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| HEART-SHAPED FOLIAGE AND LARGE GREEN PODS ARE SUMMERTIME GARB | |
| Published: July 15, 1997 | |
In spring, tung-oil trees falling flowers carpet ground belowQ:There is a tree near the parking lot where I work that has incredibly beautiful flowers in spring, and beautiful foliage and pods right now. I thought it was a catalpa, but having read the column on catalpas and seeing the difference in the seed pods, I know its not a catalpa. Its in the back of the parking lot on the left side of 120 Rue Beauregard as you face the building.A:USLs Dr. Ellis Fletcher looked at your tree and says that its the finest tung-oil tree (Aleurites fordii) in the area, a truly beautiful specimen. These small, deciduous shade trees, which are not plentiful in our area, grow 20-30 feet tall. In summer they have large, glossy, somewhat heart-shaped green leaves and large, fig-shaped green fruits or pods, measuring 3 inches in diameter.The spring flowers, which bloom before the leaves emerge and about the same time as Chinese wisteria, are white with orange and maroon markings. The blossoms have five petals, and individually look somewhat like hibiscus. When small, the flowering trees are sometimes mistaken from a distance for dogwood, and when larger, for catalpa. Tung-oil trees are propagated by seed and sometimes by hardwood cuttings. Seedlings are abundant near a mature tree. Flowering begins when the trees are three to five years old and production continues for about 30 years. They can tolerate mild winter frosts after their leaves have dropped and before active growth begins in spring. Fifty to 60 percent of the fruit is composed of tung-oil, used mainly in the manufacture of paints, linoleum, water-proofing and printers ink. In the 1940s a significant tung-oil industry developed along the Gulf Coast, however this was abandoned primarily due to damage from early spring frosts. In addition to frost damage, a deterrent to landscape use is the litter caused by falling fruit. Catalog offers lilacs for USDA Hardiness Zone 9A letter from Therese Lavergne:Regarding a recent column on growing lilacs in South Louisiana, I though you would be interested in a catalog that offers lilacs that grow well through Zone 9, and which dont need winter chill. The address is Heard Gardens LTD, 5355 Merle Hay Rd., Johnston , Iowa 50131. Phone is (515) 276-4533, and fax 276-8322.Theres no 100 percent reliable formula for making bougainvillea rebloomQ:Once the flowers on a new bougainvillea fade, they never bloom again for me.A:Ive written before about different strategies that have helped peoples bougainvilleas to rebloom. Having a greenhouse helps. Without a greenhouse, the following plan seems to work best for me.I keep my five year-old bougainvillea in its black plastic pot. In early November, I trim it to shape, put it in the garage and give it little or no water for the rest of the winter (it will lose its leaves). In late February I take it out of the garage, water well, place in a warm, sunny spot and fertilize with a water soluble product with a higher proportion of phosphorus than nitrogen, such as Superbloom (12-55-6) In a week or so it usually bursts into bloom. After the first flush is over, bloom is unpredictable, recurring in occasional flushes or not at all. I continue to fertilize it once a month, and to water sparingly every other week or when it looks wilted. The key factors to initiating bloom seem to be heat, full sun, restriction of the root ball, high phosphorus fertilizer and low moisture. |