Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm trying to help a friend find the name of the young decorative tree which the developers planted in the garden of their new house as I suspect it's going to grow too tall for the tiny garden. The leaves are lime green/yellow (same colour as Sundance Choisia) with lots of small feathery leaves on coming out each side of the stem, rather like an Ash.
Can't post a photo but wonder if anybody can give me a lead. Thanks.

Dear Primrose, it might be a Robinia pseudoacacia 'Frisia'. If it is this i think it can reach about fifty foot.

Acacia?

Primrose

as well as Robinia as OH says, it might possibly be

Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' - another from the acacia family

Why not do a google image search on the suggestions given....


Mole

Dear OH, Thanks. I've now had time to check match your suggestion with some photos on the internet and it does indeed seem to be a Frisia. It's planted in a tiny bed about a yard square, about three yards away from the front wall of the house and the whole front garden is barely big enough to park a car in.
I smell trouble ahead if they leave it growing there ...! I can't believe that any competent landscape gardener would plant such a tree in that environment.

They don't all grow big. I had a Robinia in my garden, it was in a pot and grew only a few inches over the years that I had it; it died last year in the heatwave when I forgot to water it It wasn't just the pot that contained it, it was designed to be small.

Thanks Chantal. This particular tree is already about ten feet tall so don't think it's one of the minature varieties.

Hi Primrose,
Which ever tree it turns out to be it seems to me that it is wrong for the situation.
Gleditsia Triacanthus 'Sunburst'. 'Golden Honey Locust'' is termed as a medium tree which is 30ft - 60ft.
Robinia Pseudoacacia 'Frisa' is termed as a Small Tree to Medium Tree which is anywhere between 15ft and 60 ft.
Anywhere that is confined is then clearly the wrong position.
Certainly when these trees are young they can be very easily confused and difficult to tell which is which even side by side.
JB.

Hi Primrose. I know it might sound as if I'm feeding my mother eggs, but why not just ask the people who planted it?

Submariner - don't think there would be much point. The developer hired some cheap-jack contractor to landscape the pocket handkerchief front gardens the day before the new houses had their Open Day. We watched them throw down the turf directly over builders rubble and the tree was planted just as carelessly. (Perhaps it was dug up and nicked from somewhere else as I'm sure any reputable supplier would have had a plant identification tag on it).

My parents had a beautiful Robinia in a fairly large front garden. It was a picture. I passed it recently and it really is stretching up - 30 foot - in about 12 years. But it's in a position that will take that. I gave my father another Robinia for his new garden and in 5 years that's going up quite quickly - 15 foot now - but it was quite small when it was put in. I think an amateur just jammed your friend's in for instant effect because they look so gorgeous.Can they dig it up without damaging it too much and pass it on to someone who has room for it? I've got plenty of room for a Robinia and I'm going to get one anyway in the near future, if that's any help.

Primrose. Sorry, but I thought it would have been a logical thing to do. Having heard the way the gardens were "landscaped" it would not be the thing to do!