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Trees for exposed conditions

alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
in Plants
Can anyone offer advice as to which trees can cope well in windy exposed areas please?
Something ornamental that gives Autumn colour would be nice. Thanks 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Can you tell us a big more about where you are and what the soil is like?  Is it windy because it’s a coastal
    garden, or elevated? How large is the garden, how close are any buildings, boundaries, drains etc. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
    Hello,  two miles from the sea in North Devon and quite high up but not Exmouth high. 
    Would like to plant in the corner of a small field so plenty of space but don't want to obliterate all the view outwards. 
    Soil clay I would say. Thanks 
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    The annoying thing about a windy site, is that a tree can be colouring up nicely, and a gale can remove all the leaves before they reach their best colour.
    This happens to me some years.  :)
    Sunny Dundee
  • alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
    Better a native of some kind then?
  • alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
    I get severe Acer envy very often 
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    I have a mature Virginia Creeper that sometimes get stripped by a gale, but it is worth it for the times it survives as a big splash of red most years.
    You can hedge your bets by choosing something that gives you 3 or 4 season interest, so that you are not just depending on the autumn.
    My Euonymus Alatus seems to be more wind resistant than others in the garden for autumn colour.
    Sunny Dundee
  • alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
    Thank you. They are nice. 
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Sorbus. I'm on the edge of Exmoor, exposed to the NW winds. I've got a native rowan and an ornamental sorbus and both are doing fine. They may lose the leaves some stormy years, as Balgay says, but they tend the keep the berries for a while longer which at least gives some colour. And in a good year, they are glorious.
    Common ash is pretty spectacular in a good year too - buttery yellow leaves. 
    I'm still trying to grow enough shelter trees to be able to have an acer somewhere 
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    Euonymus Europaeus is a native, and might be even more wind resistant, but i haven't grown one myself.
    https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/euonymus-europaeus/
    Sunny Dundee
  • alfharris8alfharris8 Posts: 513
    Have just been looking at Rowan. Both nice suggestions,  thank you. 
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