Trees by front door

[VannaB]

I'm about to move house and would like to get two potted Bay trees (or similar) to stand either side of the front door.
Firstly, what type of tree do people recommend?

Secondly, how much care will they require as I really do tend to forget thatplants need care and therefore end up killing them!

Thridly, where should I buy them from?

Thanks in advance

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Vanna,
Potted Bay Laurel (laurus nobilis) Is fairly easy to care for but they grow best in a sunny position that is sheltered from cold winds and frosts, if you're front door faces either south or west it should be suitable for it, as they can sometimes get scorched by cold winds and frost.
CARE- Pruning, remove any damaged twigs or leaves in spring and prune it to maintain the shape in summer.
Make sure the pot does not dry-out and give an occaisional feed of slow release fertiliser as recomended.

Another alternative to the bay, that I would like to recomend is a standard Holly (illex) which are less fussy about positioning and much more hardy and come in a wide range of varieties, 'golden king' or 'silver queen' are a couple of good varieties, one of each maybe ?

I always prefer to buy from a reputable garden centre or nursery that have a good stock and where you can see them growing outside in situ.
You have to remember that the price is reflected in the years of trainig that the tree has recieved for the perfect potted standard you pay for, I find this a good motivation for taking extra care of them! Good Luck Tbird+

[VannaB]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think the front door is north/south facing and although it is sheltered I'm not sure how much sunlight it gets, so perhaps I should go for the holly? I have seen some holly trees and they do look very nice-the more robust the better with me!

Thanks for your help and I'll check out the varieties you recommended.

[Athley]

We bought 2 box plants from our local garden centre. The fully grown ready clipped ones were quite expensive so I just bought some baby ones. They grew really quickly and now are really nice. My neighbour laughs at me though when I give them a hair cut - they are now ball shaped - ish!

My mums neighbour has cut hers into the shape of Thunderbird 3 - strange but true!!

:o)

[VannaB]

A friend of mine recommended box plants-I quite like the spiralshaped ones but I cannot see me being able to maintain their shape! I'd be forever snipping at them with my nail scissors every time I came home from work!
And using nail scissors on plants is EXACTLY why I am not good with plants....!