"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 4/12/06 17:37, in article , "Hake"
wrote:

Hello,

I have the above robinia in my front garden (planted last year) and am
concerned for its welfare. It suffered badly in winds, it had poor roots
when i got it & it has had a branch snapped off. To me,it looks like it
is
in too windy a position ( front garden, we live in a housing estate on
top
of a hill). My question is, should I leave it to fight on & pull
through? -
does someone own one that has grown up in such a situation? Or should I
just
cut my loses and find somthing more tolerant of exposure?

You could try Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst'. It does the same job as
to
colour but is a much less brittle tree and according to my husband, has a
better root system, too. In fact, he says that if anyone brings a tree
back
because it can't cope with wind, you can bet it will be a &*^^%$ Robinia!
I
mentioned your post to him specifically and he said "Robinias are like
matchsticks". They are famed for doing just as you describe and if we
have
customers in the position you also describe, we recommend Gleditsia. It
is
best planted where the sun can shine through its leaves and show its real
beauty. (There is also a lovely bronze leaved one but it's less
spectacular)
However, only you know JUST how windy your site is and if the wind is a
serious threat to plant life, you might be better going for shrubs,
selecting a Choisya 'Sundance' for that particular colour, perhaps.
If you're new to that house, I'd suggest you look at what your neighbours
have planted and how those trees/shrubs are faring. People often plant
what looks 'pretty' on e.g. a garden programme on tv or in the garden of a
friend who lives in a low lying, sheltered area etc. but it might not suit
your locality.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/


I will have a look at the Gleditsia if this one really gives up - se what
spring brings is probably best for now (Am allreaddy looking forward to
spring!). THe reason I got it was beacuse it was cheap and where I used to
work (NT garden) we had very old specimin which I really liked - though it
rained limbs in winter :-)!. If I do decide to scrap it, I will findout if
it I can take a cutting of it, I think it would do better if it was sown &
not disturbed rather than being moved about when it should be putting out
its roots.

Thanks everyone for the advice,

H