trees in containers?

Question

i would like to have a tree in a 1/2 wine barrel container but i want one hardy enough to survive more the one season.i live about an hour west of st.louis,mo.it will be on a covered patio so it will get some prtection.i also plan on planting a few drooping plants around the bottom.i was thinking of a japanese maple.any other or better ideas?thank you.

Answer 1

Because of the climate of your area, Japanese maple, may not be the best choice unless you can move it inside to a spot that is bright but still fairly cool. Japanese maples, you have great taste by the way, are beautiful and do well in large containers for many years, but are also suseptable to water borne fungal problems. The roots will suddenly start to sicken and whole limbs will die. Like I said they can be finicky. When you go look at trees for your container, just check out the growing variety of dwarf types. Most trees dwarf or not will grow to fit their enviroment and then slow down when they run out of room. The larger varieties will eventually become root bound and need to moved to an even larger pot or planted in the ground. The dwarf varieties are designed to stay small and this makes them suitable for containers. There are some really beautiful evergreens that do really well in containers. Look for a hinoki cypress, or an alberta spruce just for examples. Year round green, great texture and hardy. If you do get a japanese maple look for the weeping(pendulum) type. They look so delicate and graceful. When it comes to planting make sure you have proper drainage, by drilling quarter sized holes into the bottom and placing fist sized rocks on the bottom. Mix really good quality soil with about 30% fine bark mulch( not cedar chips or sawdust), this will allow healthy root grow and great drainage. It will also not break down too quickly and choke the roots. Wine barrels look great but they do break down over time and rot. The proper drainage will slow this down. If you can't move the container create a wind block for it and wrap the barrel with burlap and straw or some other insulating material. I have seen people use packing peanuts and styrofoam in side the burlap with various amounts of success. Just as long as it allows for drainage and airflow. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

what you are talking about is a large bonsai and has been succesfully done for over a 1000 years. The best japanese maple for that would be a lace leaf maple as the naturally do not grow more than 5-6 feet tall (usually). A barrel will ensure it stays that small.

It should be fine through the winterr depending on temps. They can freeze so long as the temp in the root ball does not drop below about 27 degrees fro an exteneded period, if it does, just move the tree into an unheated garage for the winter and it will be fine, or insulate it with mulch.

You will have to do two things to ensure it stays healthy - 1) use a free draining soil to avoid root rot and 2) every few years you will have to dig it up and trim the roots to ensure it does not choke itself in roots.

Good luck!!!!!

For more info, go to www.bonsaitalk.com

Answer 3

You can plant in a container, but after two or three years, you may have to plant in the ground or get an even bigger container. But, so far, it sounds like it will be pretty with the drooping flowers.

Answer 4

A peach tree would be great. It wont get too huge, and it will survive through a couple of seasons. I used to have one in my backyard. It did great! Have fun gardening.

Answer 5

Wha about maple tree?

Answer 6

anything planted above ground level will freeze out,,if you get freezing temps. ?? or become root bound and sufficate itself !!!!

Answer 7

bonsi tree, grow it indoors

Answer 8

yes, it can survive if you water it right.