Moving Staphylea trifoliata

I planted a small Bladdernut a couple of years ago in a mixed shrub border. The conditions are difficult, with no protection from wind and blazing sun. While I've mulched the entire area, the soil is sandy and tends to dry out quickly. It hasn't done much of anything and I'm seriously thinking of moving it. The question is: Where? I bought this and a Wafer Ash (Ptelea) at the same time, thinking they'd both do well here. The Wafer Ash seems happy enough, but the Bladdernut is sulking. I'm not sure where I heard this, but I thought it was supposed to do well in light soils and full sun. Is anyone having luck growing this shrub? If so, I'd appreciate knowing what conditions it needs to prosper.

Bob

Ours seem to like the forest understory in a slightly moist area (ravine bottom). If you're sure the problem is not due to circling roots or something like that, try to find a mesic, moist place with a little shade. Think like a Lindera benzoin or Aesculus pavia or Viburnum.

Guy S.

I had three of them. I purchased mine from Great Lakes. One bit the dust out the gate and two were struggling. One was in full sun in decent soil. That died. The other two are out front of the woodland area and they are in extremely rich moist soil but only partial sun and they are both still alive... I think. Not much more I can do other than to check on them and see if they leaf out this year. Last year was tough.

Oops, I was typing when Guy was typing. Try a little partial shade maybe?

I think like a Viburnum all the time, and some of my best friends are bladdernuts. Just ask Dedunderhead about the underpass in the wilds of Indiana one late February evening...

I'd vote for the understory conditions as well, or at least afternoon shade. Every Staphylea I've come across in KY is in just such a place, and happy as a colonizing clam. Ours tend to be on the upper slopes of calcareous woodlands (that's forests on limestone-based soils to you upper midwestern yokels).

Your Ptelea sounds well-placed. Most I see here are in open fence rows and fields, not in any understory.

Maackia:

It is a moist woodland native around here.

Mine is S. trifolia that I started from seed. It is growing in unamended soil in morning sun. It is about 15 years old, and a tall shrub. It normally grows in rich woods, on north and east-facing slopes. Also on bluffs, streamsides, and alluvial valleys.It spreads from root runners, and is rather annoying in the flower bed that I have it in. I have transplanted one sucker to another spot where it can spread to it's heart's content.
http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL635/2413050/6513951/94029431.jpg

http://pic16.picturetrail.com/VOL635/2413050/6513951/60787628.jpg

I don't have a good pic of the entire plant. I have limbed it up so the flowers can grow underneath it. I use the branched limbs for hanging plants in the summer.



This message was edited Mar 22, 2006 6:34 PM

I should add: It grows naturally in the woods here. That is where I gathered my seeds. The second one is on the northwest side of our woodshed, where it was shaded most of the day, until it topped the roof. The lower part of it only gets a little afternoon sun. It gets the run-off from the roof, and is growing happily. I believe all of our soil is acidic or neutral. Adequate moisture is most likely the key to success.
The one by the house gets run-off also, and I water that bed in dry spells.

Marian

Hmmmmm, where is this heading?

You see, a couple months roll by and truth be told. These boys just reverted to their base nature without their womenfolk. Road trip indeed! I'd keep these bad dogs on a short leash now.

The thing is, there are not enough rest stops in Indiana. Period. Not enough. Secondly, you'd think there'd at least be the occasional McDonalds or something, but NOOOO! Furthermore, it was late night at the end of a tiring trip. It would have been absolutely irresponsible of me to drive under such circumstances without lots and lots of caffeine. Not only that, but it was raining like it was the end of the world. So, eventually, I had to take matters into my own hands. Found and underpass and ran around to the lee side of it and sought relief. Dark as Hades, except my own emergency lights blinking off and on and lighting me up like I was on stage.

The upside is one little patch of Indiana roadside will be just a little bit greener this Spring.

Scott ...Oh, and by the way, thank you Valuminous Vivaldi for exposing this little gem!

Even in cooler Minnesota, S. triloba seeks a constantly moist understory in the wild. Closest to me is the Mississippi River bottoms at the base of limestone cliffs. But they do make respectable shrubs in full sun, given enough water.

trifolia

Oops...Guy, thanks for the correction. I seemed to have screwed this one up all the way around. Looks like I'll be moving it up to edge of woods. I've got a woodland garden full of mistakes. Thanks to everyone for the help.

Maackia, I am the one who misspelled it 'triloba'. ( Sorry Leftwood ).I have edited my post and corrected it.

Let me be the first to apologize to the Good Poster from Arkansas about the blue tone taken by others on this thread. Inexcusable.

I only alluded to an occasion resembling a plant remark. The comments about pubic ROW and exposing oneself onstage are entirely self-inflicted.

Dogs, leashes...I'm not even going there.

VV, I am rather amused by your witty posts ( usually), but I felt this one was becoming a disservice to Maackii's question. Apology accepted.

We all knew what species you meant. I just mentioned the spelling typo in case someone was trying to Google it.
(I never make mistakes myself . . . )

Guy S.

Am I seeing my good friend V2 take the high road here? I am seeing an expression here similar to the one on his beloved Quercus's face when asked about a particularily noxious trip to the litter box: "Who, Me".

Yeah, The Instigator throws a juicy steak into the wolf cage and sits back to watch the fur fly!
Uh-huh!

Guy S.

I think I may have entered a 'man's world' by posting on the Trees and Shrubs forum......?????
I am beginning to feel like Daniel in the lion's den!

Women DO grow trees and shrubs, too.

Oh Marian, I thought you were a him. I have a neighbor who is Polish and his first name is Marian so now I associate that with being a man's name. You are not alone. There are lots of women here. Lauren is not always a man's name as in Lauren Weinstein, Loren Green, or Lauren Swanson. I'm a her too! And, your Bladdernut photos were very nice.

Lauren, I was always taught that the men's name was spelled with an 'o' and the woman's with an 'a'. That obviously is not the case, and never was! It does seen to apply in this part of the country. There are at least 2 men named 'Marion" not far from us. John Wayne was 'Marion Morrison'.
I would think 'Lauren' would be the female, and 'Loren' the male, but that too does not always apply. It has become where you cannot tell what gender anyone is, either by their name, or by their appearence!

Uh oh, time for a haircut!

I think half this thread went over my head. Someone tell me if I am supposed to be angry with VV. Don't explain why. i'd only nod my head like I understood even when I really didn't. Just tell me if I'm supposed to get really PO'd. Otherwise, I'm blissfully angry at my new computer!

Scott

According to Emily Post, it's ALWAYS appropriate to be mad at your computer.

And "Guy" can be male or female too. I once knew a VERY attractive gal who pronounced her name "Gheee" but spelled it just like me. What the heck, we're all from the same species --- well, most of us are!

Guy S.

I think Scott's one of those gibberellic-acid induced mutations...

Is that a bad thing?

Scott

Only if the mutant is self-fertile, and that apomixis produces progeny with cleistogamous and/or anemophilous reproductive structures in smooth-barked members of Betulaceae.

I'll get back to you on that.