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Chaenomeles japonica 'Sargentii' - growth habit question.

WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
in Plants
I have just received delivery of a Chaenomeles japonica 'Sargentii'. I've just noticed that the planting & growing instructions on the nursery website that I bought it from say both that it has "an upright habit and can easily be trained against a wall or fence" and that "these deciduous shrubs boast a spreading habit". Can something simultaneously have an upright and a spreading habit? Does anyone know which one it is?!

The answer may determine where in the garden it ends up going.

Thank you!

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It just means exactly that - upright but spreading [ in width ] to either side, so it's most suited to being against a wall.
    They don't grow outwards in the usual way that a shrub would do  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I have a few of these - you'll need to tie-in branches to get them to go where you want.  Do this while they are still thin and pliable and cut-off any shoots which are growing in a direction you don't want.  They can be quite untidy growers if left to their own devices, so need to be 'encouraged' to grow in a neat and tidy fashion.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    Ah, I see! Thank you. The way they'd phrased it made it sound like two contradicting descriptions, rather than a combined description of the whole plant. Your answer helps me a lot in terms of where/how to plant it, so thank you.
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    WillowBark said:
    Ah, I see! Thank you. The way they'd phrased it made it sound like two contradicting descriptions, rather than a combined description of the whole plant. Your answer helps me a lot in terms of where/how to plant it, so thank you.
    Sorry, forgot to tag - @Fairygirl, this comment was directed to you!
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    @BobTheGardener That's really useful to know, thank you very much. It's tiny at the moment, so I will let it grow a wee bit before I do anything to it, but definitely good info for when it starts to get going and I need to give it a bit more attention. Thank you!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    No problem  :)
    As @BobTheGardener says - they will have stems/branches which will grow 'out', but their habit isn't the same as shrubs like rhododendrons or deutzias etc, with their more rounded manner of growth. They're more fan shaped, if that makes sense. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    @Fairygirl Yes, that does make sense. Now that I've read your and @BobTheGardener's replies and searched for some example images on the web (the nursery website only had a close up of the blooms), everything is a lot clearer. Thank you.
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