Re: Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' & M. villosus 'Tahiti'/Ultimate sizes?

I have seen them get huge in Hawaii also, but then they are well adapted
here.  I think I have seen 50+feet in some old forest areas.  But then there
are ecomorphs that seemt o only get to be a few feet high and thus
"polymorpha" seem appropriate.
MTF

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jason D" <jjuania@yahoo.com>
To: <davidfeix@yahoo.com>; <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' & M. villosus
'Tahiti'/Ultimate sizes?


> David,
> I've seen a Metrosideros collina selection reach 5
> feet in 3 years or less in a San Francisco/Top of the
> Hill Daly City garden. It's in semi-shade, competing
> with ferocious privet-hedge roots, and has never
> bloomed, but it has grown well.
>
> At least three selections of Metrosideros polymorpha
> are thriving at Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco,
> one of which has been there since before the Feb 1989
> freeze. We'll see after Tuesday night. They do bloom,
> the two younger ones rather well, and, frankly, the
> foliage is in better shape than the Daly City M.
> collina.
>
> The oldest, now about 15 feet tall and not much
> distinguishable from Metrosideros kermadecensis, has
> some tiny aerial roots as well.
>
> Cheers,
> Jason
>
> --- david feix <davidfeix@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > I am thinking of using these two Metrosideros shrubs
> > in a coast side garden, but was somewhat doubtful of
> > the listed sizes as indicated in Sunset Western
> > Garden
> > and San Marcos Growers Catalogue.  Is anyone
> > familiar
> > with older established plantings of either to know
> > if
> > 8' tall x wide is accurate for M. 'Springfire' and
> > 3'
> > x 3' for M. 'Tahiti'?  It seems they are already so
> > large in 15 gallon size containers that they are
> > likely to get much larger than this in the
> > landscape.
> >
> >
> > I also looked them up at the Queensland, Australia
> > nursery web site that was the source of introduction
> > to California, (www.redlandsnursery.com.au), and
> > they
> > seem to agree.  (This site has some good pictures,
> > as
> > does San Marcos if people are curious about the
> > species, which are great shrubby long bloomers for
> > coastal conditions).
> >
> > I am actually hoping that M. 'Springfire' does
> > ultimately get more like 15 feet tall, as I imagine
> > it
> > might, but don't know how long that might take.  Who
> > would have thought that species from Tahiti, Samoa
> > and
> > Hawaii would do as well in coastal California?  Can
> > introductions of the Hawaiaan Ohi'a Leihua(M.
> > polymorphus), which is ubiquitous as a colonizer of
> > old lava flows be far behind?
> >
> > I'd appreciate hearing from anyone with direct
> > experience with older plantings of these...  I am
> > also
> > looking forward to the first blooms on my container
> > planting of the scandent shrub/clinging vine M.
> > carminea, which I also wish was more available.  A
> > potentially great showy flowering (tender) evergreen
> > vine for coastal California; much more interesting
> > than Ficus repens or Hedera helix.
> >
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>
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