Gordonia Species, Loblolly Bay

Loblolly bay is a great plant. I have been growing a few of these for a few years here in Maryland. (zone 7). They tolerate the colder ...Read Morewinters here very well and usually remain mostly evergreen, with the exception of a few leaves dropping in the fall. The flowers are similar to most common camellia cultivars and periodically appear from around June through fall in this area. The only negatives about this plant would be the slow growth rate and the very picky conditions in which it need to grow. They will struggle in drought as well as with too much water, which can be a difficult issue when planting in clay soils. They can be somewhat compared to the difficulty of growing rhododendrons except without the need for shade. Its a shallow root system that creates the difficulty. However, once established, they are fairly easy to maintain and definitely worth the effort since the appearance is very attractive.

Well I hope adding this comment doesn't jinx me or my Gordonia, but yes, that's right: I have a mature one here in Birmingham. I pl...Read Moreanted it about 1995 when it was about 5 ft tall and it's slowly grown to maybe 12 ft. It's one of my favorites; I view it as a survivor in a hostile USDA zone 7b world. :)

I believe that it has done well because of its microclimate: I planted it as a "foundation" tree, next to my house. It has a southerly exposure and is protected from drying winter winds. Believe it or not, I'd call it drought-tolerant: I rarely give it supplemental water. EVEN during our drought of 2007 I watered it by hand (heavily) no more than twice, and once or maybe twice I gave it a good session with a soaker hose. Most "normal" summers I MIGHT hand water it once during the worst run w/o rain.

It always has a heavy flower bud crop all summer long; all it needs is a decent rain, and all the buds open as if on command. This cycle repeats as the rains come and go. I'd love to see how it would look if we ever have a "rainy" summer here.

The experiment continues, as I've just planted another 5 footer, but this time in a more exposed part of my yard. I am hopeful, but we shall, as they say, see...

Picked up one on the side of the road around Orlando about 15 years ago. Didnt think it would survive the bare root trip home to Palm Bea...Read Morech county, but it did . It is now a 20 foot mature tree and it blossoms all summer. Lightly fragerant flowers are there every morning and drop off every afternoon. Since its getting old I decided to try and airlayer a cutting from it. I was sucessful. A great tree.!

The lovely white flowers blooming along the roadsides are a joy. They do well in the home landscape as well. The grooved bark of mature...Read More trees adds interest. At almost any month of the year, it is possible to find at least one red leaf. This is a characteristic which will help you to identify this tree. Unlike the other two "bay" trees commonly found in Florida, this one does not have aromatic leaves. MN4