Pot trees for north facing front door

marimacleod · May 2023

Hi,
I’ve had bay trees in pots at my front door but they’ve not survived. My door is north facing and gets c30mins evening sunlight. Can anyone suggest shade loving trees suitable for pots? Im in Scotland, fairly sheltered spot. Thanks

GardenerSuze · May 2023

@marimacleod As often suggested I would look at Euonymous Jean Hughes or E Green Pillar. Will be fine in shade but cold winds and frost can cause damage. @Fairygirl will hopefully be able to give more advice. A mature plant gets to 1m. Also sweet box might be another thought winter scent on a warmer day.

Fairygirl · May 2023

What part of Scotland are you in @marimacleod? You don't have to be too exact.

What size is the space you have, and does it get any rainfall into it?
What size are the containers?
What time do you have for maintenance?
What do you mean by trees?
Sorry for all the questions, but it makes a difference to suggestions.

Things like Ilex [holly] are fine in pots, with the right care, and can be pruned easily, and some conifers too - but there are lots of types of those. Japanese azaleas, and many of the smaller Rhodos will also be fine, and Pieris. All of those are evergreen, which is useful, but the care is vital to ensure they thrive.

You need to be really vigilant with anything in a pot long term - especially trees and shrubs. Trees generally [or what I'd call trees] won't be suitable unless you're prepared to spend enough time on them to keep them happy.

GardenerSuze · May 2023

I am not suprised your Bay trees have died so far north, even in a sheltered spot.
Evergreens of a size that have been clipped to shape are expensive, @Fairygirl has asked all the questions needed to avoid an expensive mistake.
@Fairygirl Thanks

Fairygirl · May 2023

Yes- they never do well round here @GardenerSuze - they usually can't manage winter. You'd need a sheltered town garden or similar, or perhaps a coastal one in the right location - not all coastal areas are plant friendly either without a lot of help!
Hopefully Mari will come back with some info though - there are tons of plants which will be fine, but only with the right care etc.

marimacleod · May 2023

Thank you all so much for the responses and questions. I’m a complete novice so questions are very helpful!

I’m just north of Glasgow in a suburb so surrounded by other houses, hedges and a driveway.

The containers are hard against my house and get a little rain fall. My containers are 32x32x60cm.

I am very flexible with time so can make it available if need be!

What I mean by trees- I want a pair of tall (1-1.5m) and ornamental plants/trees to frame my door. Doesn’t have to be a tight ball like the bays. I like the wild/informal look of things like Olive too (I know olive trees won’t work).

To be honest, I’m willing to try any plant/tree/fern/grass that looks awesome and will survive. The spot is really cold and gusty.

Thank you! Marion

AuntyRach · May 2023

My front door is bang North facing. My dreams of potted pelargoniums or Lavenders dashed, I have an Acer in a pot. I sometimes move it forward to give it an extra hour of light (it has a bit of light in the evening) and some rain, but it has been fine there. Looks lovely from late Spring until after the leaves change colour and fall, and for Winter I sometimes add some pansies/cyclamen for a bit if colour when the branches are bare. It wouldn’t like gusty though so not sure if only 30 mins of light and some wind would be suitable. Something bright green against your copper walls would look good.

Fairygirl · May 2023

Hi again @marimacleod - that's great, Thanks for the extra info - it really helps, and you'd be surprised at how many people just don't answer any questions that get asked!.
You'll have quite similar conditions to me which makes it easier

The pots are quite narrow, although they have good depth, so that can be a bit of a problem with some of the suggestions I made - ie rhodos, as they're shallow rooting, but need a bit of width. Pieris might be ok, and you can prune those if necessary, although they're mostly quite slow growing, so they would be fine for several years. There are various varieties, but they're evergreen, the new foliage on them is red, and the flowers are creamy white - like lily if the valley. Some are variegated, so it's just a question of preferences. You could also try something like Yew, also e'green, which can also be pruned into a columnar shape, although they can be naturally like that, and there's a nice golden variety. Maybe not quite as exciting as plants that flower, or autumn colour etc.
You can grow holly in containers, and that would work, but they might be a bit narrow for those, so you may need to think about that. I've grown them as lollipops [like your bays] but they were in cube shaped containers, so they were nice and wide as well as deep, which also helps with the windy conditions.
I grow a nice e'green called Osmanthus burkwoodii. It's just finished flowering, slightly later than usual - little creamy white flowers, which are also scented. Very easy and trouble free. I grow it in a small-ish raised bed, but I think it would work in a container, and can be pruned and shaped quite easily.
Euonymous would be fine, but - although they do technically have flowers, they're quite insignificant. There are lots of varieties apart from the ones @GardenerSuze mentioned, and they can all be clipped, but I find some aren't 100% hardy. E. fortunei Emerald and Gold and E. fortunei Emerald Gaiety are usually ok though.
There will be other plants that would be ok, but see what you think of those to get started.

Pot trees for north facing front door

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