Trees FAQs
Whatever size your garden space, Suttons has the tree for you! Brighten a balcony or patio with a compact Japanese maple or divide a small garden and screen an unsightly view using an evergreen conifer. Choose a native tree like a hawthorn if you want to attract wildlife with bright berries.
A larger garden may be perfect for a specimen tree. The flowering tree Liriodendron tulipifera, the ‘tulip tree’, produces unusual summer cups and reaches a mature height of 20m, or go for Liquidambar styraciflua to enjoy the fiery colour transformation in autumn. The height and size of a large tree is sure to impress, drawing the eye up and lending maturity to a garden.
If you have a small space, why not tick all the boxes with a mini fruit tree. These productive small trees are kept in check by their dwarfing rootstock, so they thrive in a large container providing harvests of tasty fruits just outside your back door or on your balcony. Citrus trees make fantastic conservatory plants. In spring, the delicate white flowers release their strong iconic scent and the ripening fruits are an exotic sight in summer. Grow your own mini cherry, apple, plum or pear tree, or try a mixed family tree to create your own fruit salad!
What’s the best fertiliser for fruit trees?
The best fertiliser for your fruit tree is a high nitrogen feed like chicken manure or fish blood and bone fertiliser. Aim to fertilise your fruit tree just before bud break in spring to give it a welcome boost. Apply a layer of well-rotted manure mulch around the base of your fruit tree after planting to keep the roots cool and moist during the hot summer months.
How to care for citrus trees in pots
Use citrus fertiliser to feed your container citrus trees every couple of weeks in spring. Water your trees every week from spring into summer to keep the potting mix moist, avoiding water logging the soil. Refresh the compost every couple of years, replacing the top third of the old compost with fresh ericaceous compost. Keep your citrus trees in a sunny spot, away from cold draughts and frost.
What size pot for an acer tree?
The size of the pot you choose for your acer tree should depend on the size of the root ball. Aim to provide roughly double the root ball in terms of space in the pot for the roots to develop properly. Don’t be tempted to buy a larger pot than necessary because the tree will take longer to establish and be unstable in the pot. Choose a heavy-bottomed pot to reduce risk of toppling over in windy conditions.
