Trees in parks & gardens 2016

[johnw]

Monday past I had a wonderful morning with head propagator Jack Alexander at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Mass.  He introduced me to this tree and we were able to get some seeds.  Hailing from Afghanistan it was a bit of a surprise to see it doing well in Boston.  I was told to try it though the Nova Scotian climate hardly resembles that of its native haunts.  The drier the spot the better I'd guess.  Has anyone grown it successfully?

john

[Gabriela]

Not that I can answer to the question, but I would also be very interested to hear from others.
I never saw even the C. siliquastrum growing somewhere close to our region.

[johnw]

Cercis chinensis does rather well in our milder areas though not for cold spots.

[Gabriela]

That's a great looking one.
Surprisingly enough, sometimes even young C. canadensis have problems going through the winter here. For sure due to seedlings brought from US warmer areas, like it happens with the majority of nurseries stock now.

[johnw]

C. canadensis can be dicey here especially as young trees of unknown provenances.  There was a bit of branch die-back on 'Forest Pansy' last year, something I had predicted as it is a selection made in Texas.   Best bet is to grow seed from this very old tree of type C. canadensis at Blair House, Kentville Research Station, its days must surely be numbered as it must be close to 40 years old. Very few seeds are produced but when grown the plants are tough & floriferous.
 
We have to plant this species in a sunny dry spot, either in the rain shadow of a south-facing wall or on the south-facing edge of a woodland.  One of those trees that does better in the hotter & colder interior than near the coast where its cooler and milder.

john

[fermi de Sousa]

John,
As you know I'm very interested in this genus as they do well in Redesdale! Let me know when your C. griffithii produces seed
We get a few seedlings now under our C. siliquastrum which we planted about 14 years ago.
I'll be checking out friends who grow 'Forest Pansy' to see if they get any seed!
cheers
fermi

[Gabriela]

C. canadensis can be dicey here especially as young trees of unknown provenance.  There was a bit of branch die-back on 'Forest Pansy' last year, something I had predicted as it is a selection made in Texas.  We have to plant this species in a sunny dry spot, either in the rain shadow  of a south-facing wall or on the sout-facing edge of a woodland.  Best bet is to grow seed from this very old tree at Blair House, Kentville Research Station whose days must surely be numbered. Very few seeds are poroduced but when they're grown the plants are tough & floriferous.
john

Beautiful, beautiful C.'Forest Pansy'! It should be indeed propagated before it's too late.

[johnw]

Gabriela  - The tree at Blair House is type C. canadensis not 'Forest Pansy', the latter a tree I'd avoid in these latitudes for the aforementioned reason.

johnw - +4c and sunny, ground bare but snow tomorrow followed by an arctic temp. plunge that will end this crazy spring weather.

[Matt T]

... this very old tree of type C. canadensis at Blair House, Kentville Research Station, its days must surely be numbered as it must be close to 40 years old. Very few seeds are produced but when grown the plants are tough & floriferous.

I gather that Cercis are short-lived trees then, John? The specimen in your photos looks to be in its prime and it's shame to think it might soon be in decline. I guess there is a tendency for us to always thinks of trees as being permanent / static features of our landscape, when they are far from it.

[Gabriela]

Gabriela  - The tree at Blair House is type C. canadensis not 'Forest Pansy', the latter a tree I'd avoid in these latitudes for the aforementioned reason.
johnw - +4c and sunny, ground bare but snow tomorrow followed by an arctic temp. plunge that will end this crazy spring weather.

Thanks for clarifying this John. After the Paulownia you showed me I would believe anything you say about trees 

I saw a young Forest P. growing at NY Bot. Garden, after the last two gruesome winters I don't know if still alive. Anyway, I couldn't abstain last year and bought a small C. 'Rising Sun', actually to save it from grim fate in a garden center. I'll see how it goes...

[johnw]

I gather that Cercis are short-lived trees then, John?

Matt  - I'm not sure how long they live in their native haunts but here 50 years old is an ancient tree, after 25 years they are usually as big as they'll get and go into a slow decline.  They are very fast groowing trees when young.

"For sure due to seedlings brought from US warmer areas, like it happens with the majority of nurseries stock now."  Indeed Gabriela it's a sad commentary on how the nursery business has changed and where it's going, one size fits all.

The very first Cyclamen coum flower appeared this morning, it will have a bit of a wait after tomorrow.

john

[johnw]

Two fine weeping trees were spotted at The Arnold a week ago,  Cercidiphyllum japonica 'Morioka Weeping' and Styrax japponica 'Carillon'.  I wonder how big the former will get.  The 'Carillon' is a superb tree and flowers very heavily.

johnw

 

[illingworth]

John,

Dirr in his Manual of Woody Landscape Plants writes he thinks S. 'Carillon' is a rename of S. 'Pendula'. He sizes it as 8 to 12 feet.
-Rob

[johnw]

Rob-  Some time around 1995 Briggs Nursery tissue-cultured Styrax japonica, 'Carillon' and 'Pink Chimes' and our group brought in about 25 of each.  Some had problems getting them established whilst others had them take off like a shot.  Not sure which I temporarily plunked in my bog but it was happy as a clam last I looked, rather surprised it would tolerate such wetness.

john

[Gabriela]

Wonderful tree the Styrax, 'Carillon' is desirable but I would contend even with the type species. And because it goes by the common name of Snowbell and we have fresh snow here, I will add one more image. We can all dream of flowers projected into the blue sky 
Styrax japonica japonicus