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Eucalyptus/Corymbia woes


Josue Diaz

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Two years ago, after removing a couple of diseased liquidambar trees, I bought three 1-gallon corymbia ficifolia from a local grower who specializes in eucalyptus and acacia. At least, i thought they were ficifolia... knowing that eucalyptus go through various stages of foliar maturity, I figured that the glossy adult leaves would come in sometime the following year.  

To my dismay, the adult foliage is weepy, dull green and long - not exactly characteristic of ficifolia. The bark exfoliates and is smooth and white. Also, I have a seed grown ficifolia that even at a younger age looks very different with thick, dark green, glossy foliage. 

Yesterday, my suspicion that I was sold mislabeled trees was confirmed when I drove to the grower's nursery to pick up 2 eucalyptus macrocarpa. When I got there he handed me two Albizia julibrissin :huh:. As confused as I was, I explained to him that these were NOT eucalyptus. He insisted they were macrocarpa and that they'd grow out of their juvenile foliage. After that interaction I'm pretty certain that what I bought two years ago as ficifolia are in fact something else. I think that the street trees I bought and planted are actually eucalyptus viminialis. A species that is MUCH MUCH larger than what i want or need. Much too large for the parking strip, and too much of a liability being planted along the street where cars park underneath. Sigh. Two years of growth wasted, when I desperately need shade. 

So my question now is, do you think there is any possibility these are indeed ficifolia? If not, before removing them, I would consider grafting ficifolia onto them. Does anyone have experience grafting eucs? I think both of these species (ficifolia and viminalis) are now classified as corymbia, not eucalyptus. 

 

My parents would say "me dieron gato por liebre", basically I was hoodwinked.

 

Resized_20180730_131245_1789.jpeg

Edited by Josue Diaz
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It's an interesting looking tree def something I'd stop to stare at :bemused:

I'm no expert on id's but I think it is cool how the leaves look very similar to those on my ficus alii while the limbs, trunk, and growth pattern look much more related to my young eucalyptus deglupta. Yup eucalyptus ficus is what I'm thinking or whatever fancy name you called it :D

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6 minutes ago, Jupiter1 said:

It's an interesting looking tree def something I'd stop to stare at :bemused:

I'm no expert on id's but I think it is cool how the leaves look very similar to those on my ficus alii while the limbs, trunk, and growth pattern look much more related to my young eucalyptus deglupta. Yup eucalyptus ficus is what I'm thinking or whatever fancy name you called it :D

I do like the foliage. The trees are attractive, especially with their smooth, white bark. They're prone to topple over, and they drop limbs routinely, so these are not good trees for a parking strip. It's disappointing to me because now after two years, I'll have to pull these out and start all over with zero shade. 

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Josue: I've found that Brachychiton discolor (pictured below) and Brachychiton acerifolius have both provided me with fast growth and good shade during the summer here in NorCal. I got them as seedlings from a Bay Area nursery just a few years ago. There is some leaf drop by it's no problem to handle and the branches are easy to prune. I'm also pleased how well my single dwarf Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' has grown. It's over ten feet tall this year, but I'm expecting it to die back several feet this winter (as it usually does). Has attractive foliage and a very extended blooming season. I still have flowers on it today! It provides good shade for part of my palm berm. So, just some alternate plant choices to consider that grow fast... ^_^

Brachychiton.png

Brachychiton-2.png

Jacaranda.png

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4 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

Two years ago, after removing a couple of diseased liquidambar trees, I bought three 1-gallon corymbia ficifolia from a local grower who specializes in eucalyptus and acacia. At least, i thought they were ficifolia... knowing that eucalyptus go through various stages of foliar maturity, I figured that the glossy adult leaves would come in sometime the following year.  

To my dismay, the adult foliage is weepy, dull green and long - not exactly characteristic of ficifolia. The bark exfoliates and is smooth and white. Also, I have a seed grown ficifolia that even at a younger age looks very different with thick, dark green, glossy foliage. 

Yesterday, my suspicion that I was sold mislabeled trees was confirmed when I drove to the grower's nursery to pick up 2 eucalyptus macrocarpa. When I got there he handed me two Albizia julibrissin :huh:. As confused as I was, I explained to him that these were NOT eucalyptus. He insisted they were macrocarpa and that they'd grow out of their juvenile foliage. After that interaction I'm pretty certain that what I bought two years ago as ficifolia are in fact something else. I think that the street trees I bought and planted are actually eucalyptus viminialis. A species that is MUCH MUCH larger than what i want or need. Much too large for the parking strip, and too much of a liability being planted along the street where cars park underneath. Sigh. Two years of growth wasted, when I desperately need shade. 

So my question now is, do you think there is any possibility these are indeed ficifolia? If not, before removing them, I would consider grafting ficifolia onto them. Does anyone have experience grafting eucs? I think both of these species (ficifolia and viminalis) are now classified as corymbia, not eucalyptus. 

 

My parents would say "me dieron gato por liebre", basically I was hoodwinked.

 

Resized_20180730_131245_1789.jpeg

Not C. ficifolia by a long shot...  Someone def. doesn't know their Eucs. Not sure i'd trust their judgement with anything else either..   Viminalis will get huge fast and become a nightmare in that parking strip. 

Other trees, aside from the Flowering Gum you could look into which will work in your parking strip include Tabebuia / Handroanthus ( Chrysotricha, Chrysantha, Impetiginosa* same sp. i'd planted in a similar situ. back in San Jose*) Hymnospermum flavum / Sweetshade (Might have to head south to find 'em for sale).. Hill's thoughts on Brachychiton could work also. Bidwilli and discolor would generally stay smaller than acerifolius though. 

Several of the flowering tree sp. seed i will be sending you would also fit well in the parking strip there.

Too bad the pink- flowered variety of Pseudobombax  ellipticum is nearly impossible to find lately.. Awesome tree.. typically stays / can be kept short, esp in CA. Yea its a little more  frost sensitive than the white flowering version but i don't see why it wouldn't survive there in Fresno.  Aside from the flowers, new growth, and the color shades leaves progress through as it greens up is spectacular. 

..Picts from a neighborhood tree in FL. back in 2014.. Wish i knew someone there who could send me cuttings /seed...

SAM_2412.JPG.aac11595fa6090ab66c301f5202SAM_2425.JPG.3ccbe57d289703d2d0ac641f522SAM_2430.JPG.46066163f1bf2197c4f2eed0e7f

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One more fast-growing shade tree suggestion: Tabebuia (Handroanthus) umbellata , which is listed as a reliable tree down to Zone 8. I got one from him last year, it sailed through winter and it's grown over 5 feet this year. As of today he's still got 3 available: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tabebuia-umbellata-Yellow-Trumpet-Tree/173480556714

Here's how he describes it: "An ideal lawn tree, Tabebuia umbellata, known as Yellow Trumpet Tree, is often seen in cultivation as a smaller tree. But in nature - in a wind protected area - it can attain a spread of 30 feet.  It has 4 inch silver-green leaves with fuzzy undersides which drop as new foliage emerges in Spring, and it is in Spring that the tree puts on its heavy yellow floral display. This tree is often used as a median tree."

T.umbellata.png

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2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not C. ficifolia by a long shot...  Someone def. doesn't know their Eucs. Not sure i'd trust their judgement with anything else either..   Viminalis will get huge fast and become a nightmare in that parking strip. 

Other trees, aside from the Flowering Gum you could look into which will work in your parking strip include Tabebuia / Handroanthus ( Chrysotricha, Chrysantha, Impetiginosa* same sp. i'd planted in a similar situ. back in San Jose*) Hymnospermum flavum / Sweetshade (Might have to head south to find 'em for sale).. Hill's thoughts on Brachychiton could work also. Bidwilli and discolor would generally stay smaller than acerifolius though. 

Several of the flowering tree sp. seed i will be sending you would also fit well in the parking strip there.

Too bad the pink- flowered variety of Pseudobombax  ellipticum is nearly impossible to find lately.. Awesome tree.. typically stays / can be kept short, esp in CA. Yea its a little more  frost sensitive than the white flowering version but i don't see why it wouldn't survive there in Fresno.  Aside from the flowers, new growth, and the color shades leaves progress through as it greens up is spectacular. 

..Picts from a neighborhood tree in FL. back in 2014.. Wish i knew someone there who could send me cuttings /seed...

SAM_2412.JPG.aac11595fa6090ab66c301f5202SAM_2425.JPG.3ccbe57d289703d2d0ac641f522SAM_2430.JPG.46066163f1bf2197c4f2eed0e7f

Silas: Just an FYI, this red flowered form is occasionally available, as either a cutting or rooted, from: http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/buy-plants-m-r/pseudobombax-ellipticum

Never had a complaint with the plants he ships. ^_^

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pseudobombax.png

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2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not C. ficifolia by a long shot...  Someone def. doesn't know their Eucs. Not sure i'd trust their judgement with anything else either..   Viminalis will get huge fast and become a nightmare in that parking strip. 

Other trees, aside from the Flowering Gum you could look into which will work in your parking strip include Tabebuia / Handroanthus ( Chrysotricha, Chrysantha, Impetiginosa* same sp. i'd planted in a similar situ. back in San Jose*) Hymnospermum flavum / Sweetshade (Might have to head south to find 'em for sale).. Hill's thoughts on Brachychiton could work also. Bidwilli and discolor would generally stay smaller than acerifolius though. 

Several of the flowering tree sp. seed i will be sending you would also fit well in the parking strip there.

Too bad the pink- flowered variety of Pseudobombax  ellipticum is nearly impossible to find lately.. Awesome tree.. typically stays / can be kept short, esp in CA. Yea its a little more  frost sensitive than the white flowering version but i don't see why it wouldn't survive there in Fresno.  Aside from the flowers, new growth, and the color shades leaves progress through as it greens up is spectacular. 

..Picts from a neighborhood tree in FL. back in 2014.. Wish i knew someone there who could send me cuttings /seed...

SAM_2412.JPG.aac11595fa6090ab66c301f5202SAM_2425.JPG.3ccbe57d289703d2d0ac641f522SAM_2430.JPG.46066163f1bf2197c4f2eed0e7f

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

One more fast-growing shade tree suggestion: Tabebuia (Handroanthus) umbellata , which is listed as a reliable tree down to Zone 8. I got one from him last year, it sailed through winter and it's grown over 5 feet this year. As of today he's still got 3 available: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tabebuia-umbellata-Yellow-Trumpet-Tree/173480556714

Here's how he describes it: "An ideal lawn tree, Tabebuia umbellata, known as Yellow Trumpet Tree, is often seen in cultivation as a smaller tree. But in nature - in a wind protected area - it can attain a spread of 30 feet.  It has 4 inch silver-green leaves with fuzzy undersides which drop as new foliage emerges in Spring, and it is in Spring that the tree puts on its heavy yellow floral display. This tree is often used as a median tree."

T.umbellata.png

Wow how fast are the pseudobombax and tabebuia? I'd be super happy finding any of these in 5 gallon or bigger. 

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Josue: You're more likely to find T. chrysotricha in 5-gal or larger sizes. T. umbellata is much less common, though more reliably cold-hardy. Where I live I'd grow Pseudobombax in a pot like a frost-tender caudiciform succulent, and keep it on the dry side. If planted out, one wet winter in cold, soggy soil could doom it. :hmm:

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1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

Josue: You're more likely to find T. chrysotricha in 5-gal or larger sizes. T. umbellata is much less common, though more reliably cold-hardy. Where I live I'd grow Pseudobombax in a pot like a frost-tender caudiciform succulent, and keep it on the dry side. If planted out, one wet winter in cold, soggy soil could doom it. :hmm:

Hillizard,
Saw his listings, only has cuttings avail atm.  Is on my list of sources for that variety though..


Josue,
Agree w/ Hillizard, If you can get your hands on T. umbellata, grab it.. While it, and the other hardy Tabebuia / Handroanthus sp should do fine in Fresno, As far as i recall, T. umbellata is practically un-heard of anywhere in CA and would certainly tolerate the most potential cold.  Thinking it is the smallest of the yellow-flowering sp.. averaging around 15 ft, though i see some articles suggest it can reach 25+ft.  All are pretty steady growers with average water in the spring / summer.  



As for Pseudobombax, both the white and pink/ reddish flowered types are pretty quick growers with summer water / heat. My largest white one went from a 8" seedling to at / just over 6ft in less than 5 years, and that is crammed in it's current 3gal-sized pot, and kept somewhat dry. I'm sure if i had it in a 15gal, it would be 2x+ that height atm.  

Have seen huge, un-pruned, white flowered specimens around S. Cal. One at CA. Cactus Center in Pasadena sits within reach of a small fish pond, next to a giant Aloe barberae / bainesii. Then again, another specimen located a local nursery that specializes in Cacti  here is much shorter. He prunes it regularly to build the "look" of the trunk and keeps it drier. Supposedly, it has withstood temps down into the low 20s, possibly the high teens. That part of Chandler has recorded 19-18F a couple times from what i have been told. 

CA. Cactus Center specimen:
IMG_2030.JPG.50d1cfef03ee0dd05e3669efe70

AZ Cactus specimen,:
DSCN1030.JPG.3d511da138ab9e1e57d74d2f64d

As mentioned, the pink flowered ones have a reputation of being more cold sensitive but i myself wouldn't place either variety in the ground at less than 7gal size, in well draining soil, and be sure they don't get a drop of extra water from mid / late November- late Feb which is typically when they drop their foliage / go dormant, like Plumeria, and / or Pachypodiums.

Either way, Small specimens of both var are much more sensitive to cold wet winter conditions for sure.. 

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4 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Hillizard,
Saw his listings, only has cuttings avail atm.  Is on my list of sources for that variety though..


Josue,
Agree w/ Hillizard, If you can get your hands on T. umbellata, grab it.. While it, and the other hardy Tabebuia / Handroanthus sp should do fine in Fresno, As far as i recall, T. umbellata is practically un-heard of anywhere in CA and would certainly tolerate the most potential cold.  Thinking it is the smallest of the yellow-flowering sp.. averaging around 15 ft, though i see some articles suggest it can reach 25+ft.  All are pretty steady growers with average water in the spring / summer.  



As for Pseudobombax, both the white and pink/ reddish flowered types are pretty quick growers with summer water / heat. My largest white one went from a 8" seedling to at / just over 6ft in less than 5 years, and that is crammed in it's current 3gal-sized pot, and kept somewhat dry. I'm sure if i had it in a 15gal, it would be 2x+ that height atm.  

Have seen huge, un-pruned, white flowered specimens around S. Cal. One at CA. Cactus Center in Pasadena sits within reach of a small fish pond, next to a giant Aloe barberae / bainesii. Then again, another specimen located a local nursery that specializes in Cacti  here is much shorter. He prunes it regularly to build the "look" of the trunk and keeps it drier. Supposedly, it has withstood temps down into the low 20s, possibly the high teens. That part of Chandler has recorded 19-18F a couple times from what i have been told. 

CA. Cactus Center specimen:
IMG_2030.JPG.50d1cfef03ee0dd05e3669efe70

AZ Cactus specimen,:
DSCN1030.JPG.3d511da138ab9e1e57d74d2f64d

As mentioned, the pink flowered ones have a reputation of being more cold sensitive but i myself wouldn't place either variety in the ground at less than 7gal size, in well draining soil, and be sure they don't get a drop of extra water from mid / late November- late Feb which is typically when they drop their foliage / go dormant, like Plumeria, and / or Pachypodiums.

Either way, Small specimens of both var are much more sensitive to cold wet winter conditions for sure.. 

Silas: Great information and awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to try to root a cutting of that Pseudobombax this month. :D

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Josue, end your time loss now.  Discard the mis-labeled Eucs and switch to one of the suggested species !  :winkie:

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San Francisco, California

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21 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Not C. ficifolia by a long shot...  Someone def. doesn't know their Eucs. Not sure i'd trust their judgement with anything else either..   Viminalis will get huge fast and become a nightmare in that parking strip. 

Other trees, aside from the Flowering Gum you could look into which will work in your parking strip include Tabebuia / Handroanthus ( Chrysotricha, Chrysantha, Impetiginosa* same sp. i'd planted in a similar situ. back in San Jose*) Hymnospermum flavum / Sweetshade (Might have to head south to find 'em for sale).. Hill's thoughts on Brachychiton could work also. Bidwilli and discolor would generally stay smaller than acerifolius though. 

Several of the flowering tree sp. seed i will be sending you would also fit well in the parking strip there.

Too bad the pink- flowered variety of Pseudobombax  ellipticum is nearly impossible to find lately.. Awesome tree.. typically stays / can be kept short, esp in CA. Yea its a little more  frost sensitive than the white flowering version but i don't see why it wouldn't survive there in Fresno.  Aside from the flowers, new growth, and the color shades leaves progress through as it greens up is spectacular. 

..Picts from a neighborhood tree in FL. back in 2014.. Wish i knew someone there who could send me cuttings /seed...

SAM_2412.JPG.aac11595fa6090ab66c301f5202SAM_2425.JPG.3ccbe57d289703d2d0ac641f522SAM_2430.JPG.46066163f1bf2197c4f2eed0e7f

For what it's worth, most of my winters are too cold to grow this tree. Not sure that it would survive Cali lows. :crying:

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Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

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On 9/13/2018, 4:43:16, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

@Missi Yikes naples too cold??? 

Anything more than a couple miles from the coast, which is most of Naples :crying: I'm like 15 miles inland. :wacko:

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

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The trees are going out today. I found someone who has plenty of space and is willing to take them. Also, I bought replacements today. A friend who is part of the Rare Fruit Growers' Association convinced me to plant avocados. I got a Hass and a Mexicola. 

20180917_113345.jpg

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Josue: Your choice of avocados [edible landscaping] is a good option for shade. Hope those do the trick. You might also test one of the hardier Bauhinias, like B. variegata, which should be available in California in larger sizes : https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/bauhinia-variegata

Below are a couple of pictures of mine today (pruning shears added for scale). I cut it back severely this summer and within a month it had already grown out again! Seems to be able to handle the most intense sun and heat here in inland NorCal with no complaints. It does shed a lot during the winter though, and never blooms as heavily as I've seen in SoCal. I just got a small B. blakeana today that will eventually go into the backyard too.

That's the trunk of my potted Ptychosperma elegans in the background on the right. It definitely requires a lot of shade to grow outdoors in the summer here.

Bauhinia_variegata.png

Bauhinia_variegata-2.png

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Ficifolia's natural range is far south western Western Australia, a Mediterranean climate. I thought they were fairly frost hardy, but no, they wouldn't really see severe frosts normally. Having said that, they grow pretty well over in the eastern states, particularly in the Murray Valley and northern Victoria, probably hotter in summer and frostier in winter than their native habitat. Extremes of 115f and 25f in my old home town.

I might be wrong re the attached photos.... they are scans of my late father's slides..... not labeled as such, but I think they might be Ficifolia growing at my childhood home in northern Victoria, Australia, in the mid 1960's.

DSC00176.JPG

DSC00223.JPG

DSC00230.JPG

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39 minutes ago, greysrigging said:

Ficifolia's natural range is far south western Western Australia, a Mediterranean climate. I thought they were fairly frost hardy, but no, they wouldn't really see severe frosts normally. Having said that, they grow pretty well over in the eastern states, particularly in the Murray Valley and northern Victoria, probably hotter in summer and frostier in winter than their native habitat. Extremes of 115f and 25f in my old home town.

I might be wrong re the attached photos.... they are scans of my late father's slides..... not labeled as such, but I think they might be Ficifolia growing at my childhood home in northern Victoria, Australia, in the mid 1960's.

DSC00176.JPG

DSC00223.JPG

DSC00230.JPG

Looks like it.. 

Pretty common street tree back in San Jose..and many other parts of the San Francisco / Monterey Bay Areas for a time. Doesn't get too big, or stink like other Eucs. Stunning when in flower. A shopping center located in what i consider the heart of the part of San Jose i grew up in has pretty much every color form that i think exists growing on their property, including rarer pink and white flowering specimens.

Trees never skipped a beat through any of the more memorable frost / freezes i remember, including those in the late 80's and 1990 when parts of town hit the mid to high teens. Lows below 25F are fairly uncommon in that part of town in a typical winter.  Looks like the two Majesty palms installed at the corner McDonald's, roughly 2011 / 2012 have survived more recent cold spells there, and honestly don't look half bad, considering a full sun / likely not pampered position they're in.

**Princeton Plaza area where Meridian Ave, Blossom Hill Rd. and Kooser Rd. intersect, for anyone who wants to look on Street View. Not sure why they keep over-trimming some of the trees there.. Have done this as long as i can remember though.

Switching gears for a sec, Local Royal Palm in Cambrian Park also appears to be truckin' along, per the last overhead view update of the area back in May. Street View of it is wayy outdated, like from back in 2015.. 

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15 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks like it.. 

Pretty common street tree back in San Jose..and many other parts of the San Francisco / Monterey Bay Areas for a time. Doesn't get too big, or stink like other Eucs. Stunning when in flower. A shopping center located in what i consider the heart of the part of San Jose i grew up in has pretty much every color form that i think exists growing on their property, including rarer pink and white flowering specimens.

Trees never skipped a beat through any of the more memorable frost / freezes i remember, including those in the late 80's and 1990 when parts of town hit the mid to high teens. Lows below 25F are fairly uncommon in that part of town in a typical winter.  Looks like the two Majesty palms installed at the corner McDonald's, roughly 2011 / 2012 have survived more recent cold spells there, and honestly don't look half bad, considering a full sun / likely not pampered position they're in.

**Princeton Plaza area where Meridian Ave, Blossom Hill Rd. and Kooser Rd. intersect, for anyone who wants to look on Street View. Not sure why they keep over-trimming some of the trees there.. Have done this as long as i can remember though.

Switching gears for a sec, Local Royal Palm in Cambrian Park also appears to be truckin' along, per the last overhead view update of the area back in May. Street View of it is wayy outdated, like from back in 2015.. 

Climatically they should thrive in San Francisco.... during drought years, northern Victoria is quite frost prone, so possibly 30 or 40 mornings of frost during winter..... but not severe like in the US. Mature Ficifolia handle it no probs. And, speaking of Royal Palms..... big healthy specimens in Mt. Isa, inland north western Queensland which does see the odd frost/freeze. But a frost in Mt. Isa still sees a 70f or 75f daytime temp, so I think that is the key re cold hardiness in many palm species. They'll handle the odd freeze for a few hours, but not cold, wet gloomy sunless days for weeks on end.

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18 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Josue: Your choice of avocados [edible landscaping] is a good option for shade. Hope those do the trick. You might also test one of the hardier Bauhinias, like B. variegata, which should be available in California in larger sizes : https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/bauhinia-variegata

Below are a couple of pictures of mine today (pruning shears added for scale). I cut it back severely this summer and within a month it had already grown out again! Seems to be able to handle the most intense sun and heat here in inland NorCal with no complaints. It does shed a lot during the winter though, and never blooms as heavily as I've seen in SoCal. I just got a small B. blakeana today that will eventually go into the backyard too.

That's the trunk of my potted Ptychosperma elegans in the background on the right. It definitely requires a lot of shade to grow outdoors in the summer here.

 

Jeff, good to know that Bauhinia does well inland for us. I think that our climates are very similar with your climate perhaps being a tad bit cooler with the delta breeze coming in the evenings. I have a Bauhinia purpurea in the backyard, I planted it this past spring. When I bought it, the leaves were HUGE, and they were flowering. The flowers were also very large. The nursery said they had just arrived from San Marcos (SM Growers) so the marine climate must be favorable for this species. After flowering, it dropped its leaves (maybe due to transplant shock?) and the leaves and flowers that developed after were about half the size. I've seen some large bauhinias (20ft+) in older parts of town, but I'm not sure of what species they might be. They do seed, if I recall, so perhaps not purpurea since I think I read somewhere that these don't set seed. 

The ptychosperma looks great! I had one and lost it one winter after leaving it out thinking it would tolerate frost...

 

8 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Ficifolia's natural range is far south western Western Australia, a Mediterranean climate. I thought they were fairly frost hardy, but no, they wouldn't really see severe frosts normally. Having said that, they grow pretty well over in the eastern states, particularly in the Murray Valley and northern Victoria, probably hotter in summer and frostier in winter than their native habitat. Extremes of 115f and 25f in my old home town.

I might be wrong re the attached photos.... they are scans of my late father's slides..... not labeled as such, but I think they might be Ficifolia growing at my childhood home in northern Victoria, Australia, in the mid 1960's.

DSC00176.JPG

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Thanks for the photos, those certainly look like ficifolia. I think they should be fairly tolerant of gloomy, cold wet winters as San Francisco has plenty of that and they seem to thrive there. San Jose tends to be sunnier but is also fairly gloomy, cold and wet in wintertime. I do still have one ficifolia which I planted yesterday (2 avocados and 1 ficifolia) so we'll test that out here in inland, central CA. In dry winters, we tend on the sunnier, drier side, with occasional frosts. During wet winters, we tend to be overcast, and foggy for weeks on end, but the cloud cover limits the frequency of frost. 

 

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks like it.. 

Pretty common street tree back in San Jose..and many other parts of the San Francisco / Monterey Bay Areas for a time. Doesn't get too big, or stink like other Eucs. Stunning when in flower. A shopping center located in what i consider the heart of the part of San Jose i grew up in has pretty much every color form that i think exists growing on their property, including rarer pink and white flowering specimens.

Trees never skipped a beat through any of the more memorable frost / freezes i remember, including those in the late 80's and 1990 when parts of town hit the mid to high teens. Lows below 25F are fairly uncommon in that part of town in a typical winter.  Looks like the two Majesty palms installed at the corner McDonald's, roughly 2011 / 2012 have survived more recent cold spells there, and honestly don't look half bad, considering a full sun / likely not pampered position they're in.

**Princeton Plaza area where Meridian Ave, Blossom Hill Rd. and Kooser Rd. intersect, for anyone who wants to look on Street View. Not sure why they keep over-trimming some of the trees there.. Have done this as long as i can remember though.

Switching gears for a sec, Local Royal Palm in Cambrian Park also appears to be truckin' along, per the last overhead view update of the area back in May. Street View of it is wayy outdated, like from back in 2015.. 

Nathan, I know exactly what intersection your'e talking about on Blossom Hill! That is where I first saw these. I spent some time looking for ripe seed capsules trying not to look like a nutcase lol. I wish I knew about that Roystonea when I traveled to the Bay often for my previous job. I could have gone to take photos. I use to spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, San Jose and the South Bay especially. 

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Here is the seed-grown ficifolia I planted along with the avocados. I'm confident on the ID for this one even at this age. 

 

20180918_071839.jpg

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1 hour ago, Josue Diaz said:

Jeff, good to know that Bauhinia does well inland for us. I think that our climates are very similar with your climate perhaps being a tad bit cooler with the delta breeze coming in the evenings. I have a Bauhinia purpurea in the backyard, I planted it this past spring. When I bought it, the leaves were HUGE, and they were flowering. The flowers were also very large. The nursery said they had just arrived from San Marcos (SM Growers) so the marine climate must be favorable for this species. After flowering, it dropped its leaves (maybe due to transplant shock?) and the leaves and flowers that developed after were about half the size. I've seen some large bauhinias (20ft+) in older parts of town, but I'm not sure of what species they might be. They do seed, if I recall, so perhaps not purpurea since I think I read somewhere that these don't set seed. 

The ptychosperma looks great! I had one and lost it one winter after leaving it out thinking it would tolerate frost...

 

Thanks for the photos, those certainly look like ficifolia. I think they should be fairly tolerant of gloomy, cold wet winters as San Francisco has plenty of that and they seem to thrive there. San Jose tends to be sunnier but is also fairly gloomy, cold and wet in wintertime. I do still have one ficifolia which I planted yesterday (2 avocados and 1 ficifolia) so we'll test that out here in inland, central CA. In dry winters, we tend on the sunnier, drier side, with occasional frosts. During wet winters, we tend to be overcast, and foggy for weeks on end, but the cloud cover limits the frequency of frost. 

 

Nathan, I know exactly what intersection your'e talking about on Blossom Hill! That is where I first saw these. I spent some time looking for ripe seed capsules trying not to look like a nutcase lol. I wish I knew about that Roystonea when I traveled to the Bay often for my previous job. I could have gone to take photos. I use to spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, San Jose and the South Bay especially. 

:greenthumb: Small world..  I also used to eyeball ripe seed off these trees any time i was nearby..also trying not to look like some crazy person stalking the trees.. Getting my morning Coffee there for a couple years helped distract from my real intentions, lol.   My mom used to work at a Doughnut shop that once stood where the Mc D's is when she was in High school. There's a Coulter Pine located in the Park across the street ( west side of the Shopping Center) i collected off of years ago. Made the mistake of trying to roast the cone on the stove at home to get it to release seed. As anticipated, it made one heck of a mess. 

There really isn't a part of San Jose east of Saratoga, and south of 280 i didn't watch get developed. There used to be an Avocado grove near where Camden Ave intersects Hwy 85 behind the Animal Hospital just north of 85. Whats left of the Fruit Orchard is still there though. 

As for the Royal, if by chance you're in the area before i get back there, let me know. I'll pm you the address for it. Would be nice to get an update on how it looks compared to when i'd posted about it here years ago.. Not 100% sure, but have an idea of who might have installed it, or at least, had some in his inventory and had installed a few others somewhere in East San Jose, at least from discussions we'd had, and some smaller ones i had seen in his Nursery at that time . Personally convinced more could survive around town despite San Jo's less than optimal winters at times. 

As for Bauhinia, X blakeana is sterile. Purpruata and variegata produce tons of seed. Younger Hong Kongs ( blakeana) also produce the big leaves you'd mentioned when younger also. You'll know for sure if or when you start seeing seed pods on your tree. This is another tree that you don't see much around San Jose, though the ones i documented (Mainly in the Silver Creek area of town. Also more King Palms scattered around several neighborhoods there) are nearly perfect. 

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On 9/12/2018, 4:40:52, Hillizard said:

 

Pseudobombax.png

Here's my just-arrived cutting from Hawai'i which I'm now attempting to root in my sunroom. We'll see how successful that is...

Pseudobombax-1.png

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57 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Here's my just-arrived cutting from Hawai'i which I'm now attempting to root in my sunroom. We'll see how successful that is...

Pseudobombax-1.png

What nursery did you get it from?

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5 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

What nursery did you get it from?

I got it from: http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/buy-plants-m-r/pseudobombax-ellipticum He offers rooted cuttings in different pot sizes, but only has unrooted ones at this time. He's approved to ship into California and his plants are good quality IMHO. I just hope the rooting solution + powder I used will do the trick. He's the same nursery source for the Amherstia nobilis I arranged to have donated to the SF Conservatory of Flowers.

 

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1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

 

Looks good, and good sized as well. 

I myself would trim the leaves ( roughly by half. Supposed to reduce stress / shock. They'll likely be shed anyway. I do this w/ Plumeria cuts as well ) Keep it warm, ( on a heating pad if necessary), and dry-ish.  Has behaved like some of my Bursera when i tried in the past, too wet / cool and the cuttings i attempted at the time rotted. 

Crossed fingers...

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1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks good, and good sized as well. 

I myself would trim the leaves ( roughly by half. Supposed to reduce stress / shock. They'll likely be shed anyway. I do this w/ Plumeria cuts as well ) Keep it warm, ( on a heating pad if necessary), and dry-ish.  Has behaved like some of my Bursera when i tried in the past, too wet / cool and the cuttings i attempted at the time rotted. 

Crossed fingers...

Good advice, thanks! I'll be keeping an eye on the status of the tiny new leaf at the apex of the cutting as one gauge of success. :unsure:

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  • 1 month later...

Just got my rooted cutting of Pseudobombax ellipticum from Hawai'i today. It'll spend the next few months of winter indoors in my sunroom.;) The unrooted cutting I got awhile ago from the same source didn't take.

Pseudobombax.png

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Second Bubba's words of encouragement.. What happened w/ the non rooted cutting you'd got?.. Regardless, hopefully second time is a charm and this one takes. Keep it in the hottest / sunniest window you have, and watch whatever water it gets through the cooler months like a hawk.. 

Expect "good news" update come spring:greenthumb:

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20 minutes ago, bubba said:

Beautiful tree. I hope it works well for you.

 

10 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Second Bubba's words of encouragement.. What happened w/ the non rooted cutting you'd got?.. Regardless, hopefully second time is a charm and this one takes. Keep it in the hottest / sunniest window you have, and watch whatever water it gets through the cooler months like a hawk.. 

Expect "good news" update come spring:greenthumb:

Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions for growing! Because of where I live, it'll always be in a pot but perhaps someday will develop a nice caudiciform trunk. The unrooted cutting I got rotted from the bottom up. I doused it with rooting hormones and kept it in a small amount of water and indoors in a sunny location but that didn't do the trick.;)

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5 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

 

Thanks for the encouragement and the suggestions for growing! Because of where I live, it'll always be in a pot but perhaps someday will develop a nice caudiciform trunk. The unrooted cutting I got rotted from the bottom up. I doused it with rooting hormones and kept it in a small amount of water and indoors in a sunny location but that didn't do the trick.;)

Had the same thing happen w/ some ficus cuttings id tried.. Kept up on the window sil, so no full sun /outside heat /dry air exposure.. in water..changed once daily. All rotted,, got crispy.. Even windows can't stop the effects of our natural blast furnace :mrlooney: lol

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  • 11 months later...

The avocados are looking soooo happy. Just thought I'd share their progress. This is the Stewart variety. The Hass is happy also, but it wants to sprawl out, while Stewart is upright. 

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On 11/7/2018 at 11:17 AM, Hillizard said:

Just got my rooted cutting of Pseudobombax ellipticum from Hawai'i today. It'll spend the next few months of winter indoors in my sunroom.;) The unrooted cutting I got awhile ago from the same source didn't take.

Pseudobombax.png

Here's an update on this tree... has grown very nicely this summer after I repotted it. I decided to use a clay pot so the medium would dry out faster between waterings. To the right behind it is my potted Bauhinia blakeana, which hasn't bloomed for me yet.

Pseudobombax-Oct2019.png

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1 hour ago, Hillizard said:

Here's an update on this tree... has grown very nicely this summer after I repotted it. I decided to use a clay pot so the medium would dry out faster between waterings. To the right behind it is my potted Bauhinia blakeana, which hasn't bloomed for me yet.

Pseudobombax-Oct2019.png

What a cool plant! You're tempting me to buy one myself...

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6 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Here's an update on this tree... has grown very nicely this summer after I repotted it. I decided to use a clay pot so the medium would dry out faster between waterings. To the right behind it is my potted Bauhinia blakeana, which hasn't bloomed for me yet.

Pseudobombax-Oct2019.png

Now that's some great growth, right there!  Expect a monster soon:D :greenthumb:

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6 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

What a cool plant! You're tempting me to buy one myself...

Well you're in luck if you feel so inclined/tempted, as rooted plants are available right now where I got mine, but it might be safer to wait until spring! http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/buy-plants-m-r/pseudobombax-ellipticum?rq=pseudobombax

 

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1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Now that's some great growth, right there!  Expect a monster soon:D :greenthumb:

That's what I'm 'worried' about... I need to keep it contained in a pot.  With my climate it wouldn't make it through the first cold, wet winter in the ground. :unsure:

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49 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

That's what I'm 'worried' about... I need to keep it contained in a pot.  With my climate it wouldn't make it through the first cold, wet winter in the ground. :unsure:

Depends.. obviously the bigger you can get it, the better before contemplating testing in the ground.. These ( at least the white flowered form) will take some moisture and cold in the winter. Biggest white flowered specimen I've ever seen sits directly  behind / grows over the Koi pond at California Cactus Center ( off Rosemead in Pasadena )  Regardless, they'll still flower in a tub.

Bombax ( Cebia )  cebia/ malabaricum will also flower potted. Kind of nice since you can control overall height/ proportions like a large Bonsai, and enjoy the flowers easier. Additionally,  you can always take any cuttings you remove from yours, start some, then try one in the ground later..  

On a related note, when I get my laptop back and ( can post pics again:rolleyes: )  have some pics of  an interesting mistake I'd made w/ my older Cebia rubriflora seedlings back in early September. Took down shade cloth a week too soon and both, which grew like weeds all summer, suffered sun damage toward the tops of their pencil thin trunks.. anyway, cut of the tops, dusted the cuts w/ sulfur and stuck the plants in the shade house. They're both fine and pushing new growth again.. 

Interesting thing is what appears to be happening w/ the portions I cut off and were reluctant to toss out.  Diddnt dust either of them just stuck  both in another pot, fully anticipating they'd die out after exhausting whatever energy was left in their stems... Well, its almost the end of October and neither have wilted and are pushing new foliage.  99% of cuttings from practically everything -else- non cacti I've attempted here are crispy writhin a day or two.. no matter what i do to keep them going.

Of all the things to throw me an apparent curve ball, lol.. 

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