Re: Oak Leaf Hydrangea
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Oak Leaf Hydrangea
- From: G* O*
- Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 17:48:10 -0500
At 11:30 PM 1/17/00 -0800, you wrote:
>there is another plant. it is called "buckeye" grows wild in the
>woods. you might know this plant and do you know the "sweet
>shrub" it also grows wild here
>
>Donna in NE Mississippi
Donna and others,
I don't know which buckeye you have there in MS, but we have a beautiful
one here in east TN that is native...Aeschulus pavia, the dwarf red
buckeye. It makes a small spreading shrub/understory tree and grows in open
woods. Very early spring it blooms in panicles of red, or red-orange, or
rarely, yellow. They are just gorgeous. When I see it in serious bud, I
hang my hummer feeders, since that is always the first plant I see them at.
It produces seeds like Ohio buckeyes and horse-chestnuts, smooth and
mahogany-colored, that sprout readily. So if you have a good spot for it,
it will self sow.
The sweet shrub (aka Carolina allspice) is Calycanthus florida, also a
woodland beauty native here with a wonderful pineapple fragrance to the
flowers. You can find it in nurseries sometimes, but buy it in flower if it
is seedgrown, since fragrance varies from plant to plant. Mine has not set
seed after four years in the garden...
Gerry
Oak Ridge, TN z7b
