Crabapple damaged by wind - again

Yes, people tend to think of them as small variegated shrubs, but there's some real delights amongst them.

 

Yes - a bog standard hawthorn variety can be hacked as much as you want! The only problem is - maintaining well enough so that you don't need access from the neighbouring garden to do that. I've got a self seeded one, courtesy of the birds, that's growing at the back of my garden, and I'll keep that, but there's no problem with maintaining it as it borders the rear access road.

Euonymus alatus is the one you want for a larger shrub/small tree. That's different from the ones you might be thinking of @CostasK - the fortuneii types? Some of those will 'climb' if up against a support though. E. Silver Queen, for example, will do that ,although I'm guessing you want a bit of height beyond the top of the fence.
I think I suggested Philadelphus on another thread for something, and that's another shrub that can be grown as a tree with pruning. Cotinus is another. My Amelanchier candensis provides a nice 'tree' shape against the back fence. Easy regarding conditions etc. and it's now forming a good canopy above the fence.

It comes down to how careful you are with that maintenance if you choose anything that can get huge over time.

 

Thanks again @fairygirl

I did a bit of research online and it would appear that most hawthorns are fine with getting hacked. I like the normal one too & it obviously gets bonus points for it being a native plant. On the other hand, the colour of the fruit of the other one would suit the border better and it should also be great for wildlife.

I have an Amelanchier Canadensis growing against another fence. I agree, it does soften it nicely. I think for that spot I need something more upright, that's why I considered Amelanchier Obelisk instead. I do like cotinus and philadelphus as well.

But I must say, that so far the one that stands out to me is hawthorn because:

• I like the look - I actually prefer plants which don't have a very formal growing habit, plus pruning will also allow me to shape it to an extent, so that it doesn't look overly wild.
• It can be hacked.
• It is great for wildlife.

The only other thought is "should I get something with Winter interest", as most plants in that border are deciduous. That's why beech appealed to me - while not evergreen, it holds on to its autumn foliage for most of Winter apparently. But overall I've always gone with "I would rather have a plant that I love for 3/4 of the year, instead of one that I think is boring all year long". Not that I think beech is boring since it has Autumn colour, that's the argument I generally use for not letting Winter interest stop me from getting deciduous plants (once again ).

 

It always comes to your own preference @CostasK . If you fancy hawthorn - then you go for it

Beech and Hornbeam will both keep their foliage if they aren't more than around ten to twleve feet in height, depending on climate/wind etc. You could opt for the purple beech too - that would give a different foliage colour.
If you wanted an evergreen - and don't mind something jaggy, there's Mahonia, Berberis and Pyracantha. Many Ilexes [holly] are a good shape too and have good variety of foliage.

 

I love pyracanthas. I have 2 of them already. In my garden they get to around 2.5 m. I think that to soften the view of that house at the back, I should be aiming for around 4m.

Hawthorn is definitely an option. I think I should go around the local garden centres over the weekend and examine the other options in real life.

The only downside to that is that I might see a specimen I really like and be tempted to buy it on the spot! I have planted trees & shrubs in Summer in the past and made it up to them with vigilant watering, but also I will be going away for 2 weeks in late August... I will have someone coming in to water the plants - maybe I could ask him to give extra care to the new plant and pay him a bit extra. But even so, I know that the wise decision would be to wait till Autumn.

 

Another option to consider @CostasK is a Catalpa. I let mine grow for about 10 years and now pollard it annually - it grows quickly and you can selectively remove the new buds to create a suitable shape. The large leaves are a major feature, plus the the lime green colour adds contrast.

Before.



After pollarding this year. It will grow at least 10 feet.

 

Thanks @Plantminded That does look great!

 

During my lunch break, I popped to a garden centre 5 mins from here for a quick first look. I couldn't help it I will be visiting more over the weekend as they didn't have most of the options we discussed, but I could have left with a plant already...

I had no idea that beech trees (fagus sylvatica) can be so beautifully architectural. In my mind I had filed them as "not very exciting".

(I like the one that's in the pot on the left).



They also had a hawthorn, but it wasn't a very good specimen.

 

Just a final update. A few mins ago I planted the replacement of the crabapple (I had gotten rid of the crabapple at the weekend).

I did go for common beech, but a smaller specimen than the one I had seen previously. I figured it was a fair compromise - planting a large specimen in the middle of summer would be too risky.

I was really tempted by Catalpa. The photo shared by @Plantminded was very appealing. The only reason I didn't go for it is that I read that it doesn't like exposed conditions, and it is a windy spot.

Even though I do like purple foliage, I decided that for that spot, I wanted green - that's why I decided against copper beech or cotinus. And Euonymus Alatus seems to want to get a bit too wide for what I wanted.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

 

That looks good against your fencing @CostasK . I like beech too but have never grown it in my garden here. My garden is quite exposed but the winds are worse in winter when the Catalpa has lost its leaves. Any leaf damage is usually caused by drought and my sandy soil so I now keep it well watered in summer.

 

Just bear in mind the amount it will grow, although it'll take a good few years. The trunk alone will eventually be huge, but you can even prune it into a cube, or rectangular shape, as though it was hedging.
Regular pruning will be needed to keep it manageable for the spot, but hopefully you're handy with the clippers.

 

Thanks @fairygirl

I enjoy pruning so I plan to do it regularly. First I will allow it to get some height, while clipping back the sides. Eventually I will be restricting the height as well.

I prefer plants that look natural, so my preference would be to keep it small but maintain a natural shape as much as as possible - just shrank down

 

I prefer a natural look too @CostasK , and I hate seeing shrubs 'blobbed' in gardens, but I also like formality and topiary, so I'd have difficulty deciding what to do in your situation!
If you can keep it nicely pruned/shaped, it should be fine. It may not ultimately be the best choice for the site, but you can have fun experimenting, and you can always change your mind and try something else if it isn't working.