Re: Franklinia in Bay Area?

Pam,
I used to have one in my front yard, but realized it
wasn't an ideal fit, in that I didn't give it the well
watered, sheltered from the wind and rich humusy soil
it prefers.  They certainly do well enough as nursery
container plants down in Watsonville, where I have
seen them grown, and are already nice blooming sized
trees in 15 gallon sized containers.  Watsonville
certainly gets regular fog and more winter chill than
San Francisco, but it also has warmer days.  I can
tell you that it was not a happy camper in my own
garden under neglected conditions.

I have had better luck with the similar looking
Gordonia lasianthos, which is also blooming now and a
nice tree as well.  Even though both are from the hot
steamy southeast USA, they don't seem to mind our cool
summers, just make sure they are well watered in
summer, and they look best if given wind protection,
as the flowers are fragile and can look wind whipped
in the wrong location.

--- p.k.peirce@att.net wrote:

> Does anyone have any experience with growing
> Franklinia altamaha in the Bay Area, in areas with
> some fog? It is listed in Sunset as being adapted to
> zones 14 to 17, but I have not seen one in this
> region myself. 
> 
> Pam Peirce
> San Francisco, CA
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