Need you help please

[guido16]

Ok folks, you all know what a crappy weekend I have had.

Also had to spend 2 hours last night digging a trench out the yard as it had flooded and boys were standing in 2 foot of water. What poor lads, they are getting it all thrown at them just now.

Anyway, I want to buy a tree to plant for my girl. She was a black Irish draught, one white sock.

Has anyone got any ideas of a type of tree? Space is not a problem and would prefer something that will grow to a decent size and be around for a long time.

Just want something that would relate to her.

Thanks in advance

 

[FairyLights]

Holly. Whitebeam .Apple.

 

[Goldenstar]

What is the soil like and is it exposed as no other trees around.

 

[stencilface]

To be planted in the field with the horses or somewhere else?

If your ground is wet I'd go for a weeping/crack willow or an alder. I like beech trees and don't think they're bad for horses afaik, but would need to read up - they need drier ground. Or, I love a good maple, Norway maple goes a brilliant orange in autumn, and field maple a lovely yellow, both would be suitable for horse fields like sycamore

 

[Tinsel Town]

I've always liked Silver Burch or willows

 

[Vetwrap]

Doesn't willow have natural pain relieving properties?

It would be lovely to plant a tree that gave shelter in the winter and shade from the sun in the summer - as though she was looking after the other horses.

I am so sorry. Like so many others, I've been there too and I do feel your pain.

 

[guido16]

It can either be in the field with the danger of them eating it before it gets the chance to grow, or across the fence line.

Windy and cold here, soil is very good, can pick an area that drains, but don't want the boys munching at it and not giving it a chance. They all ate the willow saplings I out in!

Anything out there that they won't eat but isn't poisonous?

 

[stencilface]

Sorry I think horses will eat anything! Ours do enjoy our gorse bushes as shelter and a prickly snack, but not enough snacking to destroy them - gorse has lovely coconut smelling flowers but isn't a tree obviously. Is there any way you can fence them off whilst growing? We have 3 trees planted on horse graves, and two years in they are all doing ok - even though the horses destroy the protective fence by using it as a bum scratcher

 

[guido16]

Gorse does smell lovely but we have so much that the farmers burn it!

Maybe the tree could be away from the horses, in the garden where I can sit next to it. That opens up the varieties for me.
Heck, it doesn't need to be a tree. Maybe a rose.
Like I said, space is not an issue, just want something that will relate.

So anything that is called or coloured....

Black
White
Green

She got me through a death, 2 marriages, we moved across the country together to start a new life, competed at XC, her first love.

Hope that helps. My brain is mush so just can't think.

 

[Black_Horse_White]

I've always loved Acers, the red ones are beautiful when the sun shines on the leaves. They need part shade. They are slow growing but grow into large trees.

 

[FairyLights]

They eat most trees except for holly once its big enough.

 

[touchstone]

There is a HT rose called Black Baccara which is a deep maroon colour, also some maples are very dark purple, turning vivid red in Autumn. For year round colour a holly would take some beating I think.

 

[Maesfen]

Some of my favourites: monkey puzzle; bought this as six inch sapling, it's now nearly 30 foot so needs a bit of space! Both leaves and trunk are prickly and this year ours bore fruit (you can just see the pom pom like balls on the pic which were full of seeds, hoping some of them will germinate and grow on)

Don't know whether these google images work but easy enough to find if not.

A copper beech which has been trained to grow down to trail so gives the effect of a top to ground curtain of copper leaves (that's the hope anyway!) something similar to a weeping willow but only about six foot tall. http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=co...2&tbnw=111&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:100,i:49

A scented lime which gives off a glorious scent in summer, nearly as heady as honeysuckle.http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=sc...201&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:129

 

[meandmyself]

How about an apple or pear tree?

 

[Maesfen]

Also look at this site for roses, have set it at dark colours. http://www.countrygardenroses.co.uk/products.php?cat=15

 

[Archangel]

One of my favourite trees is a black walnut, I see a huge specimen on my way home everyday. Awesome tree. They take a while to grow.

black walnut

 

[stencilface]

Ok.... (nigra and alba are black and white in latin )

Elder (Sambucus nigra), black alder, white mulberry, white oak, black ash, silver fir, silver birch, silver poplar (populus alba), white beam

 

[Gluttonforpunishment]

How about a Blackthorn, then you get the added bonus of being able to harvest the sloes each year and make sloe gin and get pickled thinking of your girl.

Added to which the wood has been used for walking or riding sticks and was the traditional wood for Irish shillelaghs so you've got the riding and irish connections too.

 

[AmyMay]

Can you remind us what your beautiful girl was called please?

 

[TrasaM]

Lovely idea. The two I'd suggest because of her ID background and her strength would be Oak and Yew.. Both not good for horses
I like the Blackthorn ideas ..pretty flowers and berries. Xx

 

[Goldenstar]

I would plant three silver birches in a little clump about eight feet apart and fence round them they are lovely romantic trees and grow quickly I love the ones where the small branches hang downwards they look dreamy and beauiful so suitable for a mare .
I say plant three as they always do best in clumps and if you get a failure you still have a tree.

 

[Queenbee]

Doesn't willow have natural pain relieving properties?

It would be lovely to plant a tree that gave shelter in the winter and shade from the sun in the summer - as though she was looking after the other horses.

I am so sorry. Like so many others, I've been there too and I do feel your pain.

Yes, it does, I was thinking that it would be a lovely tree to plant, but be warned horses love it's new shoots so you would probably have to section it off for a few years to give it time to establish properly

 

[guido16]

Thank you guys, some really lovely ideas there.

Her stable name was jade (hence the green theme) and show name was ace of spades.

 

[becca1305]

We planted a silver birch for my old boy (he was a grey). I think its nice to try and go for something that reminds you of them (so long as its not poisonous of course!). We have got ours fenced to protect it.

 

[redriverrock]

I think a willow would be nice and you can always fence it off for a few years to grow. I have a huge wllow tree and my horses love to have a lttle nibble!

 

[meandmyself]

One of my favourite trees is a black walnut, I see a huge specimen on my way home everyday. Awesome tree. They take a while to grow.

black walnut

I think they're toxic to horses. I've heard of the shavings causing lami.

http://www.understanding-horse-nutrition.com/black-walnut-tree.html
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/walnut.htm