Planting advice.

[wrsni]

Our land is bounded on one side by a fairly major river which was widened, deepened and straightened (essentially a new river created) about 50 years ago. After many years of having been nothing more than a massive trench it is now starting to mature and develop character, a process which in relatively recent years I've be trying to help along on our own ground anyhow.

 

I keep a fairly tight reign on who I allow to fish on it, but one guy who lives in the city and uses it as his "quiet place" gave me a few quid this year and asked me to plant something on it that could be there in years to come after his demise. I've got to know the guy very well over the years and he is a very fine human being so i'd like to put something good on it but it's obviously a challenging site. It's on the edge of a flood plain which extends to the south and west so quite exposed, against that, we are low lying and well inland so milder and not as violent winds as coastal or the like. Soil will be loam as deep as roots will ever go, so very fertile but maybe not as good an anchor for something very tall possibly? Obviously very free draining, but soil quite moist and could be underwater for maybe up to 24hrs in an especially big flood. So lots of contradictions there. Climate probably similar to NW England, my son spent a year living and working around Lancashire and he said it was very similar to home.

 

A few things have managed to self-seed since I closed off the bank to cattle, hawthorn, willow, and a massive ash of all things has now established itself on a little estuary where a tributary joins it at the end of our run. These plus alder are the obvious candidates but he'd like one particular "signature" tree as well and I'm just wondering if there's anything a bit random or unusual which would be worth a go. I've added a few photos to help give context to the query.

 

Thanks.

[dumper]

What about more than one tree in a group

[Daniël Bos]

I have a soft spot for swamp cypress. Would probably do well in your circumstances?

 

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[7610]

I have just plant the above and they are thriving in the same conditions. They do not look out of place in the countryside either.

[Roz]

It would stick out like a sore thumb but Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) would certainly make a statement in that landscape. Otherwise I guess the usual suspects of Willow, River birch, Alder, although if planted back from the edge where flooding may be less you could look at Pin Oak (Quercus Palustris) or Nuttal Oak - BUT you could open a can of worms of Native and introducing unusual non native?!?!?

[dumper]

Quercucs palustris would make a good single and grow quickly , I would plant a stand of alnus glutinosa for shelter

[agg221]

If you are planting at the top of the bank, you have a lot of depth of soil there under normal circumstances (the full depth from the bank to the top of the river). From the photos I would guess well over 6' so as long as you plant something which can cope with getting its feet wet from time to time, I don't think you will have any problems. Our situation is very similar - we are by a slightly smaller river, on the floodplain, and pretty much everything except sweet chestnut seems to do fine. A couple of suggestions for trees which would make an interesting statement with a long lifespan. First is a walnut - there has been work done on growing walnuts in NI with some success if you choose the right varieties and since they don't grow too tall and have good root systems they should be OK. I would look at varieties from here: http://www.desmallekamp.nl/images/PDF/catalogus%20prod%20rassen%20eng..pdf

 

Second is an elm. These cope really well with your conditions and the varieties Lutece and Vada are commercially available, with enough resistance to be very unlikely to contract DED and die of it deliberate injection trials of massive doses do not cause much damage and there are no reports of trees dying when planted out). For your location I would go with Lutece I think as it is slightly less formal in outline.

 

Alec

[wrsni]

Thanks for all suggestions so far, food for thought already.

 

You've hit nail on the head Alec, between top of the bank (edge of the field) and down the bank are very different. Edge of the field whilst never drying out, is never actually wet either, could be under water one day and as soon as the flood subsides you could drive a car over it! Your statement about "getting their feet wet from time to time" sums it up nicely.

 

So I'll have a good look at the elm, walnut (I think he'd like the idea of that!), but also the swamp cyprus for maybe a wee bit further down the bank and one or two other places on the farm where it would be a bit of a change from alder and willow.

[flatyre]

is that the Bann?

[Ferguson system]

A line of Betula pendula, Betula pendula 'Dalecarlica', and Acer platanoides would look good along the top of the bank.