Yankee ignorance
 

On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL

Yankee ignorance
 

Paul Paulsen wrote:
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL




It probably was a locust -- my guess is Robinia viscosa, or "clammy locust".

The other might have been mountain laurels or rhodedendrons.

Best regards,
Bob

Yankee ignorance
 

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at
the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL



Lagerstroemia indica, aka crepe myrtle, and they are usually only hardy in
zones 7+ although a few cold hardy versions are being bred and released.
They probably will only stay shrub sized in cold zones though, and I don't
think anyone colder than zone 6a has reported a lot of success with them
overwintering.

Yankee ignorance
 

"Sunflower" wrote in message
...

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at
the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and
purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones
are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL



Lagerstroemia indica, aka crepe myrtle, and they are usually only hardy in
zones 7+ although a few cold hardy versions are being bred and released.
They probably will only stay shrub sized in cold zones though, and I don't
think anyone colder than zone 6a has reported a lot of success with them
overwintering.

While not tremendously popular, crepe myrtle is seen here in zone 6 in SW
Ohio. There are a couple in my neighborhood and if I had an appropriate
site, I would get one. They get to be large shrubs here. I was talking to
someone from zone 5 last month at a garden center who told me she has one
that dies back to the ground each year and returns as a small shrub. I sent
for some information a few years ago from this place:
http://www.lagerstroemia.com/ The information packet was quite informative.
As I recall, they require that you buy a minimum of about a dozen plants, so
I didn't get anything and can't comment on their quality.

Yankee ignorance
 

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.

This could have been mimosa trees:
http://plantsdatabase.com/go/1764/

Cheers,
Sue

--

Zone 6, South-central PA

Yankee ignorance
 

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at
the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL

Paul,

Not sure about your first entry but #2 would be a crape (crepe) myrtle.
What I know about them is that there are shrub varieties and tree varieties.
I am a (temporarily) transplanted Yankee living in Virginia so don't know
much about them but do agree with you that they are pretty.

Lynn

Yankee ignorance
 

In article SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52,
says...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.

Mimosa. Get far enough South (but not Too far), and it's a
weed.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.

Crepe Myrtle.

Don't believe either would be happy in your climate.
--
Mark

The truth as I perceive it to be.
Your perception may be different.

Triple Z is spam control.

Yankee ignorance
 

crape myrtle is happy in zone 7 - MD and VA
"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at
the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL

Yankee ignorance
 

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL

(1) My first thought was locust, but they are a spring bloomer. I'd
guess mimosa, since they are an early summer bloomer.

(2) Crepe myrtle. They come in all the colors you mentioned, come in
full size (15-20 ft), semi-dwarf (10-12 ft.), and dwarf (6-10 ft.)
They bloom mid summer on new growth so they are usually pruned back in
February. They are easily started from seed, but usually bought as
started plants. In zones 8 & 9 the seed heads can be dead headed and
you can usually get a second blooming in early fall.

Bob S.

Yankee ignorance
 

"Paul Paulsen" wrote in message
news:SBwLc.156006$Oq2.59956@attbi_s52...
On recent drives to Mountain Home, Arkansas and to the Great Smoky
Mountains
Nat'l Park I saw some beautiful plants which I had not seen before.
1) The first one seemed to be some type of locust tree with numerous
pink or light purple blossoms. Some were very large and others almost
looked
like a bush. These seemed common along the roadsides.
2) The second were even more pretty with large clumps of blossoms at
the
ends of each branch. Colors? I saw white, pink, red, deep red, and purple.
One of the locals said this was myrtle.
Please let me know what these were and what the typical growing zones are
for plants.
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Northern IL



Lagerstroemia indica, aka crepe myrtle, and they are usually only hardy in
zones 7+ although a few cold hardy versions are being bred and released.
They probably will only stay shrub sized in cold zones though, and I don't
think anyone colder than zone 6a has reported a lot of success with them
overwintering.