On 25/03/2012 14:55, AL_n wrote:
Dave wrote in news:92809ae0-a23c-41fb-
:
And one that the birds will leave alone.
And one that bees don't like! (I forgot to mention that. It's going to be
my shade tree for sitting outside under, and I don't want to be pestered
with bees (much as I know their importance to the future of the planet)!
An alternative to a good fruit-producing strain, a good blossom-producing
strain woyuld be a good alternative, although, I suppose more blossom =
more bees buzzing around, yes?
Perhaps I should be looking at a different type of 15ft high semi-weeping
tree altogether. I've been looking at dogwoods, and salix, and the
aforementions bottlebrush. I also have a tamarisk sapling that is already
3ft tall. I wonder if that will end up being the winning candidate! I'm
right on the South Coast, but my soil is far from "well-drained"; it is
seriously clayey.
Al
If you want a cherry tree that won't attract bees, you're better off
looking at a double-flowering form. However, with this type, you will
not get fruit. In double-flowerers the reproductive organs (stamen,
etc) are mostly developed into the extra petals you see, therefore bees
aren't interested and there is no fertilisation, so the plant cannot
reproduce. This also means that the flowering season is extended
because the flowers do 'go over' as fertilised flowers do prior to
forming fruit.
--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay