Advice please

[samw04]

Hi hope someone can help, A friend of mine had to have her dog put to sleep yesturday she choose to bring him home to bury him in the garden she want to put a tree over him but is not sure which one. she would like something that flowers in either nov or feb. If no trees do that she was going to put in a cherry tree then have some plants that flower at those times, not sure i'd eat the cherrys but hey. so can i have some suggestions for this as not to sure on flowering times of thing. thankyou sam.

[snake the squadie]

i dont think its what your looking for but my dad put a apple try where he berried his dog

[vicky]

A flowering cherry would be nice, they are just starting to come into blossom now. Photinias have lovely young bright red leaves about now and can be left to be a tree rather than a shrub.
Dogwoods are shrubs rather than trees and have very ornamental bark this time of year, also you are supposed to cut the stems down (the young wood is brighter than the old) about this time of year so that could be a way to remember her dog too.
We just had our dog put to sleep too so I really feel for your friend.

[Geordie]

The only one I can think of is something called Seven Son Flower. Whilst not a tree (its a shrub) its grows fairly large and upright so does resemble a tree. It gets masses of white flowers which are a butterfly magnet and will flower in September and October. After flowering the caylx turn bright red.

Other suggestion is a poplar tree which will get catkins in February.

[NSB]

How about a crab apple tree they look really nice with the fruit and the birds like it. My hawthorn tree looks nice the birds love it as well

[Headfry]

Hi, I agree with NSB a lovely crab apple with nice bark! under planted with snowdrops and hellebores which will flower this time of year-each year!
My love and hugs to your friend.....please pass on these messages, maybe they will help cheer your friend a little. We all care very much!
HF xx

[samw04]

Thankyou for this she will be very greatful and for your kind words. I also cried buckets for her as we had talked for a couple of weeks as to what she should do, he was only 3 1/2 he got bad hips at 6 mths and by 1yr old he had a full hip replacement then best part of 6 months rehab and she's had 2 good years where she has been able to run him off lead in the fields and give him the life that he was suposed to have but over the last 3 months the other hip got worse he was back on pain relief then two weeks ago he snapped at her daughter and its taken her two weeks to get the bottle to take him as it was reaction not nasty so she kept them apart but new what she had to do. Its been a tough 2 week with lots of tears but he went being loved, and not resented for scarring one of the kids.
But in all this remember when offering to help a friend in this situation pray they have a jack russel not a ruddy great 8st lab coz it was a real big hole me and hubby had to dig.

[Flummery]

We have a tree in the front garden, inherited from previous owners, which flowers from November to March. It's the winter flowering cherry, Prunus subhirtella autumnalis from memory (but at my age, you'd have to check that.)
We don't have dogs but have 2 cockatiels and a budgie buried at the foot of our damson tree. We call it the birds tree, and say 'Thanks, birds' when we harvest the damsons.

[Headfry]

sad HF, just been talking to Mummy on the telephone and Tintin my sisters lovely rescue dog (from Hong Kong) might have to be put down, she will know in next hour.
this is made all the more sad bu the fact that Sisters lovely young hubby was killed in car crash last January and he and doggy we inseparable. My Niece will be devastated, she is only 7 and doggy is a strong link to Daddy. I feel so sad, seems a very cruel blow when I and my family are just starting to rally a little.
After posting reply to samw04 it seems we are heading the same way.
My fingers are so tightly crossed they will snap.

[samw04]

Thinking of you and your family HF i hope things turn out for the best.
i'm suposed to be going out for drinks tonight with my friend for my bday next week but not sure i feel like going out and have fun will feel guilty for making her come .
someone please add something cheerful to this thread before i break out my dido album.

[Headfry]

Samwo4 you bring cd I will bring tissues
maybe she might like to have an evening out? why not have a little toast to doggy first and then keep it a happy (as poss) evening.

[samw04]

we did that last night 4 bottles of wine later we walked the other dog at midnight and she had to go to work this morn, playschool teacher she had all 3 of mine plus 18 others .
we will go out should be fine

[samw04]

Well just to update we have been to the garden centre today and bought the Autumn Cherry ( thankyou flummery ). It is the most stunning tree this time of year, when we got to the garden centre we could see the flowers a mile off followed them and were really pleased that it was what we went for. Had a little chuckle on the way home as the man said "yeah that will fit in your car" so he put it in, then i had to drive with branches and cherry blossom up my nose pulling my hair and sticking in my back . Got a few funny looks driving past the race course (had to be race day), Prayed i didn't get stopped by the police on the way home all i could do was cuss him and tell my mate that the b***er had the last laugh and hadn't lost his sense of humor. We planted it had a moment then left him in peace. I even get to see it from my back window so thankyou once again for your help we never would have thought of it on our own. I think that Cheryl can now start to get on with things.

[kirsty b]

Some autumn flowering cyclamen or anemones might be nice planted under the tree for extra colour?