Trees in parks and gardens 2010

[johnw]

Stephen - Which Paulownia did you grow?  The one I grew here was P. koreana, at least that's how the Arnold Arboretum had it labelled from their Korean venture.  Now I see it listed also as P. tomentosa v. koreana.  It has been flowering in NS for 2 or 3 years.  I swear every seed sprouted.

johnw

[Stephenb]

Stephen  - I am happy to hear the Broussonetia turned out to be hardier than expected.  I first fell in love with it when Hugh Johnson's book on trees  first came out in the 1970's.  There was a remakable picture of it in that book.  We saw huge trees on the main street in Williamburg, Virginia.  Another was Kalopanax pictus that has proven to be very tough here; again huge old trees at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.  They sent me seeds and I passed the seedlings around in Nova Scotia and all are doing well.

I went back to that book as there was another tree, an extraordinary specimen of Zelkova carpinifolia growing in Devon, that I have always wondered about its hardiness.

johnw

I remember reading that Broussonetia (must remember, only one "t") was used as a street tree in New York. I've just planted out a Kalopanax pictus (septemlobus) in the garden as it had proved perfectly hardy in the nursery area. Pictus is on my wish list (I have an area of the garden devoted to Aralias and Kalopanax) as all are commonly used wild foraged food plants in east Asia.

I remember there's a 250 year old Zelkova carpinifolia at Kew...

[johnw]

There is a Toona 'Flamingo' at Wisley (picture here- http://www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/3511736064/)
I bought a young plant once but it died the first winter.

That is a remarkable colour of the new growth. I can't say I'd like to see it underplanted with orange azaleas though.

johnw

[johnw]

Stephen  - I am happy to hear the Broussonetia turned out to be hardier than expected.  I first fell in love with it when Hugh Johnson's book on trees  first came out in the 1970's.  There was a remakable picture of it in that book.  We saw huge trees on the main street in Williamburg, Virginia.  Another was Kalopanax pictus that has proven to be very tough here; again huge old trees at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.  They sent me seeds and I passed the seedlings around in Nova Scotia and all are doing well.

I went back to that book as there was another tree, an extraordinary specimen of Zelkova carpinifolia growing in Devon, that I have always wondered about its hardiness.

johnw

Is pictus not the same as septemlobus?  We have var. maximowicziana but after 10 years it is still a stick, no signs of branching. Certainly looks like a Cecropia.

johnw

I remember reading that Broussonetia (must remember, only one "t") was used as a street tree in New York. I've just planted out a Kalopanax septemlobus in the garden as it had proved perfectly hardy in the nursery area. Pictus is on my wish list (I have an area of the garden devoted to Aralias and Kalopanax) as all are commonly used wild foraged food plants in east Asia.

I remember there's a 250 year old Zelkova carpinifolia at Kew...

[Stephenb]

Stephen - Which Paulownia did you grow?  The one I grew here was P. koreana, at least that's how the Arnold Arboretum had it labelled from their Korean venture.  Now I see it listed also as P. tomentosa v. koreana.  It has been flowering in NS for 2 or 3 years.  I swear every seed sprouted.

johnw

Paulownia tomentosa - I don't know anything else about it (I think I got the seed in a trade).  I have a picture of P. tomentosa var coreana from the Hilliers Arboretum in Hampshire, UK (IPNI list this as a species P. coreana). Otherwise, I have pictures of the following seen in other botanical gardens in Europe: Paulownia fargesii, P. kawakamii and P. tomentosa "Lilacina".

[Stephenb]

Pictus=septemlobus; Yes, you're perfectly correct - I actually discovered that last week but promptly forgot again; Too many plants too little memory...

[Paddy Tobin]

Stephen,

Paulownia tomentosa was going to be, I imagined, one of  the victims of the harsh winter we have just experienced. You will be aware of its hollow stems and of how soft the wood is. I was amazed to see it come into leaf again with apparently no damage at all except, perhaps, to some very small outer twigs. Now, if the blasted thing would only go and flower for me. It is a most beautiful tree in flower.

Re edible trees: It came up in conversation here last week that we used pick and chew hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, leaves when children and also the haws in the autumn.

Black Mustard, Brassica nigra, was a famine food here in Ireland in the 19th century and I find the Irish name applied to it a succinct comment on its palatability. The Irish name is Praiseach (Mess) Dhubh (black). Sums it up, I suppose.

Paddy

[Onion]

Uli,

Your mention of a Toona cultivar called, "Flamingo" reminds me of Acer negundo 'Flamingo' which was a tree found in every garden centre here about twenty years ago. The young foliage was pink and white edged and was absolutely disgusting. So, the very name "Flamingo" would put me off seeking out this Toona cultivar.

Paddy

Paddy,

the Acer negundo 'Flamingo' don't grow happily in this area. I only know this tree from areas more continental. After some years the have a fungus infection and than grow backwards. I wonder because the A. negundo does it quit well here.

[Onion]

Have anyone grow Paulownia elongata from China?
We grow it in the nursery, but the plants where mixed with P. tomentosa. Called to be the hardiest species of Paulownia. But can't tell more about it.

[johnw]

[/quote]

Paddy,

the Acer negundo 'Flamingo' don't grow happily in this area. I only know this tree from areas more continental. After some years the have a fungus infection and than grow backwards. I wonder because the A. negundo does it quit well here.
[/quote]

Not surprising as while Acer negundo is generally tough as nails its range goes into California and this is where Flamingo was discovered. 

johnw

[Stephenb]

Not surprising as while Acer negundo is generally tough as nails its range goes into California and this is where Flamingo was discovered. 

johnw

John: My impression of California as a warm place got a severe beating when I visited in August some 10-years ago. I was attending a meeting in Monterey. The sea was freezing (upwelling). Took a long day trip up into the Sierra Nevada and was shocked to find deep snow in the Lodgepole Pine forest on the way up. In August! Is there anywhere else where you can find deep snow in coniferous forest so late in the summer?  I understood afterwards that it's an El-Nino related phenomenon - there's just so much snow in winter it takes all summer to melt... 

[Stephenb]

Stephen  - I am happy to hear the Broussonetia turned out to be hardier than expected.
johnw

It turns out that it's even hardier than I had imagined as I've just discovered a couple of shoots high up in the plant which is about 1.5m high!! Yesss...

[Lvandelft]

Very good idea to take the trees in a special thread.
So many lovely trees you all showed here!

Here one of my miniature trees and a young Viburnum in flower                                 

Tilia cordata Monto                 
Viburnum plicata Cascade

[TheOnionMan]

Very good idea to take the trees in a special thread.
So many lovely trees you all showed here!

Here one of my miniature trees and a young Viburnum in flower                                 

Tilia cordata Monto                 
Viburnum plicata Cascade

Luit, how tall will the Tilia cultivar eventually reach?  It's rather fetching.

[johnw]

Now that's a sensibly sized Tilia.

Mark - There was a very dwarf Norway Maple in front of the prop house at the Arnold Arboretum.  Do you know if it's still there and its name?

johnw