Chinese Tallow Tree. Ive only seen one seedling that looked like a volunteer and I looked for a long time before I found this one in a ditch. That is despite several really old trees in my neighborhood. Maybe in some areas they just dont spread as much.
Chinese Tallow is invasive, but very pretty, I love their colors too, but stay away from putting one in the garden.
Some areas are completely taken over by them.
Are they in color now? or was it earlier. It seems that the different climate in Houston keeps things blooming a lot longer.
I can see that you have your whole front yard planted, congratulations on that we have done the same too.
Josephine.
Thanks, Jo. Photo taken around Dec 1, 2011. Yes, I gave up turf about 8 years ago. It just made no sense to me. Water, feed, mow. Water, feed, mow, repeat. The red bud is much more invasive in my yard than the Tallow. I'm constantly trying to keep up with new red bud seedlings popping up. You can see in one of the photos, some that got too big to remove easily.
I now work on filling in gaps in a particular season. It seems winter is the most difficult to have it look attractive. When we get a hard freeze, I realize that I dont have enough evergreen plants. I dont like to rely on annuals too much, preferring perennials.
You are doing a great job, you might try some columbines they are beautiful and green in winter.
I winter sowed the yellow native, hinckleyana, a few months ago. No sign of germination yet. You are so kind and encouraging to everyone. Thanks, Jo.
Thank you Marty, columbines are very slow from seed, it will probably six months at least before you have a decent plant, but then they live a long time and are really beautiful, be patient and they will reward you.
Probably there are some individual tallow trees that just aren't very good at reproduction...
I'll put in my usual plug for possumhaw, for winter color that isn't evergreens. Or is something more sculptural a possibility? Some lovely skeleton form that is exposed when everything else dies?
On a recent trip to my sister's in NE Texas, I collected both cuttings and seeds for Possumhaw. I started about 12 cuttings outdoors in milk jugs like wintersow and placed a seed starter tray of 16 in the fridge. Im hoping to get at least one plant from all that. If anyone has any instructions for propagating this that has worked in the past, I'd love the information. I've wanted Possumhaw for a long time now so I hope something works. I could have got one for free at the arboretum for Arbor Day by volunteering for the plant sale but my sister was ill and had some work she had to get done by Feb 1st so I went there instead. If all this fails, I'll try to volunteer for the Fall plant sale.
I think a sweet gum or a black gum would give comparable fall color to the Tallow tree but they are much slower growing and Im getting old. I love the sweet gum bark's sculptural quality too. As for the winter season, I've started some purple fountain grass that would still make an impact tho dried and Ive considered moving my camellia from its pot into the ground. I do love the way grasses move with the slightest breeze, too. Thanks for your input.
Now then let me warn you about Sweet Gums they are lovely to look at but at my place they require more work than all the rest of my plants put together
Grits, I grew up with sweet gum trees and was not aware of what type of work they require. What work?
No bare feet around sweet gums, trying to keep them from sprouting too
I have never seen a Chinese Tallow tree that bloomed, but good heavens the burden of seeds that load the branches down-scary!
Grits, I am forever amazed at the different ways plants respond in different climates. I grew up in far North Louisiana, not far from the AR line and Ive never seen a Sweetgum ball sprouting and I have never seen volunteers from the seeds except in the woods. I remember at country church we would have what we called "Dinner on the Ground" which was really one word back then and sometimes I would step backward on a sweetgum ball and say "Excuse me" before I realized I had not stepped on someone's toe!
Okay as far the work the things bloom early and heavy and the catkins fall and stain any and everything if they get wet then they load uo with Sweet gum balls then in the fall a ton of leaves fall which is fine but still a lot of work to clean up then in the winter the balls began to fall and this continues until the new ones appear..About thanksgiving the balls are on my driveway so thick i have to rake every other day and right now my front yard is just about covered WHINING in a LOUD voice..I am from Tensas Parish originally
Well, Hello, Louisiana gal. Im from Union Parish where the dirt is red. I guess our perspective was different out in the country where there were no concrete drives or patios and we did not rake leaves much. Thanks for enlightening me about what a city sweet gum might entail because I live in the city now and my property is small.
Let me see now is Union in the Lake Providence area ??? I have 4 large Sweet Gums on a smallish city lot..GRRRRRRRR
Look very carefully at the first image then you will understand my frustration at dealing with the SGBs
Ahhh... lawnmower missiles. And when I use my old time push mower, sweet gum balls will lock it up soundly.
I hate them buddies Grits and will fuel up my little ol' chainsaw and come help you. LOL
I used to live in Houston before I got into gardening and loved to see the Chinese Tallow trees change color. I had a volunteer here for a while until I learned it was invasive and took it out. As for the sweetgum....I deliver newlettersfor our neighborhood assoc. and at this one house they never rake them. It is on a slope down from the yard next door to it, and have slipped and fell several times!
Grits, I truly have never seen so many SGB's per square foot in my life!!!! I do see how it looks from your viewpoint. That's a lot of Sweet Gum Balls. Union Parish includes county seat, Farmerville, then Bernice, Spearsville, Linville, Marion. there are no large towns at all. Lake D'Arbonne is near Farmerville.
This message was edited Feb 14, 2012 12:59 PM
I have a sweetgum tree, but mine is nor as fruitful as yours, we just rake them and use them as mulch or put them in the compost.
I do know that some people hate the gum balls, but we don't mind them, the way I see it most trees drop something.
Josephine.
Tried to upload this earlier just wanted to clear up the gender thing
Yep. That's a grit alrighty! LOL!!!
Love that stand of Cleome, isn't it?
Interesting thing about the Cleome ,last year they were getting rather tall for the space where I had them planted,so I cut off all the flower heads hoping they would bush out ..They all died completely .so I learned to leave well enough alone during times of stress..
I like Cleome and for years grew a dwarf cleome. Need to find my seeds!
Thanks for sharing your experience with them Grits.
Wish I would be left alone during times of stress too... lol
I actually think grits' sweetgum trees are thanking him for his TLC and sending down their love for his attentions, chuckl, as far as the sweetgums see it- he's doin them right! Sorry grits, chuckl, really
Kitt you bite your tongue There are no kind words for sweet gums
gorgeous cleomes!
I promise! I have none for them either! Useless as non bearing mulberries to me, and far more painful.
