Advice from north facing, front door, plant.

tomcr1981 · May 2022

Hi Everyone,

I've now lost 2 goldcrest by my front door (posted previously)
The area gets morning and evening sunlight, I'd love some recommendations for something that might be happy here, in a pot.
id love an Acer, would it get enough sunlight ?

thanks again

tom

Fairygirl · May 2022

Acers are very happy in pots, and in shade, so no that wouldn't be a problem. You need to pot on slowly though - you can't just put a small, young plant into a pot like the one in your pic. The purple ones need some sun to have their best colour, whereas the green/yellow ones can be affected by too much sun, and can get fried more easily.
However...it's the care when in a pot right beside a door/wall, that's the problem. Wind is also a factor, so it depends whereabouts you are, and the direction of the prevailing wind, and how it behaves in the site. The palmatum varieties do better than the dissectums, simply because of the nature of the foliage.
You need the right growing medium [compost alone is no use] and you need to make sure it has decent drainage, and enough moisture. Rainwater is best if you're in one of those hard water areas, so you'd need to collect that. If they're allowed to dry out, that's the problem. It's the same for any plant.

Arthur1 · May 2022

My front garden is north facing and I grow Acers. They do so well.

tomcr1981 · May 2022

That looks lovely Kate, thank you.

tomcr1981 · May 2022

Hi Fairygirl.., I'm not sure where my garden would be without you !! Thank you so much, you've given me some great advice over the last year or so.

sounds like an acer might be a goer?!? If I buy a more mature one ? It's quite sheltered from the wind unless a storm. I'd also keep it away from the wall as much a possible. Are they easy to prune/shape ? I wouldn't want it getting too big

Thanks again

Tom

Arthur1 · May 2022

Acers tolerate pruning well.
You would do better to buy a young small plant to grow on. Different cultivars have different growth rates.

Slow-worm · May 2022

We've got an acer in an open position facing NE, it gets a fair bit of sun too - it's absolutely fine despite crap soil and being in a bit of a wind tunnel. 😃
How about some honeysuckle, or does it have to be a tree?
Castor oil plants are fine in shade too, and have magnificent flowers and fruits in late winter.

Fairygirl · May 2022

Don't spend lots of money on a big one @tomcr1981. They're slow growing, especially in containers, so you won't need to worry about pruning for a long time. When you get to that stage, you can ask about that though

It has to go in those containers @Slow-worm. Honeysuckle wouldn't survive. If you mean Fatsia, they'd struggle in those wee pots too. They'd be constantly needing cut back.

If you want a more formal look, some of the plain green Euonymus cultivars are quite good - E. Green Spire for example. I've grown some of the smaller leaved Hebes in that aspect, which isn't their preferred site, but they're fine, although you won't really get flowers so readily. H. buxifolia is ideal. It's a good replacement for box anyway, as are those Euonymus.

JennyJ · May 2022

In those small pots I think something like Euonymus green spire would do better than acers.

Fairygirl · May 2022

I think you're right @JennyJ. It would be a better shape for the style of pot than an Acer, although an acer would be fine for a quite a while if there's room for the spread.
The pot lends itself to a vertical.

Advice from north facing, front door, plant.

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