How to Plant Trees in Pots and Containers

You don't need a big garden to grow a tree. Planted in a good-sized pot, a small tree can bring height, shape and year-round interest to a patio, balcony, courtyard or front door.

Autumn is a great time to plant one. The weather is cooler, there's more rain, and the roots have the whole winter to settle into their new pot before they start growing in spring.

Here's how to plant trees in pots and containers, and which trees do best.

The Best Trees for Pots

Japanese Maple

A Japanese maple is one of the most beautiful trees you can grow in a pot, with delicate, finely cut leaves in green or deep red and wonderful autumn colour. They're fully hardy, but the young spring leaves can be browned by cold wind and strong sun, so give them a sheltered spot in partial shade. Find them with our trees and shrubs.

Olive Tree

Olive trees bring a Mediterranean feel to a sunny patio, with silvery grey-green leaves all year. In the UK, a pot is the best way to grow one, because you can move it to shelter in a hard winter.

Good to know: Olives need full sun and very free-draining compost. Cold, wet compost over winter kills more olives than frost, so raise the pot on feet and don't overwater.

Bay Tree

A clipped bay tree, as a lollipop standard or neat bush, looks smart either side of a front door, and you can pick the leaves for cooking. Bay is hardy in most of Britain and happy in sun or partial shade. Regular clipping keeps it compact.

Good to know: A bay in a pot is more exposed than one in the ground, and the leaves scorch brown in cold, drying wind. Move it somewhere sheltered in a hard winter. Find bay with our herbs and evergreen shrubs.

Citrus Trees

Lemon and calamondin orange trees have glossy leaves, scented flowers and colourful fruit, and they're all self-fertile, so one tree will fruit on its own. Meyer lemons and calamondins are among the more forgiving.

Good to know: Citrus trees aren't hardy in Britain. Keep them indoors in a bright, frost-free spot such as a conservatory, porch or cool greenhouse from about October to May, then move them outside for summer. They do best with a citrus feed and rainwater rather than hard tap water. Find them with our trees.

How to Plant a Tree in a Pot

1. Choose the right pot

Choose a pot with drainage holes, a little wider and deeper than the tree's current pot. Avoid going much bigger straight away, as a large volume of compost can stay wet around a small root ball. You can move the tree up a size every couple of years as it grows. If the pot will stay outside all winter, make sure it's frost-proof, and choose a heavy pot for taller trees so they don't blow over.

2. Use the right compost

For trees that will live in a pot for years, use a soil-based compost. It's heavier, so it helps keep the pot stable, and it holds nutrients and water better than lightweight compost. For olives, mix in some grit to improve drainage. Camellias and other acid-loving plants need ericaceous compost instead.

3. Plant at the same depth

Water the tree well before planting. Put some compost in the bottom of the new pot, set the tree in so the top of the root ball sits just below the rim, and fill around it with compost, firming gently as you go. Keep the tree at the same depth it was growing before.

4. Water well

Water thoroughly until it runs out of the bottom, then let it drain.

5. Raise the pot

Stand the pot on pot feet or bricks so water can drain freely. This is especially important over winter.

Looking After Trees in Pots

• Watering: trees in pots rely on you for water. In summer, check them every day or two. In winter, they need much less, but don't let them dry out completely, and check pots sheltered by walls or under eaves.
• Feeding: feed in spring and summer while the tree is growing, and stop over winter.
• Refreshing the compost: every spring, scrape away the top few centimetres of compost and replace it with fresh. Move the tree into a slightly bigger pot every two or three years.
• Winter care: group pots together against a sheltered wall, move borderline trees under cover in a hard frost, and bring citrus indoors. See how to protect plants from frost for more.

Trees in Pots: Your Questions Answered

What is the best tree to grow in a pot?

Japanese maples, olive trees and clipped bay trees are three of the best for pots in the UK. For fruit and scent, try a lemon or calamondin orange tree, kept indoors over winter.

When should I plant a tree in a pot?

Autumn and spring are the best times for hardy trees. Plant citrus in spring, when they can go outside for the summer.

Can olive trees stay in pots all year?

Yes. A pot is the best way to grow an olive in the UK. Give it full sun, free-draining compost and pot feet, and move it to shelter in a hard or very wet winter.

How big a pot does a tree need?

Start with a pot a little bigger than the current one, then move up a size every two or three years as the tree grows.

Height and Shape for Any Space

A tree in a pot is one of the easiest ways to add structure to a small garden or patio, and many will be happy in the same pot for years with a little care. Browse our full range of trees and shrubs to find the right one for your space, or see what to plant in November for more ideas.

Every plant we sell is grown in Britain by growers we know, including the Yorkshire nursery that grows most of our garden plants. We choose them for the quality of what they grow, check every plant by hand before it's packed, and send it out ready for your garden.