[JTh]

I have given up the idea of growing albizzia here in Halkidiki (Greece), the soil is too poor and rocky and watering is a problem. I still would like to have a tree near the entrance, and I have been thinking that a mulberry tree might be a better subtitute, since it is said to be drought tolerant, could any of you tell me if that sounds like a better idea? If so, which one should I choose? I don't want a very tall tree, it probably would not grow very fast here anyhow, M. alba is said to be less messy than M. nigra , but it sounds as if the fruit of the second one is tastier. Or are there other species and special you would recommend?

[pamela]

I have a Morus alba Pendula.  When bought it 5 years ago I thought I was buying a black Mulberry tree because years ago we had eaten the fruits off a wonderful Black Mulberry in Gozo and they were absolutely divine.  But we found later  ours was a Morus alba.  The fruits are very good (they go black) but not quite as delicious as the black mulberry. 
I specifically put it right out of the way i.e. at the bottom of the garden as they make a  terrible mess even on your hands while picking. On tiles and stones they stain.  They are very slow growing. We saw enormous examples in Uzbekistan last May, some were 600 years old and still producing very well.  Morus alba is deciduous. Why don't you try Arbutus unedo ...not at all messy and very drought tolerant.

[Fleur Pavlidis]

I agree with Pamela that fruiting mulberry is horribly messy - there are non-fruiting ones sold to make shade trees. How about a pomegranate instead? They make lovely little trees with some judicious pruning and provide jolly flowers and colourful fruit. Totally unfussy about soil and managing without summer irrigation if planted small.

[Alisdair]

Pomegranates grow rather slowly, and don't get that big. White mulberries have the virtue of giving worthwhile shade really very quickly (and there are some nice selections with interestingly cut leaves). Another possibility, also needing relatively little water in summer, is the almond.
And anyway, who needs shade in winter?

[JTh]

Thank you all of you for your suggestions, but I am still not quite sure what I should plant. I already have three pomegranates, they are doing rather well here, but I wanted someting more umbrella-shaped. I love the arbutus (I  have  one already), but it's not the kind of shape I wanted.  I don't know how the almond tree would behave here, I wonder if it will make the kind of wide crown that I am looking for. I don't have to worry about messying tiles and stones, and my hands are usually dirty, anyhow,when I am in the garden. So I am still looking for a nicely shape tree that grows quickly in poor soil but does not get too big.

[Daisy]

I must also agree about the mess.
I have two Morus nigra beside the pathway leading to my house.
They are both over thirty feet tall, and very beautiful with yummy fruit.
But it is impossible, to walk past them without treading onto the fallen fruit. I can put up with it for the short time, but it is a  problem for visitors.
They are certainly extremely drought tolerant. Five months without any rainfall is common here in eastern Crete, and yet they are big, lush and gorgeous.
Daisy

[pamela]

What about Elaeagnus angustifolia (oleaster) they are so lovely with their rustling silvery leaves. Quite small and can be pruned nicely into a tree.  I don't know any downsides .........or Melia azedarach (Indian bead tree) Fast growing, drought tolerant, not too big  and elegantly beautiful.

[JTh]

Thank you, the  Melia azedarach sounds like an interesting choice, I don't think I have to worry about the size (I see that it may grow  up to 45 m tall), knowing how slowly everything grows here. Still, the thought of having some tasty fruit as well is tempting.

[MikeHardman]

I second the suggestion of Melia azedarach. I like the flowers and their scent, and the shade is not too heavy (it allows other plants to grow beneath). It self-sows, and can be grown by hand from the (rowan-like) fruit quite easily. I concur that it grows quickly, and spreads to a reasonable width early, too.

With a Morus (yes, choose a non-flowering/fruiting clone), you could train it over a metal or wooden structure to make as perfect as umbrella as you want, pruning so that it gradually comes to form its own wooden frame. After a few years of such pruning, the original framework could be removed to make it more attractive (save for some parts that might be needed to keep it secure against its weight and the wind).

Another suggestion: Delonix regia (click here for pictures and some more discussion); less hardy than those above but with more spectacular flowers. It leafs out a little late, in my experience - which can be good if you want to grow spring flowers below it, but not so good if you need spring shade.

[Alisdair]

Melia azedarach is a good choice, and stands up well to Greek conditions.

[JTh]

Thanks Mike and Alisdair, I will see if any of those are available around here, the selection in the local nurseries is not exactly overwhelming, and I have some time to look around. This is probably not the best time to plant a tree, but we will be back in the autumn.

[Fleur Pavlidis]

I've had another thought - a loquat tree. Lovely fruit when just ripe which doesn't squitch on the ground, fastish growing and with highly scented blossom in spring.

[JTh]

Fleur, you are a genious, why didn't I think of that before. Right size and shape, seems to be drought tolerant, although I don't expect to get a bumper crop here, and with shallow roots, I don't need dynamite to make the whole any bigger. I tasted its fruit for the first time in Antalya last year and then I found it in the local market here as well. I had no luck with any of the seeds though, so I should probably be looking for an potted small tree in the autumn.  

[Alisdair]

Loquat is a good idea, but our experience, perhaps hotter in S Greece than you Jorun, is that fruits abort unless tree occasionally watered deeply in summer.
Another thought, very drought-tolerant with us, quick-growing, not such dense shade as loquat, and flowering reliably, is jacaranda.

[JTh]

That's another very good suggestion, Alisdair. It is possible to water when we are here in the summer, and we do occasionally get some good showers, there was one a few days ago.