On 2009-10-21 22:01:00 +0100, lannerman
said:


echinosum;867609 Wrote:
Be careful with random Eucs, because many of them will grow a lot more
than you were asking for, especially somewhere with mild winters like
IoW. For some reason, that kind seems the easiest to get. Though there
are more suitable types. I see the particular link Sasha has given you
does (unusually)admit to what is large and have some of the smaller
ones. I wouldn't say they have the nicest ones though. I'd be looking
for E. crenulata, gregsoniana, or pauciflora for choice, though of
course we all have our taste in these things.

There's a lot of evergreen trees when you look into it, broadleaf as
well as coniferous, including some truly wonderful things if you go
look for them. Surely you can find something more interesting than
laurel or holly. Unfortunately quite a few lovely things for which you
have the climate, such as Gevuina avellana, the Chilean hazelnut, or
Crinodendron hookeriana, the Chilean lantern bush, etc, won't grow in
your chalky IoW soil. I wonder whether Maiten (Maytenus boaria) would
grow for you? They do notably well at Porthmadog.

Hi Mark, I also would be looking at Eucalyptus pauciflora but also
consider some of the Acacias but because of your lime soils on IoW you
would need to choose the variety carefully and from experience I would
suggest Acacia retinoides as being a good bushy grower, evergreen, lime
tolerant and here in coastal Cornwall flowers very freely! Interplanted
with other foliage shrubs that will grow large such as Magnolia
grandiflora, Eleagnus x ebbingei spp. Pittosporum spp. Photinia spp.
etc. etc. will give a colourful evergreen screen.
Best wishes Lannerman.

I just found that the Eucalyptus Nursery in Wales, which is no longer
trading because of the tragic death of its owner, still part maintains
the site for information. It's a very good source but be warned that
it's not fully operational. The photo gallery is still there, though a
bit 'stuttery', so one can get some idea of the looks of a few trees
and the FAQ page is very helpful..
http://www.blueram.net/eucalyptus/faqs.asp
--
Sacha