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Old 09-09-2004, 10:47 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Default Halesia monticola (or advice on alternatives)


Has anyone grown this? I am looking for a fast-growing, interesting,
medium-sized tree to use as a sight screen. I want it to cast a
fairly light shade, too. This would be ideal, if it will thrive.

My concern is the recommendation for damp. The soil can get very
dry in summer, though it can pretty well guarantee to get down to
damp soil if its roots run deep enough (only a couple of metres).
I had a complete failure with a Salix caprea because of this, and
it causes a lot of trouble to some shallow rooted plants.

My other ideas are Quercus coccinea or a suitable crab apple, but
the problem with the latter is finding any that aren't grafted :-(
Other suggestions welcome.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
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Old 10-09-2004, 12:13 AM
Sacha
 
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On 9/9/04 21:47, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


Has anyone grown this? I am looking for a fast-growing, interesting,
medium-sized tree to use as a sight screen. I want it to cast a
fairly light shade, too. This would be ideal, if it will thrive.

My concern is the recommendation for damp. The soil can get very
dry in summer, though it can pretty well guarantee to get down to
damp soil if its roots run deep enough (only a couple of metres).
I had a complete failure with a Salix caprea because of this, and
it causes a lot of trouble to some shallow rooted plants.

My other ideas are Quercus coccinea or a suitable crab apple, but
the problem with the latter is finding any that aren't grafted :-(
Other suggestions welcome.


Nick, we grow Halesias here and some of them have hybridised. We think they
are *very* good value because they're light, graceful and flower
comparatively late. Our garden varies between bone dry and absolutely
sodden, depending on weather - it can go sodden in a matter of days and bone
dry in a matter of a week or two. About 3 weeks ago, someone asked to have
a marquee on our lawn for a private memorial party and we had to ask them to
use a small lawn as the big lawn was so wet that our feet were skidding on
it. Now, it is so dry that it's cracking open. In a bed at the very end of
that lawn are two Halesias. Up in the car park bed, which is much more free
draining, there is another, flowering its socks off.
Personally, I'd be inclined to say give it a try and water it for the first
couple of years which is standard advice anyway, as you know.
--

Sacha

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Old 10-09-2004, 12:56 AM
Sacha
 
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On 9/9/04 23:13, in article ,
"Sacha" wrote:

On 9/9/04 21:47, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


Has anyone grown this? I am looking for a fast-growing, interesting,
medium-sized tree to use as a sight screen. I want it to cast a
fairly light shade, too. This would be ideal, if it will thrive.

My concern is the recommendation for damp. The soil can get very
dry in summer, though it can pretty well guarantee to get down to
damp soil if its roots run deep enough (only a couple of metres).
I had a complete failure with a Salix caprea because of this, and
it causes a lot of trouble to some shallow rooted plants.

My other ideas are Quercus coccinea or a suitable crab apple, but
the problem with the latter is finding any that aren't grafted :-(
Other suggestions welcome.


Nick, we grow Halesias here and some of them have hybridised. snip


Talk about a senior moment! Sorry Nick, for some reason Hoheria became
Halesia in my mind. BUT, I've seen Hoheria grown at the top of a steepish
slope and on a bank above that. It's quite a nice thing to grow in such a
way because you can look up into it and perhaps see it at its best.
OTOH, you could try Hoheria....... ;-))
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

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Old 10-09-2004, 09:59 AM
Nick Maclaren
 
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Thanks for both postings.

Hoheria lyallii sounds possible, but I don't want an evergreen, and
plants from the west of New Zealand's south island won't thrive here.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
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Old 10-09-2004, 10:33 AM
Nick Maclaren
 
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In article ,
Janet Baraclough.. writes:
|
| I grew halesia carolina(fairly similar) in my last garden, in a
| semi-shaded position under a huge birch. It was a relatively drained
| part of the garden, but rainfall was high (70" pa). It's very beautiful
| and well worth growing, though not partiularly fast; maybe 18" per year?
| It flowers quite young and prefers acid soil.

Thanks. The acid soil is a problem, but mine isn't seriously
alkaline.

| Have you looked at styrax japonica? It also has a "snowdrop" effect.
| Mine is small and has only been in for a year or so, so no flowers yet,
| but it's making an elegant shape.
|
| Just turning to great autumn leaf colour, is white flowered stewartia
| pseudocamellia (also too young to have flowered yet), though I'm not
| sure how hardy you would find that (I killed one at my much colder last
| garden).

Thanks. I will think on those two.

| Sorbus are tough as old boots, interesting flowers, foliage, autumn
| colour and berries (from yellow to white, pink. red and orange). Most
| also grow fast, if you plant them as whips.

Yes. I am no great sorbus lover, seeing far too many damn rowans
on the streets, but there are plenty of them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


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Old 10-09-2004, 10:51 AM
Sacha
 
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On 10/9/04 9:33, in article , "Nick
Maclaren" wrote:


In article ,
Janet Baraclough.. writes:

snip | Just turning to great autumn leaf colour, is white flowered
stewartia
| pseudocamellia (also too young to have flowered yet), though I'm not
| sure how hardy you would find that (I killed one at my much colder last
| garden).

Thanks. I will think on those two.


We have the Stewartia in our garden but I think it's reputed to be quite
tender?

Would Staphylea colchis or S. holocarpa be any good? I think it's a lovely
thing but don't think the autumn leaves do much. I think the latter grows
to about 20' and the former to around 11'.

| Sorbus are tough as old boots, interesting flowers, foliage, autumn
| colour and berries (from yellow to white, pink. red and orange). Most
| also grow fast, if you plant them as whips.

Yes. I am no great sorbus lover, seeing far too many damn rowans
on the streets, but there are plenty of them.


There's a very pretty pink berried variety with bronze foliage - not the one
in the RHS book which has green leaves. I'll see if I can find the name if
you're interested at all. I think Thornhayes Nursery has it.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

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Old 10-09-2004, 08:29 PM
Rodger Whitlock
 
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On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 09:51:50 +0100, Sacha wrote:

We have the Stewartia in our garden but I think it's reputed to be quite
tender?


There are specimens in the Seattle arboretum nearly 60 years old
and they're thriving. While Seattle has a mild maritime climate,
like Victoria, it experiences occasional spells of very cold
weather.

However: the stewartias in the arboretum are carefully sited at
the top of a slope so cold air doesn't pool around them. Watch
your katabatics.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
[change "atlantic" to "pacific" and
"invalid" to "net" to reply by email]
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Old 10-09-2004, 10:38 PM
Nick Maclaren
 
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In article ,
Sacha wrote:

I asked Ray about this Stewartia idea for Cambridge and he thinks it's worth
a try but with no promises - England's weather being what it is, a couple of
miles or even a couple of hundred yards can make a difference.


Yes, and my garden is windswept. Not having the space for a proper
arboretum, I still think that I will go with the Halesia. But it
makes me sad that the roadside trees are almost never more exciting
than rowan and birch, neither of which can claim to be 'natural'
on the loams of the south east.

There was a recent offer from the local authority to plant a tree
in front of our houses, and that was the choice :-( Thinking about
it, I will ask my wife what she thinks and consider planting one
out there, too. That would show up the road in about a decade,
if it thrives!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


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Old 11-09-2004, 01:14 PM
cross
 
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" Nick, we grow Halesias here and some of them have hybridised. We think
they
are *very* good value because they're light, graceful and flower
comparatively late. Our garden varies between bone dry and absolutely
sodden, depending on weather - it can go sodden in a matter of days and

bone
dry in a matter of a week or two. About 3 weeks ago, someone asked to

have
a marquee on our lawn for a private memorial party and we had to ask them

to
use a small lawn as the big lawn was so wet that our feet were skidding on
it. Now, it is so dry that it's cracking open. In a bed at the very end

of
that lawn are two Halesias. Up in the car park bed, which is much more

free
draining, there is another, flowering its socks off.
Personally, I'd be inclined to say give it a try and water it for the

first
couple of years which is standard advice anyway, as you know.
--

Sacha

--------
I bought a Halesia Carolina from your nursery, Sacha, when we were in Devon
earlier this year.
It is doing well, planted in semi-shade under an old ash tree. The damp
summer has helped it to establish, I think.

Marina
E. Sx


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Old 11-09-2004, 01:39 PM
Sacha
 
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On 11/9/04 12:14, in article , "cross"
wrote:


" Nick, we grow Halesias here and some of them have hybridised. We think
they
are *very* good value because they're light, graceful and flower
comparatively late.

snip
--------
I bought a Halesia Carolina from your nursery, Sacha, when we were in Devon
earlier this year.
It is doing well, planted in semi-shade under an old ash tree. The damp
summer has helped it to establish, I think.

They're lovely trees, I think and I'm glad its doing well for you.
Unfortunately when I read the above my brain did one of those curious
timeslip things, so while I was reading Halesia, I was thinking Hoheria &
its habits but typing Halesia! And Hoheria aren't what Nick wants!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

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