This lovely deciduous tree has wonderful ornamental foliage and showy flowers. A native of East Asian woodland, it is fast growing and broadly columnar when mature, finally reaching about 40 feet, with a 30 foot spread. Its flower buds appear in autumn and open in late spring before the leaves appear, but sometimes succumb to late frosts. They are pinkish purple, two inch trumpets and are borne in five inch upright panicles. The leaves are just as striking: bright green and twelve inches long. Paulownias should be grown in fertile, well drained soil in full sun and protected from cold, drying winds.
Propagation: Sow seed in cold frame in autumn or spring. Take root cuttings in winter. |
A cross between C. Florida and C. nuttallii, 'Eddie's White Wonder' is one of the most beautiful of all the flowering dogwoods. In the spring, circles of white bracts appear around its purplish green flowerheads giving the impression of perfectly round, white flowers. In autumn, its mid-green, ovate leaves are transformed into brilliant reds, oranges and purples. It may be grown as a standard tree or as a multi-stemmed shrub, but will never be more than about 20 by fifteen feet. It thrives only in areas where the soil is acid or neutral. Grow in fertile, humus rich, well drained soi in sun or partial shade.
Propagation: Root greenwood cuttings in summer. Graft in winter. |
I first saw this Japanese cherry in a garden in Somerset, underplanted with Narcissus poeticus and Omphaloides cappadodcum, and fell in love with it instantly. While I couldn't ignore its clusters of showy pure white, frilly edged flowers, it was 'Shogetsu's umbrella-like shape that appealed to me. Small even when mature, this lovely rounded tree seldom grows taller than about fifteen feet and its wide spreading branches give it a broad, flattened crown. Its flowers are pink in bud and its mid-green leaves are bronze when young, becoming red and orange in autumn. Grow in any moist, but well drained, moderately fertile soil in sun or partial shade.
Propagation: Bud in summer. Graft in early spring. |
