Trees for a large container
Deliberately set to the most inclusive bar, because for trees the honest answer is usually 'for a while'. A birch or an amelanchier in a big pot is a good plant for several years and a declining one after that, and the value of the page is in saying so rather than in pretending the pot is permanent.
How this list was built
Generated from the catalogue by the same engine that powers What can I grow? — 6 of the 9 trees and conifers qualify. It is published because it names a question people ask, returns enough plants to be useful, does not return most of the group it is about, and rests on fields that are actually populated. Lists that fail any of those are on the coverage page instead.
| Plant | Type | Light | Spacing | Min. pot depth | In a container |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HollyIlex aquifolium | Tree or shrubStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade | 50–400 cm | 100 cm | workable |
| Japanese mapleAcer palmatum | Tree or shrubSome care needed | Dappled shade, Partial shade | 250–400 cm | 60 cm | workable |
| YewTaxus baccata | Tree or shrubStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade, Full shade | 50–400 cm | 120 cm | workable |
| AmelanchierAmelanchier lamarckii | Tree or shrubStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade | 400–600 cm | 100 cm | marginal |
| Crab appleMalus sylvestris | Tree or shrubStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade | 400–600 cm | 100 cm | marginal |
| Silver birchBetula pendula | Tree or shrubStraightforward | Full sun, Partial shade | 700–1000 cm | 60 cm | marginal |
This is one cut through garden trees, which compares every one of them on foliage, size and container suitability — including the ones this list rules out, and why.