Re: Hardiness of Several Subtropical Plants
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Hardiness of Several Subtropical Plants
- From: L* P*
- Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 11:53:36 -0700
- References: <20000824061642.17307.qmail@web3002.mail.yahoo.com>
>I have several questions for anyone within the group
>who may be growing one or more of the following
>plants; I realize that none of these plants are
>mediterranean, but can be grown here, giving a more
>subtropical look.
>
...
>Tibouchina lepidota 'Alstonville': I came across this
>variety of
>Tibouchina listed in the 2000/2001 catalogue for
>Kartuz Greenhouses, and it is listed as being a free
>flowering small tree native to Columbia and Ecuador.
>The hybrid 'Alstonville" was developed in Australia.
>Again, has anyone grown this plant in zones 9b/10a?
>Kartuz lists it as being hardy to 35F, which would be
>marginally hardy in Berkeley/San Francisco. I
>currently grow T. urvilleana, T. granulosa and T.
>heteromalla, which will all tolerate our climate here
>or regenerate from the roots, if several years old.
>Unfortunately, T. granulosa is nowhere near as
>spectacular here in northern California as T.
>urvilleana, and it was a knockout tree in Sao Paulo
>and Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, where it grew to be 40 feet
>tall, with flowers literally covering the tree while
>in bloom.
Some friends and I went to Kartuz Greenhouses this past May and we
each spent over our budget. But I got a small plant of the T.
'Alstonville' because I had seen it a few years ago in Sydney. It was
planted in a number of front yards in some neighborhoods there and
always took our breath away whenever we drove past one at how
smothered in intense purple flowers the shrubs were. Mike Kartuz said
he hadn't seen it himself but that what I was describing was this
'Alstonville' variety. Anyway, I think Sydney gets down below
freezing now and then, although I don't know if it is also Zone
9b/10a. And these were all mature shrubs. I think it's more hardy
than to 35F. Mike said he put that there as an initial estimate.
...
>If anyone has any info to give me regarding any of
>these plants, it would be most appreciated.
>
>
--
--Lee Poulsen
wlp@radar-sci.jpl.nasa.gov
