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Evergreen shrub
smileysmile1966AMmtNsyZ
Posts: 74
Hello everybody,
After finally finishing the front of my house by removing all the clay (2.5 ton) replacing with type 1 hardcore then topping with Canterbury spar decorative gravel I want to plant a few cheery evergreen plants to hide the gas meter box, piping on wall basically scattering a few bushy tallish plants, small trees.
The attached photo is a recent purchase. Half of a whisky barrel filled with pansies and other small flower with a main one in middle. Not sure what it's called. Total price with barrel is £96.
So as I've only just planted it'll be a while no doubt before they flourish.
What I'm asking is this. I prefer to plant a few ever greens in the ground. I can easily dig a round deep hole and fill it with compost. Alternatively I'd just carry on with planter boxes around that area.
The sun rises from front and passes over the house about 3pm. So all morning and early afternoon this area has sun.
Your thoughts much appreciated.
After finally finishing the front of my house by removing all the clay (2.5 ton) replacing with type 1 hardcore then topping with Canterbury spar decorative gravel I want to plant a few cheery evergreen plants to hide the gas meter box, piping on wall basically scattering a few bushy tallish plants, small trees.
The attached photo is a recent purchase. Half of a whisky barrel filled with pansies and other small flower with a main one in middle. Not sure what it's called. Total price with barrel is £96.
So as I've only just planted it'll be a while no doubt before they flourish.
What I'm asking is this. I prefer to plant a few ever greens in the ground. I can easily dig a round deep hole and fill it with compost. Alternatively I'd just carry on with planter boxes around that area.
The sun rises from front and passes over the house about 3pm. So all morning and early afternoon this area has sun.
Your thoughts much appreciated.
0
Posts
Where the current planter is it possible to dig a hole to a certain depth to plant a small tree or evergreen that grows quite wide? How deep would I have to dig and then fill with compost/soil for roots to be happy in. The bottom would be hardcore so plenty of drainage.
Better to stick to growing things in large pots or planters and don't forget to water and feed them.
Not even if I dig a hole the same diameter as the barrel and 3 foot down then fill with soil?
For plants as big as you seem to want you'd have been better off leaving the clay which is at least fertile and whose texture can be improved by adding loads of fibrous matter such as garden compost or manure. Can't do that with hard core and the drainage will be fierce.
You might be ok with something like a Phormium, but any shrub isn't going to thrive very well with so little nourishment available to it. You won't be able to add organic matter either, so you would have to use liquid feeds regularly. Not ideal for shrub maintenance.
If you dug out an area of about four or five feet square, dug down a couple of feet, and replaced with good quality soil, manure and compost or leaf mould, you might manage to get something thriving well enough. Anything less would be fairly pointless I'd reckon.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Had to build area back up from removing clay. The use of planters like in photo is my intention but if it's not possible to plant in the ground then I'll just have to keep with planters.
Too late now so stick with good sized planters, decent planting medium and regular watering and feeding as rain won't be enough.
The attached photo would look good in this area?