Looking for a small tree.

Jeepers_Creepers

Which must be (a) evergreen, (b) fast growing, (c) ideally bluish, (d) get to 5+m fairly quickly, but ideally not go crazy after that (tho' I could keep it in check).

Hi gardening folk.

Could anyone help me with the above, please?! It'll be a 'specimen' tree on a raised bank and will provide screening (hence needing to grow quickly) and also look nice in its own right. That rules out most conifers.

Eucalyptus looks promising - could anyone confirm, please - does it fulfil the above? If so, are there different types, and which would you recommend?

Could anyone ID this small tree? Is it a Euc?

Thanks :-)

RAS

Don't think that Eucalyptus, ore like buddleia? Particularly looking at the flower spikes.

Slinky

Definitely buddleia.

Google seems to show that a snow gum is a slower growing eucalyptus, growing to 5 meters in 20 years. No knowledge of growing them.

twopenny

Eucalyptus tends to be open in growth so if it's for screening they can still see you sunbathing - but they can look beautiful and the branches wave in the wind.

This will give some Eucalypt names for you to check out for size and shape - keep in mind that if you grow most trees they will have a trunk and a canopy and people can peep underneath.

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/eucalyptus/

Blue green Spruce which is dense and like a christmas tree. No pruning needed and you can put fairy lights on it at Christmas

It's the blue green that gets me otherwise :-

Ceanothus leaves are green of all sorts but with a long flowering period late spring to mid summer covered with blue flowers, again various shades. Can be grown as a shrub, bush, tree, any shape you want. I've seen some real beauties this year and they grow like there's no tomorrow. Mine (bog standard supermarket) grown against a fence went from 1ft to 6ft in 2 yrs.

My first thought though again, they don't come in blue green - is Tree Heather. Online it says it grows to 2m but the ones at Greencombe Gardens are very tall. White scented flowers late spring. Again, can be trimmed  to any size or shape. Exeter is the scented one.

Both good growers.

The photo is Buddleia for sure. Deciduous and not a specimen by any stretch of the imagination, Flowers attract lots of butterflies & moths hence 'butterfly bush'. But it will grow like Topsy. Also deciduous.

Blue Cedar are an unusual and specimen for sure. They are beautiful and rare in gardens. It's evergreen. It's a specimen. But it only grows a foot a year. Though you could buy a large tree to plant.

I think you may have to decide if it's colour, privacy or growth rate you want. Can do 2 out of 3

How much screening do you need? From the bottom to top? Top and side but vacant underneath?

Davesnave

What you've pictured is almost certainly a buddleia, possibly 'Lochinch.' It's been well pruned, but it's deciduous.

Eucalyptus pauciflora subs. niphophila or Alpine Snow Gum should be hardy enough in most of the UK, but it will not stay at 5m and might go to 8m+. While it has attractive bark, it won't clothe itself to ground level and may be quite sparse in parts. Though evergreen, it will change its leaves and the fallen ones may make a mess.

You might be better off with a choice conifer, or be very firm with a Cotoneaster lactiflora. I have kept one of the latter strictly disciplined and it was slightly easier than lion taming.

Jeepers_Creepers

Thanks everyone.

Buddleia, eh! Didn't see that coming! I hadn't noticed the flower spikes, RAS! Yuck - pinky, purply flowers... :-(  

Thanks for the link, 2'penny, and the other suggestions - I'll check it all out. I'm not totally against 'conifers', but ideally wanted a broader-leafed tree with a canopy, but evergreen... I know, I know.

The blue green spruce is definitely too Christmas treeish!

Forgetting the 'blueish' bit, are there other options in the broader leak style? (Ie colour ain't so important). The screening bit will be needed at a higher level, so a 'trunk with canopy' form is best.

Euc might still be a goer - it doesn't have to block out anything completely, just camouflage a particularly ugly extension.

Thanks. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Davesnave said:

What you've pictured is almost certainly a buddleia, possibly 'Lochinch.' It's been well pruned, but it's deciduous.

Eucalyptus pauciflora subs. niphophila or Alpine Snow Gum should be hardy enough in most of the UK, but it will not stay at 5m and might go to 8m+. While it has attractive bark, it won't clothe itself to ground level and may be quite sparse in parts. Though evergreen, it will change its leaves and the fallen ones may make a mess.

You might be better off with a choice conifer, or be very firm with a Cotoneaster lactiflora. I have kept one of the latter strictly disciplined and it was slightly easier than lion taming.

Cheers, Dave.

I'm resigned to having to keep the tree in check, and fast-growing-but-only-to-5m is asking too much, I know.

Yes, looking at Eucs, they do seem a bit sparsh, but that might be ok as it's not need to 'block' just screen.

Which conifers make nice specimen trees - but not shaped like Chrimbo ones...?

Ta.

Davesnave

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Davesnave said:

What you've pictured is almost certainly a buddleia, possibly 'Lochinch.' It's been well pruned, but it's deciduous.

Eucalyptus pauciflora subs. niphophila or Alpine Snow Gum should be hardy enough in most of the UK, but it will not stay at 5m and might go to 8m+. While it has attractive bark, it won't clothe itself to ground level and may be quite sparse in parts. Though evergreen, it will change its leaves and the fallen ones may make a mess.

You might be better off with a choice conifer, or be very firm with a Cotoneaster lactiflora. I have kept one of the latter strictly disciplined and it was slightly easier than lion taming.

Which conifers make nice specimen trees - but not shaped like Chrimbo ones...?

Ta.

I don't know. That's why I was vague!

Jeepers_Creepers

Lol!

Slinky

What about laurel

YellowCarBlueCar

Maybe a Bay Tree?

When planted in the soil they grow to more than just the 'lolipop' bushes you see by doorways, and can be kept to pretty much the size and shape that you want.  Left completely untrimmed they grow to about 7.5m so not massively over your preferred max height.