I think I misread it 😳. I think hogweed is suggesting another acer in (maybe) a medium sized pot.
I don't have a philadephus, but suspect it would struggle in a pot. They grow into quite large shrubs, I think.?
If you want suggestions for a scented climber or shrub, it might be best to start a new discussion page. Include info about the size of your big pot and which way your corner is facing, N,S,E or W. You should get lots more advice from the forum members who have lots of lovely smelling stuff.
So been a week since it's been on the ground. No noticeable difference apart to say that no leaves have fallen which I think is a good sign.
Also last night I noticed tiny shoots? I don't know if they're new shoots. They look pointy and red in colour. If they are new leaves... I am not sure if those had been there prior to putting on the ground or have developed since last week.
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Wish me luck!
You might need to do some pruning when it's dormant to keep it on your side of the fence
That sticky yellow stuff at the bottom of your hole sounds like clay to me too. The compost that you dug into it should hopefully help to open it up a bit and improve the drainage in that area.
Nice idea from hogweed to get another small acer for the empty corner. I don't think it would conflict with the 'big fella' if you chose a different colour one.
Alternatively, if you want something with a bit more height (acers can be very slow growing) you could stick an obelisk in your big pot and have a climber in it.
There's a very good website for Taylors clematis which shows in the plant details which ones are suitable for container growing. I use it for reference to check out the little baby ones I buy for a few quid in the supermarkets 😉. I don't have a morrisons nearby, but other forum members have posted positively about their bargain clemmies from there 👍.
Looking forward to seeing your progress updates.
@Kitty 2 slightly misread the suggestion from hogweed. I thought he meant to put a small acer on the ground next to the big fella. But now it makes sense to perhaps put it in the large pot in the corner until it's ready
A climber that does well in a big pot sounds like an excellent idea to me. It's something I dont have in my garden and it will look original .
Any suggestions on clematis that do well in a corner that have a really nice fragrant smell? I will take a look at the website you suggested!
I haven't seen supermarkets sell baby clematis, but maybe that's because I never looked hard enough. I could buy one from a Garden centre though. What about a Philadelphus shrub - do they do well in large pots or do they prefer the ground?
I don't have a philadephus, but suspect it would struggle in a pot. They grow into quite large shrubs, I think.?
If you want suggestions for a scented climber or shrub, it might be best to start a new discussion page. Include info about the size of your big pot and which way your corner is facing, N,S,E or W.
You should get lots more advice from the forum members who have lots of lovely smelling stuff.
Sadly I don't have much to offer, sniff wise 😟
Also last night I noticed tiny shoots? I don't know if they're new shoots. They look pointy and red in colour. If they are new leaves... I am not sure if those had been there prior to putting on the ground or have developed since last week.
Here's a photo showing this.