Can anyone suggest tall plants that will grow in a couple of feet of
soil. I can onlythink of bamboo and jerusalem artichokes.

teapot

(teapot) wrote in news:438ce6ab.0304030312.2d140cd1
@posting.google.com:

Can anyone suggest tall plants that will grow in a couple of feet of
soil. I can onlythink of bamboo and jerusalem artichokes.

How tall do you want?

A lot of native trees will grow at least as tall as bamboo in 2 feet of
soil as long as there is a decent spread for the roots - hazel, for
example. Dogwoods aren't particularly deeprooted, for a lower screen.

or in annuals - sunflowers, of course!

Victoria

In article , Victoria Clare writes:
| (teapot) wrote in news:438ce6ab.0304030312.2d140cd1
| @posting.google.com:
|
| Can anyone suggest tall plants that will grow in a couple of feet of
| soil. I can onlythink of bamboo and jerusalem artichokes.
|
| How tall do you want?
|
| A lot of native trees will grow at least as tall as bamboo in 2 feet of
| soil as long as there is a decent spread for the roots - hazel, for
| example. Dogwoods aren't particularly deeprooted, for a lower screen.

The other and even bigger question is how waterlogged it gets in
winter and how dry in summer. As you say, 2' of soil is not in
itself a problem, not even if you need 50' trees.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in message ...
In article , Victoria Clare writes:
| (teapot) wrote in news:438ce6ab.0304030312.2d140cd1
| @posting.google.com:
|
| Can anyone suggest tall plants that will grow in a couple of feet of
| soil. I can onlythink of bamboo and jerusalem artichokes.
|
| How tall do you want?
|
| A lot of native trees will grow at least as tall as bamboo in 2 feet of
| soil as long as there is a decent spread for the roots - hazel, for
| example. Dogwoods aren't particularly deeprooted, for a lower screen.

The other and even bigger question is how waterlogged it gets in
winter and how dry in summer. As you say, 2' of soil is not in
itself a problem, not even if you need 50' trees.

I'm posting on behalf of a friend. She is trying to make a screen for
the traffic that is quite heavy and about 30 yards away from her front
garden. All the plants will need to go next to a meter high wall and
underneath the soil (which is not very good) is builders rubble. She
wants a nice high screen so she can pretend she lives in the country.
Isn't hazel a problem planted next to a house? Her front garden is
about 30ft (if that) long, with a gate at the front end and the house
at the other. Drainage is good and it is on the shady side of the
garden. Hope this helps and thanks for the help!

teapot

In article ,
teapot wrote:

I'm posting on behalf of a friend. She is trying to make a screen for
the traffic that is quite heavy and about 30 yards away from her front
garden. All the plants will need to go next to a meter high wall and
underneath the soil (which is not very good) is builders rubble. She
wants a nice high screen so she can pretend she lives in the country.
Isn't hazel a problem planted next to a house? Her front garden is
about 30ft (if that) long, with a gate at the front end and the house
at the other. Drainage is good and it is on the shady side of the
garden. Hope this helps and thanks for the help!

That doesn't sound too bad. If the drainage is good, it is unlikely
that the builder's rubble is compacted - and most plants are perfectly
happy to put their roots through loose rubble. If it is compacted,
the best solution would be to get a jobbing builder to move the soil,
break up the rubble, and replace the soil. Just over the area the
plants are to go, so it would not cost a fortune.

Hazel isn't a particular problem, but any tall plant will have roots
that travel some distance. I wouldn't advise hazel as it makes an
open screen - NOT what she wants!

Where is this? I am not an expert on suitable plants, but can tell
you that the location will make a huge difference to her choice.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 3 Apr 2003 03:12:31 -0800, teapot wrote:

Can anyone suggest tall plants that will grow in a couple of feet of
soil. I can onlythink of bamboo and jerusalem artichokes.

Arbutus menziesii.

Grows in very thin soil on rock outcrops where it goes bone dry
in summer.

Be sure to get plants from the northern end of its range -- those
from the southern end may be less frost-tolerant.

It *is* a messy tree, shedding leaves and bark all year round,
but extraordinarily beautiful with its smooth boles, tiny
urn-shaped flowers, and brilliant red fruits.

And it's a fairly fast grower, surprisingly. Sometimes some
philistine around here will cut down a big one to the dismay of
the neighbours, producing an outcry about the great age of the
tree so sacrificed, but the victims are usually only a few
decades old.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada