I live in the Southern part of the UK, and am interested in any suggestions you may have for a tree that is reasonably fast growing, will provide a shady canopy that we can put a table under to eat at in summer, and is not excessively large, i.e. a final height of 30-40ft and spread of 20-30 ft. I'd love any suggestions you may have.
A problem with this concept is that even a fast-growing tree that will later overwhelm the position (grow much taller than 40 ft.) will take many years to cast a significant amount of shade. Might be best to buy or build a shade structure like an arbor, gazebo or even just a patio umbrella set with table and chairs for immediate use, with the tree being chosen for other attributes (including comparatively small size). If you have the money for it and vehicle access, you could of course otherwise spend many thousands on an already large specimen and get quick effect that way. This would best be undertaken in autumn, right after leaf drop. Some good, mostly tidy small trees for UK include Acer circinatum Acer davidii Acer palmatum Cornus kousa Koelreuteria Magnolia Malus Oxydendrum arboreum Prunus (flowering cherry) Prunus cerasifera (purpleleaf plum) Stewartia
Have you thought about building a pergola and planting vines such as grapes over it? It would have the benefit of casting shade from more than one direction (you would have to plant a tree in a central position and then move your seating around it as the sun moved) and if you planted either a scented vine such as honeysuckle or a fruit such as grapes you would have an added bonus. Vines also usually grow much more quickly than a tree and you can prune them as you wish. Margaret
Many thanks - that's lots of ideas for me to work on - including the arbor idea. Most helpful! As a matter of interest, if i do go the tree route, any thjoughts on an Acer Rubrum October Glory, which i looked up last night after I posted my thread, and which would seem to fit the bill in terms of size and spread?
