That’s interesting, @Obelixx, I have very alkaline clay soil, but much improved with tonnes of grit and organic matter. i assumed, with that type of soil and very hot summers any cornus would be a no no - I thought they all needed more acidic, damp soil (so was intrigued when the RHS and GW said they would grow on chalk/alkaline soils). Would my heat still rule any of them out, do you think?
Will, one small tree that does grow well in my alkaline soil is Euonymus Alatus, lovely toothed, knobbly bark, great winter colour and bionic pink/orange berries (but tiny flowers, sadly, blink and you miss them). It grows wild in rubbish soil here, plus I have a gorgeous potted specimen just waiting to be planted out...
Great hat
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I have always like E. alatus but discounted it for being too small/slow growing. But these specimens are big enough to have instant impact. They're a bit expensive though
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Why ill @Silver surfer, just because they hang down? I love the crinkly big leaves hiding the tiny female flowers. Then in Autumn finding nuts hidden in them. Winter the leaves fall revealing twisted stems with catkins , which look lovely covered in snow or frost. Unlike the straight hazel, the twisted is quite slow growing so easy to train to the space you want to fill.🙂
The scale of a greyhound’s arse - brill, should be universally adopted as the international system of measurement!
That’s a beautiful specimen (dare we ask how much?). My €16 foot high specimen is now 3ft after a year, much faster growth than I thought. Maybe it was the heatwaves...
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Must admit I found our twisted hazel was a great refuge for birds when they were spooked by the sparrowhawk or the cats but I didn't really like it with its foliage on as that was twisted and crinkled too and looked sick. Great when it was bare stemmed in winter and then just getting its catkins in spring.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Thanks, @Obelixx, yes I saw that re Kousa, and GW says the same... I could probably artificially create the right conditions in a raised bed, but it just seems wrong plant wrong place. Maybe when OH sees the Alatus with it’s bright winter coat on, a truce will be reached!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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Will, one small tree that does grow well in my alkaline soil is Euonymus Alatus, lovely toothed, knobbly bark, great winter colour and bionic pink/orange berries (but tiny flowers, sadly, blink and you miss them). It grows wild in rubbish soil here, plus I have a gorgeous potted specimen just waiting to be planted out...
Great hat
And with a greyhound's arse, for scale. These are 30L pots!
I love the crinkly big leaves hiding the tiny female flowers. Then in Autumn finding nuts hidden in them. Winter the leaves fall revealing twisted stems with catkins , which look lovely covered in snow or frost.
Unlike the straight hazel, the twisted is quite slow growing so easy to train to the space you want to fill.🙂
That’s a beautiful specimen (dare we ask how much?). My €16 foot high specimen is now 3ft after a year, much faster growth than I thought. Maybe it was the heatwaves...
Must admit I found our twisted hazel was a great refuge for birds when they were spooked by the sparrowhawk or the cats but I didn't really like it with its foliage on as that was twisted and crinkled too and looked sick. Great when it was bare stemmed in winter and then just getting its catkins in spring.
I associate crab apples with not particularly attractive foliage though - I need to go and see some in the flesh.