PUSHING THE BORDERS

I love growing exotic trees from seed with no plan as to what to do with them when and if they achieve a size that means they need to be planted out :roll:
My current dilemma is knowing what to do with a five year old potted Madrone (Arbutus menziesii). I've already knackered it's older brother by planting it and trying to make it behave as a shrub (these plants really need to be planted young and left to grow into a tree).
This is the said plant with it's lovely peeling bark
IMG_2008 by atropica2012, on Flickr
IMG_2009 by atropica2012, on Flickr
I just don't have the space to do it justice so if anyone would like it then it is free to collect.
What is needed is a nationwide network of plant sanctuaries, gardens and parks for unwanted plants :)

As much as I would like to help out Andy, just no space here.

Are there any gardens that are open to the public in your area? That's how I got rid of my P.alata which was too big for pot culture.

If you have had no takers Andy I would be very pleased to give it a good home. I have an unedo which has grown very quickly into a very nice tree so I'm sure it would do well here, and a spot perfect for it

That's great Tony, I'll see what else I can foist on to you while you're here :)
I'm here most of the time most days so drop me a PM when it suits you.

Cheers Andy - whereabouts are you - pm on the way

tony wrote:If you have had no takers Andy I would be very pleased to give it a good home. I have an unedo which has grown very quickly into a very nice tree so I'm sure it would do well here, and a spot perfect for it

A. menziesii is a great deal fussier about its growing conditions than A. unedo. The latter is pretty easy-going - I have it thriving in an unimproved corner of my garden, where it rooted painlessly next to the stump of a felled Ash tree and is now approaching 4m, despite London's tendency to drought and heavy competition from the neighbours' 5m Laurus nobilis, my Cordyline australis purpurea, 4.5m x 6m Phoenix canariensis and 4m x 6m Acacia pravissima.

A. menziesii, by contrast, prefers consistently moist conditions, peaty/acid soil and a cool climate.

David where did you get that information from? Having done a lot of googling since I read your post it would appear the consensus is that very well drained poor soil in full sun are the preferred conditions.

tony wrote:David where did you get that information from? Having done a lot of googling since I read your post it would appear the consensus is that very well drained poor soil in full sun are the preferred conditions.

Out of my memory, I'm afraid. I recall reading (and discussing) how difficult it was to establish this sp. in Britain, that it resents transplanting and that its native range generally has acid soil. It grows freely in the Gulf Islands off Vancouver, which get a hell of a lot of rain in winter. In fact much of the coastal northwest region where it originates is basically temperate rain forest.

I agree about the full sun and I'm not sure about the drainage, although the hundreds that I saw growing on Pender Island BC were growing in very rocky, infertile soil.

So the two versions aren't really inconsistent: sunny sites in a rainy, cool climate with poor, acid soil and good drainage.

I suspect that the main reason people have found it so difficult is because it doesn't like being moved.


EDIT: I just checked Wikipedia, which backs up the lime-free soil, the dislike of transplanting and the need for full sun and says that growth can be boosted with N-based fertilisers, but that this makes the tree susceptible to disease.