find a plant for this situation

[Mr List]

next to my bins i have a small space about 2 foot by 2 foot.

i want to put in a single large pot and have a plant in it.
i am thinking i want a tree but if anybody has other plants to fit they criteria i would have a look.

so what it needs to be:
prefers to have small root space
grows to about 4-5 metres tall
grows into a wine glass type shape (thin for about 2 metres then spreading out)
fully hardy ( even in a pot? )

would be nice if it was fairly fast growing and would look nice next to my arrow bamboo screen.
it is also going to function as a bit of screening.

[fieldfest]

anything fancy might get nicked in a pot, you could build a raised bed from gravel boards or similar. a couple of 6ft boards for £5 each should do the trick, like mine here (60x60cm one made, one started last night) the one i started last night i got the wood for £3!!

Trachycarpus fortuneii or waggy would suit well, though youre talking £100 or more to clear the fence from the off or make the raised bed taller so plants clear the fence

[Mr List]

i don't fancy another palm for that spot and the size of pot i am thinking would need a crane to move.

the hard part for me to think up is plants that grow tall without much root space...

[worzsel]

Buddleia ?

Grow FAST, will grow anywhere, attractive plants if pruned.

[kata]

I love your idea F.F about the wood pots,

I spend lots on various shape and sized pots. How do they go on in winter, do you stain them?

Aflowering rhodendren maybe Mr List?


http://www.davegifford.co.uk/index.php?showimage=282

[fieldfest]

eucalyptus?

in a pot might limit its size appropriate to your situation

[jcec1]

How about Eriobotrya japonica - the loquat. Here's a pic off the net which resembles your 'artist's impression'.

[Conifers]

I'll 2nd Jcec's suggestion of Loquat - good dense evergreen foliage to block out that ugly row of houses. And ditto to Fieldfest on not using pots!

[Mr List]

how big a pot would it (loquat) need to be happy at a large size though ?

[Conifers]

A nice big hole in the ground

Failing that, I'd guess about a cubic metre - anything less, and a gale will take it away.

[Mr List]

maybe a tree isnt such a good idea.

any really tall arching bushy bamboos that could go in a pot?

[Rabbie]

Laburnum? They are in flower around this time of year and look great.

[Yorkshire Kris]

maybe a tree isn't such a good idea.

any really tall arching bushy bamboos that could go in a pot?

I've got a P vivax bamboo in a large pot but I wouldn't recommend it. Large bamboos don't really like to be kept in a pot. There root growth in massive and like to be set free. Keeping them in a pot will eventually stunt their growth plus watering can become a pain.

(Mine's in a pot because I want to take it when I eventually move house)

[Nigel Fear]

How about Arundo donax? You'd need to water it on a regular basis, or if in a pot, you could put a deepish tray underneath it for added moisture. They look shoddy after a winter, but can then be cut down to the base, and they'll start again, they're quick growers, but I can't overemphasize the watering aspect.

Rick 1965 kindly gave me a clump from his old garden a few weeks back, and it's now begining to bulk-up nicely.

[Mr List]

what reall matters is a plant that is happy to be pot bound or have smaller root space.

i have a 2 foot by 2 foot space but i could make it as deep as 1 - 1.5 metres,
so a plant that grows down more than out and prefers less root space.

i was just thinking about a pineapple broom for my garden and thought one might look good in this spot but i don't know anything about them yet.