"Free Candletree Seeds" Thread 2

Continued from: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/810076/
Wow! You are all so welcome for the seeds. It has been a great pleasure to share them with you!

I am so pleased to see so many of you getting blooms now. I will track back best I can to chart your zones and progress, so if any of you have not posted yet, please do so (whether blooming or not).

Here are the two I planted this year...

First the one in the back yard (south side). Not only does the southern face help them grow taller, but the condition and looseness of the soil play a major part in how tall they get. In the back yard there has been a lot of soil amendment and probably more watering too. This one is about 8 1/2 ft tall now and putting on blooms now.

Next I will post the one in the front yard, stand by....

Debnes

Here is the one in the front yard at half the height about 4' tall. Still setting the same size blooms as the one in back. The soil is a lot harder in the front, and no amendments were done (to speak of).

I caught the last few of your post in the previous thread...Doing so good!!!

Thank you all for letting me know. This information will be documented for others to know what to expect when growing these wonderful trees. I hope the ones of you who have had less success will continue trying, and I hope the ones who have had success get as hooked on this plant as I am. :-)

Much Love!!

Debnes

All of mine are between 3 and 5 feet tall. No sign of any blooms yet. I'm about 25 miles away from you.

Mine are planted facing South in rich garden soil, two of the 3 plants are making buds. I'll take more pix as the plants develope further. I'm so thrilled. ^_^

Well that explains it! I planted 3 of these -- 2 of which are ~ 4ft tall and one which is massive (easily 7 ft tall right now). They are all in west-facing beds, but the biggest one is in an area of "better" soil conditions. The smaller ones are planted in an area where the soil is more compacted and dries out faster. All 3 are thriving (and I must admit, I've been very impressed about how little maintenance they require) but the one is bigger and fuller than the other two.

Alas, there have been no butterflies this year. :-( But I will definitely plant a few of these again next year. I love zero-maintenance plants!

Thanks Deb!!!!

Carla

Deb
I got some seeds from you last fall. My plant is 6 foot tall and have bloomed since june. It is making seeds now. When do you cut the seeds off - when they dry? Do you cut the whole limb off? Do you just cut the flower off after it dies? I have really enjoyed this plant. Also, shouldn't it continue to bloom till winter. It really doesn't get cold, cold down here in South Texas until Dec.
Mary D.

As far as seeing these lovely Sulphers in the garden? I've seen so many of them this year since I've various sennas around the garden. These beauties are one of the first I find every morning, among the hummingbirds in the garden.

Here the Sulpher is enjoying my ginger's nectar. ^_^ (these butterflies they are so fast, with a point-and - shoot kodak camera -- this happens to be one of my first pix of the beauty).

I'd like to try some seeds if anyone has any. I'd be happy to pay postage or send a SASBE.

Susan

Susan, I'm still waiting for my S. Alata to bloom out. I've a wonderful many butterflies and bees as pollinators for the garden. So if I've success with the flowers, then seeds I'll be more than happy to share later on. My candlessticks are now forming flower buds. Please keep touch.
Kim

I'm happy to report that my largest plant has two small buds finally.

Thanks Kim, I will do that! They are so purdy! I love odd plants!

Susan

Hey there Carla.. Your very welcome! :-S

Hi Mary,
You asked in a few posts back...

Wait until the seed pods turn completely brown and they rattle when shaken. If the whole branch they are on is also brown, you can cut the whole branch. You can also get some scissors and a paper bag and cut them off one by one.

And Susan,
I still have a lot of seeds left. Just send a small SASE with letter postage and I will get them out as soon as I get it. My addy is in the address exchange under "Extras" in DG's main banner menu on your DG home page.

I got the SASE from Anne in Buckeye, AZ and sent it out in yesterday's mail. So Anne... they are on the way!

I would wait until next spring to start them at this point. This plant needs a full warm/hot season to grow and bloom. Keep in a cool dry place until spring and they should do the best. Plant seeds after last frost.

Awesome Jeremy!! the blooms are the icing on the cake, aren't they? Even without blooms they are a very interesting and vivacious member of the garden. On a warm afternoon if you watch the top of the plant it sprays out little umbrella of rainy droplets above the plant. Has anyone else noticed this?

Debnes

This message was edited Sep 15, 2008 5:56 PM

This message was edited Sep 15, 2008 5:57 PM

I always wondered where the little droplets came from but never could see it in action! Even when the weather was 102 degrees, and I knew that the sprinkler water would have long been evaporated, I would see the little drops. How neat!!!
Annie

For those who have been fortunate enough to get blooms here are a few shots to show the formation of the seed pods.

The arrows in this pic point to a sort of curly-Q where bloom petals used to be...

These are the seed pods forming.

Here is a close up of a pod in another DG member photo-
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/140053/

They form a straight 6-7" three sided pod with seams along the 3 sides. When they turn completely brown and rattle when shaken they are ripe for harvesting.

Here they are in my blurry picture on last year's Cassia in the back yard... (Had a much better pic and couldn't find it.)

Please excuse my manners for not sending a prompt thank you for the candletree seeds. They were here in no time. What a treat--with the additional delight of getting the dill seeds. I've never planted dill either so I'll have to read up on that. DH is excited about the possibility of having a candle tree. Here's hoping I don't mess up too badly. The seed packets are done so neatly. Looks like you've done a few. Ha! Thank you so much for sharing. Tricia/Arlington

debnes
Did the candletree in your picture form from one plant? Mine has only one stem and is kind of tall and gangly. The one's I tried pinching off to get them to branch when they were small died. Any suggestions for next year!

Yes Bobyrd,
Each tree comes from one seed. The longer they have to grow in the warm season the better. Also lots of sun and water make a difference. This plant is not one that can be pinched off, as far as I know. They branch better when planted in fairly loose soil that holds water.

The one I have in front is in harder soil and it stayed short and straight, but it still set real nice blooms. I will come back after I get my kidos off to school to show what they looked like yesterday.

Here is the smaller CT in the front yard. You can see the top blooms, and also some emerging from the center stalk attempting to make a new branch.

Also in this pic... To the right side, a Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly laying eggs. I found most of the (8-10) eggs she laid and put them in a container safely away from predators so they can hatch. Then I can also select which leaves to cut off the plant and keep it looking great until frost.

Here is to update my S. Alata seedling's progress this season. The flowers are getting bigger and I can see some seedpods forming.

Deb, your pix tells a thousand words. I'm so grateful that you've shared with me (& so many others) the joy of growing this wonderful senna for the butterflies garden. I've seen the most in number of Sulphers this year. The joy is immeasurable. Many thanks again.
Kim from Alabama.

Blooms, finally.

Six or seven of my candletrees are blooming. Here's a shot from the most advanced one:

You're very welcome Kim! It's been an awesome thing to share. Yours looks great!


Beautiful bloom J!! You've had a great first year. We might start earlier next year, though seasons here in TX are very unpredictable.

:-S