I NEED suggestions PLease

[Dilly Girl]

Hello,

I have a couple large planters probably two to three cu ft. And I want to put some sort of flowering tree type thingy ma jig, in them. I wanted to plant rose trees but was told they would not do well in containters. I need something that will withstand being left outdoors year round. I am in california so no snow or really horid cold.

Anyone have any suggestions for some sort of tree type (fill in the blank) that would thrive in containers.

Preferable around three foot high give or take a foot.

Dilly Girl

 

[DrakeMaiden]

How deep are your containers?

I would recommend lavatera, but it has the potential of getting too tall, unless the roots are confined enough to keep it from growing to its full potential. . . I don't know, I've never grown it in a container. You can prune it heavily every late winter/early spring so that it stays about 6 feet tall. The flowers look sort of like hollyhock flowers.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

We've grown hibiscus, jasmine, lantana and camelias in containers.

The hibiscus grows well, we have it in a half whiskey barrel and have pruned it up to look more "tree" like and plant annuals at the base every year. Like some lobelia, alyssum and the like. And they do well in our california temps.

Many standard sized shrubs have compact varieties.

You may want to look into lilacs, crepe myrtles, gardenias and miniature roses.

 

[Dilly Girl]

Thanks great ideas. DO you think a crepe myrtle would work in a half whiskey barrel? I have room for it to go about ten feet prior to hitting the porch rafters.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Thanks great ideas. DO you think a crepe myrtle would work in a half whiskey barrel? I have room for it to go about ten feet prior to hitting the porch rafters.

I think that they would be fine in a barrel. You do have to fertilize a little differently with wine and whiskey barrels though, we find that we have to put more nitrogen into the soils. Crepe myrtles like very well drained soil and will not flower if they are kept too wet. The ones we have in the ground are mounded to keep them drained. In a barrel I'm sure that this would be easier to achieve. We have a few varieties and not all of them grow super tall.

Here's a link on some varieties and they're size: http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/trees/crapemyrtle/crape_myrtle_varieties.html

Also, dwarf citrus trees make great container plants, they have small white flowers that smell really good and give fruit, which is also very attractive.

 

[s6bee]

What about Hybiscus ( sp.? )