Yes, I second the thanks!!! Although we don't have many butterflies this year, I will at least be able to harvest seed and plant for next year. Lily, my seedlings have beautiful foliage and are about , maybe 24" tall. How tall are yours? I was wondering how big these plants needed to be to start blooming.
Annie
Free Candletree Seeds
May I say "Ditto!" My Cassias aren't yet big enough to bloom, but they are growing nicely. I have seen very very few butterflies as yet, but at least the Cassias will be ready for them when they do arrive. Thanks again, Deb!
Carla
Hi Annie,
My casia is roughly a foot tall. It's in a very sunny location, Southeast corner of the house, and it seem to enjoy the condition provided. I've a few more in a semi shade area and those remain small yet.
Kim
I have a question that I hope some of you can answer. These seeds are senna alata, right? I'm wondering how it's different from the senna bicapsularis that I got at a RU. I'm concerned because Deb said that she grows the candletrees as annuals, but PF says they are both hardy in this zone. Do I need to be planning to move my winter cassia inside for the winter?
senna bicapsularis I have and it does not freeze and is very hardy. Mine is about 15 yrs old. The senna alata (Candletree) do freeze here and sometimes come back from the lower stem or the ground but most of the time not. I love both but the senna bicapsularis is by far my favorite.
S. bicapsularis is lovely too. I've had one plant that is in a big pot for several years. Some years, it bloomed very late, thus I missed the flowers and or seeds for first frost will kill it back to the ground here in my zone. bicapsularis seedlings however, reverts back to alata's characteristics. But, like I stated above, due to frost I don't alway get to enjoy bicapsularis' in the winter when they come to full blooms.
Sulphers b.f. do use both as hostplants. This year I tried Senna privet too, so far, this species is proven slow growing in my zone.
Kim
Okay, so what I'm getting is that it's hardy in 9b, PF says it's hardy in 8a, and it freezes back in 7b but returns. So I should be safe leaving it in the ground, at least, with the possibility that it might die back. That's good, because it's pretty big to move every year.
Thanks for the info! I hope it will bloom this fall.
Ditto,
Bicapsularis is more fibrous in its structures. Where as alata is mainly solf-wood kind of growths. Those fibrous stems that I cut back every spring, I use them as stakes for my other tall growing perennials. :-)
I hope I can find some of these seeds when offered again. I love the senna alta too. I haven't had one do good in years. I am not buying anymore at 2.98. Not a bad price but it is if it doesn't bloom and it dies over the winter. I don't think they got enough water as they were so slow growing.
99, I'd be glad to pass 'em along, if and when mine set seeds. And yes, you're correct. They grow rather slow....thus far for me. I'm new to Senna Alata this year. Bicapsularis did make some stray seedlings one year in the past and I had no earthly idea where those came from, until I grew S. alata, then I recognize the resemblances in the bicapsularis' offsprings compared to that of S. altata that I'm growing this year.
Here is a sulphers whose hostplant is the very senna that we're growing.
lily ty so much I will look forwar to the seeds.
Blessings,
Sandy ^8^
Hey everyone who is having success with the candletree seeds they got from Deb::; would you share the secrets of your success with me? I don't know what I did wrong but mine pooped out before I could get them in the ground. I started the seeds in peat pots and they got about two inches tall with one set of leaves and then they just sat there and died. I still have seeds and I really want to grow some plants next year. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
This is how I germinated my seeds. I used a coffee filter, spread a few seeds, fold the filter and wet it. Then I placed in a clear sandwich bag. (the plastic bag helps keep the water evaporate) Laid the bag flat under florescent light in my kitchen counter. A few of them sprouted for me in matter of days. Then I carefully transplanted those into a six-pack size container....when they had two pair of true leaves, then I transferred them into the garden. Some seeds were stubborn and didn't germinate. I was greedy, didn't discard them, instead I trew them out to the flower bed. Guess what? They took their sweet time, but finally germinated some time there later. I hope that will help you with next year crop.
Happy butterfly-gardening everyone.
Kim
Question - my trees are now about five and a half feet tall. There are four of them planted in slightly different conditions. None of them have bloomed. Is this normal?
Annie
I was wondering the same thing. I was thinking that it had something to do with the lack of rain that we have been having. I have been able to keep things alive by watering, but nothing seems to be thriving. Hopefully with the rain we have been getting recently, something other than my Zinnias and Cosmos will start bloomng!
Mine are in the area where I have landscape sprinklers and as my water bill will attest, they have been getting plenty of water. They are in an area where all of the hibiscus and other tropicals are putting on a good display of flowers so I think the nutrients and water quantities are good. Maybe they are going to ramp up just in time for the Fall butterflies.
Annie
Five feet?! I'm jealous. I have 2 that are about a foot and one that is about 6 inches. I've been amazed at how slow they are growing! By this time they should be at least 5ft for me. One of the larger ones is in the ground but I decided this weekend that I'm just going to dig it up before any freeze and bring them all inside. By spring I might have a full grown plant! geez...
I have several others on the property that are not in the sprinklered zone and therefore have received much less water. They are about 3 feet tall. I think water makes a huge difference with their growth rate.
Annie
It has definitely been DRY here. The ones in part shade and in pots grow much faster.
I think I may have blooms soon. Look what is on my candletree!
Annie
Annie, how big is your plant? My biggest is about 3 feet tall and 2.5 feet wide. No sign of buds yet, but still growing like mad.
This particular one is about 6 feet tall!
Annie
Annie, I'm jealous! Mine is ~5 ft tall but no buds as yet.
Carla
I bet your blooms are just around the corner. What I have read says these are late summer/early fall bloomers. This should be fun!!
Any seeds left?
caraboof,
I have some seeds left from the generous supply that debnes sent me last spring. I will be glad to send you some . Just send me a d-mail with your name and address.
Bonnie
I have a question, I have one plant that is in a pot and was allowed to get tall and leggy by someone ( :o) ) and I am wondering if I prune it back if it will get more branches. Right now it is one stalk about 4 feet tall. If so how much should I prune it back?
Bonnie
bobyrd,
The ones I have had were one stalk. I would not prune it as it should send up a bloom before it gets too much taller. Mine was about 7 ft.
Can't wait to have another one day. They are beautiful.
AnnieJo, you were right!! One of my 3 Candlestick Trees is blooming!! :-)
Carla
Carla, please post a picture. I've one I think is making tiny little bud!!! I'm so excited. Also saw a few sulphers flittering about them cassias today.
Lily, here is my Candlestick Tree. It's ~ 5 ft tall.
Carla
Beautiful, congrats! Carla, thank you for sharing the pix. Thank goes to Deb for sharing these wonderful joy with us.
Hang tight, for the rest of us that haven't gotten blooms. Carla zone is a little ahead of mine, so yours maybe just right around the corner. Woooohoooo!!!
Kim
New Thread in link below... Please join me!! :-)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901825/