I intend to plant a small tree in a barrel outside my kitchen window because I look directly into lots of cars parked across the road. I was thinking of an evergreen tree with a spreading habit; a tree that flowers would be nice but is not necessary. Also it would be best if the foliage started low down on the tree and did not have too much of a bare trunk. I have realised that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and at the sink and I don't enjoy looking into what I call the neighbour's car yard. I like the neighbours who are in a flatting situation just not all those cars and the boat. Do you have any suggestions for a tree that would suit my purposes and would grow happily in a barrel? My husband is not keen on olive trees because I think one of those would be quite good. Any suggestions would be welcome.

What about a dwart fruit tree Chris?

We had a few Michelias in large pots in Auckland and they thrived and were beautiful. The varieties were Starbright and Fairy Magnolia. They have lovely bronze new leaves, then creamy white flowers. We now have them planted out in the Waikato and they are very hardy.

Irene, I had thought about a dwarf fruit tree but I need something that's not deciduous. TPANDAV, I had forgotten about Michelias. Good thought. Thank you.

Have a 'useful' tree that's suitable for culinary purposes. Bay leaves smell nice and the Bay tree is beautiful. It has pretty little flowers and it doesn't have to be shaped into a ball or pyramid - just make sure the trimming keeps the tree balanced. A very suitable subject for a barrel, in my opinion.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2019 09:57PM by Lorna.

Agree that a baytree is beautiful. I have got one planted in the garden but I left it unshaped. Lorna, I need something that will spread really wide because the tree needs to block out as much of a wide space as possible to mi i ise what is across the street.

How much spread (width) are you looking for and how quickly?

A kumquat (citrus) looks extremely beautiful in a barrel/pot and are easy. It also does put out new growth at quite a steady pace, rather than being too slow. Birds like to eat the fruit when it's ripe.

Does it have to be a tree? There are plenty of shrubs that would grow large and wide, such as Corokia 'Red Wonder', Escallonia, Pseudopanax lessonii......

J1, I looked up the plants you suggest and the Escallonia interests me. I found one that ia called Apple Blossom that looks stunning. They are all nice. A friend suggested the Portwine Magnolia which apparently does well in pots and spreads well. I might even buy two half barrels to get a really good cover. TPANDAV's Magnolia suggestions are also of interest. Looks I will have a difficult choice to make. I am looking forward to get going.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2019 06:54AM by Chris.

Escallonia grow very fast so you'd get coverage very quickly.

If you do go with escallonia, make sure you don't get a dwarf variety.....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2019 04:43AM by J1.

I am also interested in growing something in a pot to get privacy.The suggestions here are all excellent.What i would like to know is how large does the pot or tub need to be for anything permanent? I would like to buy a coloured ceramic pot but I don't know what the sizing means for a large pot.I know what the barrel looks like but can anyone give me rough measurements for a tree or shrub to live comfortably for a long time please? Thanks.

Marylew, personally I wouldn’t get anything smaller than a barrel. I have a lemon tree that I have had for about seven years in what I thought was a good sized ceramic pot. We had to repot into a much larger one and it was quite difficult to get out. That made me decide on barrels for the trees I am planning to plant because huge pots are very expensive here in Wanaka and I can get barrels sometimes from a winery at a reasonable price. I can measure a half barrel for you if you like and post later.

also don't you find in time that ceramic pots tend to crack. I know you are supposed to wet them or something right at the beginning, but we forget

Thank you Chris and Irene.I actually thought that the colourful ceramic pot would be best suited for a permanent plant of any kind.After reading your replies I can now see where I would have gone wrong.I will find the barrel thanks and I like the Escallonia as J1 suggested.

J1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Escallonia grow very fast so you'd get coverage
> very quickly.
>
> If you do go with escallonia, make sure you don't
> get a dwarf variety.....

Great tip, J1. Thank you.

Irene Field Wrote:
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> also don't you find in time that ceramic pots tend
> to crack. I know you are supposed to wet them or
> something right at the beginning, but we forget

Irene, because we get severe frost you run the risk of them cracking. Hasn’t happened to me yet but my ceramic pots happen to be under the eaves and against schist walls.

Ceramic pots are also extremely heavy and the bigger they get, the heavier....

I managed to get a couple of half barrels for $60 each from a local winery and a knowledgeable lady ur garden centre steered me towards magnolias. I bought a couple that are already a good size and the effect of blocking out my ‘view’ will already be quite good. Thank you all for your sound advice.

Glad you are happy with your magnolias Chris.
Just a thought on moving heavy pots, I use a sack barrow which is perfect. Saves the dragging around in my little courtyard garden as the seasons change and prevents me hurting myself in the attempt.

I should have mentioned that I bought two Magnolia Fairy Blush. I wasn’t able to get largish ones but they are close enough to a metre. Hopefully they’ll make good growth. Thanks for the tip TPANDAV.

I actually recommended Michelia "Fairy Magnolia", not Magnolia "Fairy Blush". The names can be confusing. I don't know how Fairy Blush will go in a pot, we have a hedge of them and they are quite slow growing so should be okay.

The front of the label states Fairy Magnolia Blush, on the back it says: Michelia Hybrid Var. MicJur01. Here is hoping for the best. At a closer look it’s a bit confusing.

Oh good, that will be a pink version of the Michelia "Fairy Magnolia" that I suggested. The nomenclature is mad.

Michelias have the lovely bronze velvet leaf and flower buds, magnolias don't.