At last the tree is in!

This is the last of this series on my minuscule front garden..I totally PROMISE. There will be no more chatter about this space until it has filled out and throughly deserving of some more attention.

The final touch to the planting here, was the multi-stemmed crabapple tree, which I agonised over for far too long. I got several quotes for multi-stemmed specimen trees (not just crabapples) and each of them would have looked totally glorious, but I had to rein myself in, because I didn’t have the money for any of it.

Accordingly I went for a small crabapple from Ornamental Trees Ltd, which cost me a grand total of £71.93 (including delivery). I want to big up this company, because the tree arrived in perfect condition, in a huge card-board box.

The only plastic was the pot it was grown in (which I will re-use) and a black bin bag which was attached to the base of the tree in such a way that I could re-use that as well.

The variety is called ‘Red Sentinel’ - very well-known to be a ‘good doer’ and disease-resistant.

Being small-ish, it went in easily (another expense avoided) and as with all plants, a younger specimen will in the end, grow to be stronger and better in its environment. Worth the wait I think.

If you’re planning on transforming a space, and desperately want that ‘finished’ look immediately, know that you are not alone! Also know, though, that if they’re well looked after and planted properly, plants grow faster than you think, and you have the added benefit of watching this happen, which is always a joy.

Here then, for what they’re worth, are my tips for filling a new space on a budget:

1. Choose bare-root hedging (see this post) The cost is minuscule compared with shelling out for ‘the finished product’ and they grow faster than you think!

2. If you need to make an impact straight away, then large specimen trees really are worth the money, but if your budget can’t stretch to this don’t despair; you’ll certainly be able to find something sufficiently imposing in the form you want. Search the internet using your form keyword (eg. full standard, half standard, multi-stem etc) and be open to changing your mind on species and variety. Bear in mind also that these companies know their plants; the ones that do well and are popular are also usually the cheapest so don’t get hung up having something that ‘everybody else’ has…Everyone has one because it’s a great plant!

3. Give yourself time, and plant in stages. If you can, plant specimen trees and shrubs first, and then add your herbaceous perennials and bulbs etc. As you can see, I did my space entirely the wrong way round and very awkward it was too! Once larger plants are in, you may easily find that your other plant requirements change as you may have more and less space than you initially thought. So slow down already!

x Laetitia