Tree recommendations

Tabby McTat

Hi. I’m looking for some guidance. I want to gift a tree for a special birthday. It will be for a garden in the west close to the sea - back of the house though so sheltered from a westerly wind. It’s for an avid gardener so ideally something with a bit of interest.

Thanks in advance!

looksee

Ideally we would want to know what kind of soil - ie what part of the country the garden is situated. On the whole it is likely to be acid/peaty soil, but there are big patches around Galway and Clare that are the opposite. Planting an acid loving tree in these areas is a recipe for disaster as far as a tree is concerned.

Have you noticed what grows in the area? Is it azaleas/rhododendrons or pasture land? What is your friend particularly pleased with or has a lot of in their garden?

Tabby McTat

It’s Galway city (Salthill) of that helps! It’s a pretty mature garden already with a wide variety of planting.

looksee

Yes that's pretty general ok, in that case you might consider this: https://futureforests.ie/products/koelreuteria-paniculata

The one from FF will be pretty tiny, have a look round for rather bigger (and more expensive) versions.

Edit - I didn't read the FF page properly, they have bigger ones in stock now, the postage might be a bit expensive though.

Tabby McTat

Thanks for this. Looks like a really nice option and hopefully well able for the west of Ireland!

macraignil

I have planted a koelreuteria paniculata in my own garden about seven years back (admittedly as a small plant) and it is still to get to a good size with some other more common trees planted not far from it getting bigger more quickly. This information page says it grows best in areas with long hot summers and I have seen mature ones in Boston when on holiday that looked very good but they must have been very mature trees. I'm still hoping the one I have will produce a good specimen but it is a bit underwhelming at the moment with just a nice yellow autumn colour to the leaves for a few weeks in Autumn. From the trees I got for the garden here the one I would pick out as most impressive is Persian ironwood which has one of the best Autumn leaf colours and it has less dead wood compared to the Koelreuteria and looks better over winter. Japanese zelkova is another nice one to consider due to having a nice shape to its growth and also some nice leaf colour.

A tree can be a fairly dominant feature particularly if the garden is not very big so I would be a bit unsure if my choice of a tree as a present would match the taste of the gardener you intend to get the gift for. Could you get one from a local nursery with the understanding that your friend could exchange it for another variety if it turned out they would prefer something different?

Also from future forests, Osmanthus Burkwoodii

https://futureforests.ie/products/osmanthus-burkwoodii

Just because I'd really love one too. Its a large evergreen shrub that can work as a great specimen plant, given a bit of training. The dark bark and knobbly limbs with those deep green leaves and the added bonus of fragrant flowers in spring sold it. Seems to be tolerant to coastal areas and soil mixes too and flexible in sun or shade. I'm going to try grow it in a large pot for space saving.

DylanQuestion

How big is the space? Out of stock on FF but if there is a decent size of space, I would recommend a red oak. The leaves are nicer (and bigger) than regular oaks and the red leaves in autumn look great. They are green in spring and summer. Once the leaves go brown, they seem to hang on for a while too. Got two 10ft ones last year for €100 in Cork

https://futureforests.ie/products/quercus-rubra