Cherry Tree (ornamental) in Garden

[vikkib]

Recently (ish) moved to a new house and would love to put a Tibetan Cherry Tree (Prunus serrula) in.

At the bottom of the garden there are three trees (Hornbeam, I think) which were planted right up against the fence. The previous owners laid down a framework of sleepers which was lined with weed suppressant and had a load of rubber chips on top of that as a kids play area.

I've ditched the rubber chippings and lifted the weed suppressant. I've put some perennials in at the front of this area but don't mind moving them.

The hornbeam trees are really pretty; the foliage provides a lovely backdrop to the garden and some privacy from the house behind ours but they aren't very happy there and there was an awful lot of growth sprouting from the base of them throughout the year.

If we got rid of the hornbeam trees would there be enough room for a Tibetan Cherry Tree to be happy if we planted it in the middle of the square (approx. 320cm x 320cm)?

Also, is it feasible to take out the two trees on the left hand side and perhaps leave the one on the right while the Tibetan Cherry tree gets established? This would provide some privacy still and soften the blow of loosing all the trees at once.

We are looking at getting an extra heavy standard cherry tree, 14-16cm girth.

[veggiechicken]

The hornbeam probably have an extensive root system. Have you thought about how you'd deal with them?

[nickdub]

Obviously all sorts of things are possible, and what you decide to do comes down partly to a matter of personal taste. Having said that if I was planning any sort of specimen tree planting like your cherry idea I'd get rid of any nearby trees first. The reason being that growing a good specimen tree is not easy, and the more light and air they get when young the better.


BTW I'd probably grow for a fruit tree, rather than a pure ornamental, as to my mind the blossom is just as lovely and you get the chance of something edible too - but that's a separate argument :-)

[FB.]

Before planting something else, I'd want to try to find out why the hornbeam trees aren't happy.

I agree with nickdub: I'd plant a tree with edible fruit. What I'd plant and which rootstock I'd choose would depend on the hornbeam problems and on the soil type (chalk?), depth (shallow?) and fertility (poor, alkaline?).

Often it's best to plant a relatively small tree because large ones suffer a lot of root damage when transplanted and can take years before they recover from the shock.

[vikkib]

Thanks everyone.

We're really sold on the Tibetan Cherry because of the bark; we saw some at Anglesey Abbey and totally fell in love with them! It's classed as a small ornamental tree and apparently grows well in most conditions but it's best to avoid wet or shallow, chalky sites.





I don't know for sure what the problem is with the Hornbeams but I wonder if part of it is because they weren't getting enough water (due to the ground in front of them being covered up and there being a massive shed on the other side of the fence).

My hope was that by planting the cherry further away from the fence, digging out as much of the root system as possible and improving the soil I'd give it the best chance.