At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each branch, holding
many small leaves which curl up at night, the tree itself had pinkish blooms
on it and had long pods with a few seeds in each, one of which ended up in
my suitcase (in Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html

In article ,
Phil L wrote:
At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each branch, holding
many small leaves which curl up at night, the tree itself had pinkish blooms
on it and had long pods with a few seeds in each, one of which ended up in
my suitcase (in Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html

Pinkish? That's Albitzia julibrissin. I had one that dwined[*].
I have grown a few more from seed and will try again. They are a
bit big for houseplants, but you may succeed. They aren't mimosa,
but were called pink mimosa in Italy.
[*] Lovely word. I first saw it in The Bogeyman.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
:: In article ,
:: Phil L wrote:
::: At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each
::: branch, holding many small leaves which curl up at night, the
::: tree itself had pinkish blooms on it and had long pods with a few
::: seeds in each, one of which ended up in my suitcase (in
::: Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
::: houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
::: http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html
::
:: Pinkish? That's Albitzia julibrissin. I had one that dwined[*].
:: I have grown a few more from seed and will try again. They are a
:: bit big for houseplants, but you may succeed. They aren't mimosa,
:: but were called pink mimosa in Italy.
::
::[*] Lovely word. I first saw it in The Bogeyman.

Albizia according to google image search, cheers for the info...they do grow
in fairly cold places so I may have some success...Where I live is very
sheltered, being 20 feet below a 'siding' of a main road (the traffic is at
roof level) and this is on the North side, which prevents much cold weather
from getting onto the garden(s) which receives full sun all day...we have a
nine foot yucca at the front which flowers every year and stabs me every
time I cut the lawn.
I think I'll keep the seeds until spring and start them off with plenty of
heat until early summer and see what happens after that...unlesss you
suggest sowing them now? - I do have a greenhouse with gas heating...

Phil L wrote:

Nick Maclaren wrote:
:: In article ,
:: Phil L wrote:
::: At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each
::: branch, holding many small leaves which curl up at night, the
::: tree itself had pinkish blooms on it and had long pods with a few
::: seeds in each, one of which ended up in my suitcase (in
::: Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
::: houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
::: http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html
::
:: Pinkish? That's Albitzia julibrissin. I had one that dwined[*].
:: I have grown a few more from seed and will try again. They are a
:: bit big for houseplants, but you may succeed. They aren't mimosa,
:: but were called pink mimosa in Italy.
::
::[*] Lovely word. I first saw it in The Bogeyman.

Albizia according to google image search, cheers for the info...they do grow
in fairly cold places so I may have some success...Where I live is very
sheltered, being 20 feet below a 'siding' of a main road (the traffic is at
roof level) and this is on the North side, which prevents much cold weather
from getting onto the garden(s) which receives full sun all day...we have a
nine foot yucca at the front which flowers every year and stabs me every
time I cut the lawn.
I think I'll keep the seeds until spring and start them off with plenty of
heat until early summer and see what happens after that...unlesss you
suggest sowing them now? - I do have a greenhouse with gas heating...

Hi
It's also called silk tree.

Last year, whilst on holiday in Sardinia in Italy I saw lots of them
collected quite a few pods. I planted some of the seeds in September and
left them outside throughout winter - nothing really happened until the
spring, when only a few came up.

So I stuck more seeds in the same pots (2-3 /pot) and they germinated
really quickly - I've potted them on individually and now have about 30
plants 15cm tall.

I've seen this tree growing in the front garden of a house in east London -
it's massive and currently covered in flowers, so they are obviously happy
outside.

If you have lots of seeds try some now and some next spring - otherwise I
would suggest leaving it till spring. You should get quite a few plants
and you could try keeping one indoors and see what happens.

Griz

In article ,
griz writes:
|
| It's also called silk tree.
|
| I've seen this tree growing in the front garden of a house in east London -
| it's massive and currently covered in flowers, so they are obviously happy
| outside.

I have some spare plants, incidentally, for Cambridge collectors.

It is a very borderline plant in the UK, because it needs hot
summers to ripen its wood for the winter, and does not like
waterlogging.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
:: In article ,
:: griz writes:
::::
:::: It's also called silk tree.
::::
:::: I've seen this tree growing in the front garden of a house in
:::: east London - it's massive and currently covered in flowers, so
:::: they are obviously happy outside.
::
:: I have some spare plants, incidentally, for Cambridge collectors.
::
:: It is a very borderline plant in the UK, because it needs hot
:: summers to ripen its wood for the winter, and does not like
:: waterlogging.
::
::
:: Regards,
:: Nick Maclaren.

Cheers Griz and Nick...I only have two seeds, so I'll wait until late March
and sow them in a heated frame in the greenhouse, maybe they will get well
established before Autumn when I shall take them indoors for the first
winter.

Thanks

On 17/8/04 23:19, in article
, "Phil L"
wrote:

At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each branch, holding
many small leaves which curl up at night, the tree itself had pinkish blooms
on it and had long pods with a few seeds in each, one of which ended up in
my suitcase (in Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html


That's an Albizia julibrissin (IIRC) not a mimosa (Acacia)
They're half hardy but can be grown in warmer parts of the south west of
England, the Channel Isles and the Scillies. How it would do as a house
plant, I have no idea. I rather doubt it would flourish though. As it cost
you nothing, it's certainly worth a try!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 23:06:50 +0100, Sacha
wrote:

That's an Albizia julibrissin (IIRC) not a mimosa (Acacia)
They're half hardy but can be grown in warmer parts of the south west of
England, the Channel Isles and the Scillies. How it would do as a house
plant, I have no idea. I rather doubt it would flourish though.

Very unlikely. It doesn't even appreciate being kept in a pot for
very long and really needs to get its roots out into the soil. It is
a native of Iran and eastwards through the more arid regions of Asia,
where summers are blisteringly hot and winters cold and dry. It will
grow in the southern counties of England if planted in a very well
drained soil. Full sun is essential if it is to flower and the most
successful plants are those that are backed by a sunny, south facing
wall thereby benefitting from reflected heat by day and radiant heat
at night. Adapted to impoverished soils, this is the one tree that
you do not need to feed or water once established - even during the
hottest and driest of summers. It does not flower as a young small
plant, unlike its more tender, much faster growing cousin - Albizia
lophantha, which is easily flowered as a 12 month old in a 5 litre
pot.
Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 23:06:50 +0100, Sacha wrote:

On 17/8/04 23:19, in article
, "Phil L"
wrote:

At least I think it's a mimosa tree, long 'fronds' on each branch, holding
many small leaves which curl up at night, the tree itself had pinkish blooms
on it and had long pods with a few seeds in each, one of which ended up in
my suitcase (in Turkey)...would there be any possibility of having it as a
houseplant?....there's a picture here of one:
http://www.gardenerscorner.com/Mimosa.html


That's an Albizia julibrissin (IIRC) not a mimosa (Acacia)
They're half hardy but can be grown in warmer parts of the south west of
England, the Channel Isles and the Scillies. How it would do as a house
plant, I have no idea. I rather doubt it would flourish though. As it cost
you nothing, it's certainly worth a try!

Two zeds or one? Albizzia or Albizia? I think two but may be
mistaken.

However you spell its generic name, the "mimosa" we're discussing
is a common tree, nearly a weed, in the Maryland suburbs of
Washington DC, where I grew up. Bear in mind that area regularly
has summer temperatures of 100F or even a little higher. Fair
amount of summer rain.

Here in Victoria, BC, with a rather cool maritime climate,
"mimosa" is fairly uncommon, but mature specimens exist. Just in
the last week or so I've spotted two in full flower. This
surprised me, but we've had an exceptionally hot summer (temps up
to high 80's F) which must agree with them. We get very little
summer rain, however. Our winter temperatures are similar to
those of Washington DC, usually around freezing or a little
higher, with short periods around 15F sometimes.

The two I've seen here were both on the south side of a building
in full sun.

So: probably pretty hardy as far as temperature is concerned, but
needs lots of summer heat. Might do well in London where the
paving and buildings create a heat island, if you were careful
about siting against a protected south-facing wall.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]

On 19/8/04 20:53, in article , "Rodger
Whitlock" wrote:

On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 23:06:50 +0100, Sacha wrote:

snip
That's an Albizia julibrissin (IIRC) not a mimosa (Acacia)
They're half hardy but can be grown in warmer parts of the south west of
England, the Channel Isles and the Scillies. How it would do as a house
plant, I have no idea. I rather doubt it would flourish though. As it cost
you nothing, it's certainly worth a try!

Two zeds or one? Albizzia or Albizia? I think two but may be
mistaken.

However you spell its generic name, the "mimosa" we're discussing
is a common tree, nearly a weed, in the Maryland suburbs of
Washington DC, where I grew up. Bear in mind that area regularly
has summer temperatures of 100F or even a little higher. Fair
amount of summer rain.

Here in Victoria, BC, with a rather cool maritime climate,
"mimosa" is fairly uncommon, but mature specimens exist. Just in
the last week or so I've spotted two in full flower. This
surprised me, but we've had an exceptionally hot summer (temps up
to high 80's F) which must agree with them. We get very little
summer rain, however. Our winter temperatures are similar to
those of Washington DC, usually around freezing or a little
higher, with short periods around 15F sometimes.

The two I've seen here were both on the south side of a building
in full sun.

So: probably pretty hardy as far as temperature is concerned, but
needs lots of summer heat. Might do well in London where the
paving and buildings create a heat island, if you were careful
about siting against a protected south-facing wall.


I'm not sure I'm following you correctly, Rodger. Mimosa which is correctly
called Acacia is not Albizia. Mimosas have yellow flowers, Albizia have
pink flowers and the two shapes are quite different. We can't be discussing
Albizia as mimosa or vice versa - they're completely separate plants. Or
have I misunderstood you? Are you saying that you've seen both Albizia and
mimosa growing near you? Or is it that Albizia is known as mimosa in USA?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

On 19/8/04 9:40, in article ,
"Dave Poole" wrote:

snip
Very unlikely. It doesn't even appreciate being kept in a pot for
very long and really needs to get its roots out into the soil. It is
a native of Iran and eastwards through the more arid regions of Asia,
where summers are blisteringly hot and winters cold and dry. It will
grow in the southern counties of England if planted in a very well
drained soil. Full sun is essential if it is to flower and the most
successful plants are those that are backed by a sunny, south facing
wall thereby benefitting from reflected heat by day and radiant heat
at night. Adapted to impoverished soils, this is the one tree that
you do not need to feed or water once established - even during the
hottest and driest of summers. It does not flower as a young small
plant, unlike its more tender, much faster growing cousin - Albizia
lophantha, which is easily flowered as a 12 month old in a 5 litre
pot.


Friends of mine living in the Loire valley in France had this in their
garden. They were quite high up and had a lot of fog but not too much
frost. However in one very snowy winter their Albizia died off and now I
wonder if it was being wet at the roots for a long time as the snow melted
that killed it. Their garden is steeply drained but I'd think the whole
area (which is surrounded by chestnut forests) is damp in general.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

I'm not sure I'm following you correctly, Rodger. Mimosa which is correctly
called Acacia is not Albizia. Mimosas have yellow flowers, Albizia have
pink flowers and the two shapes are quite different. We can't be discussing
Albizia as mimosa or vice versa - they're completely separate plants. Or
have I misunderstood you? Are you saying that you've seen both Albizia and
mimosa growing near you? Or is it that Albizia is known as mimosa in USA?

And in Europe. It is sometimes called pink mimosa. Well, if we can
call a rowan a mountain ash, why not?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 19/8/04 23:00, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

I'm not sure I'm following you correctly, Rodger. Mimosa which is correctly
called Acacia is not Albizia. Mimosas have yellow flowers, Albizia have
pink flowers and the two shapes are quite different. We can't be discussing
Albizia as mimosa or vice versa - they're completely separate plants. Or
have I misunderstood you? Are you saying that you've seen both Albizia and
mimosa growing near you? Or is it that Albizia is known as mimosa in USA?

And in Europe. It is sometimes called pink mimosa. Well, if we can
call a rowan a mountain ash, why not?

Ah well, that explains it! Is this Albizia what some call the silk tree or
Chinese silk tree, or some such?
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article ,
Sacha wrote:

Ah well, that explains it! Is this Albizia what some call the silk tree or
Chinese silk tree, or some such?

Yes, precisely.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Sacha wrote:
:: On 19/8/04 9:40, in article
:: , "Dave Poole"
:: wrote:
::
:: snip
::: Very unlikely. It doesn't even appreciate being kept in a pot for
::: very long and really needs to get its roots out into the soil.
::: It is a native of Iran and eastwards through the more arid
::: regions of Asia, where summers are blisteringly hot and winters
::: cold and dry. It will grow in the southern counties of England
::: if planted in a very well drained soil. Full sun is essential if
::: it is to flower and the most successful plants are those that are
::: backed by a sunny, south facing wall thereby benefitting from
::: reflected heat by day and radiant heat at night. Adapted to
::: impoverished soils, this is the one tree that you do not need to
::: feed or water once established - even during the hottest and
::: driest of summers. It does not flower as a young small plant,
::: unlike its more tender, much faster growing cousin - Albizia
::: lophantha, which is easily flowered as a 12 month old in a 5
::: litre pot.
::
::
:: Friends of mine living in the Loire valley in France had this in
:: their garden. They were quite high up and had a lot of fog but
:: not too much frost. However in one very snowy winter their
:: Albizia died off and now I wonder if it was being wet at the roots
:: for a long time as the snow melted that killed it. Their garden
:: is steeply drained but I'd think the whole area (which is
:: surrounded by chestnut forests) is damp in general. --

I don't know if it will grow here then - our garden is pure sand after the
top 16 inches, what's under that I don't know...maybe it's better for
drainage as we do get a lot of rain in summer, although very little in
winter.