S. Elaine, (hey, by the way) are yours Liriodendron tulipifera commonly know as tuilp poplar? They actually are not a poplar tree at all. The common name can be confusing. They have yellow blooms and they're usually high up in the tree tops. Are yours like these listed in plantfiles? If yours are growing 100 ft tall most like they are ! yeppee you've probably got Tiger Swallowtails laying eggs in those trees. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1031/
Glad to know that Mike. My lawn mower man has weed wacked the base of all my little trees. I'll be sure to do something to protect my baby tulip poplar.
Where is everyone these days.
My Tulip Poplars are so tall, I'd have to use binoculars to see if i had any Swallowtails up there!! :)
I have some young tulip poplars in my yard, but they have lost most of their leaves due to the drought. Any one wanting to come dig one or two up is welcome. We pull some out every year, don't know if they'd transplant or not. Becky
Oh my goodness, where's Dacula? lol
Yes, they sprout all over the place from seed :)
Deb, Dacula is about thirty minutes from me....lol
Anyone got a picture of a mature one in there yard? I need to visualize it's spread.
Sounds like you would have a lot of shade from this one..how fast does it grow? I don't have one here..lol
It's suppose to be a very fast grower. I need something to help screen out neighbors. I feel like I'm being watched from my sunroom windows. I don't want to cover them, that defeats the reason for having all that glass.
The tulip poplar is a very fast grower, but I don't think anyone over 50 will see it get to over 100'.Not that we can't dream, the over 100' populars, for the most part have been loged out, due to modern machenary, and general greed from land owners.The going rate for large poplar logs during the sixtes, and seventies was over $100. per tree, asuming it was knot free for a long distance to make veneer out of.The big ones grew in river bottoms and were protected until man was able to harvest, and now they are rare, I only know of one in lexington Ga.near a rock formation that is just as spectacular.All that (hot air) to say that you can have a nice canopy of shade in your yard, and should see blooms.Mike
I totally understand that....there is another tree that some say is invasive from China or Japan I think, that has great blooms on it..can't think of the name, but it is supposed to grow like 8 feet in one season or something crazy like that...
I just went out and planted six daylilies...just SIX and it almost did me in...it is hot...lol
That would be the "royal empress tree", with blue flowers, and I don't have one, but almost tried one, and still wonder.Things that are that fast, scare me, although they are only supose to get 50'.The heat knocked me out too Janet.Mike
That is right Mike. The Royal Empress Tree...it sure is a pretty thing too...I read quite a bit on it and as usual some people think it is the best tree alive and others think it is the scourge of the earth...lol
Deborah, the only way a tulip poplar will screen out your neighbors is if you want to put their home under the shade of your tree! It will grow!! Mine are not screens at all.. unless you consider the trunck a screen! :) I'll see if i can't get some pics up soon.
:)
Susan
I agree Susan. Ours are massive but they're in the woods which are protected wetlands. :) They won't be coming down except by wind like when we had those 3 hurricanes come through 2 years ago. LOL That really scared me. Had one almost hit the house. Came so close It snatched the hose off the spicket and the limbs were draped on the side of the house and on the roof. It smashed the fence, and another came down on my neighbor's house, so we were lucky. I have no idea about flowers or butterflies. I'll try to get pics. They're huge. :)
I would think for a "screen" that is quick to grow you would need to do some type of evergreen...or a fas growing shrub that gets tall and branches a bit.
Yeah- Or Eleagnes aka "Ugly Agnes"!! These things make huge thick hedges in no tome. You see them in between highways sometimes. When we moved here 30 years ago, thre was a hedge of 14 of them between us an our neighbor - yes it did make a great screen up to about 15ft tall if not pruned, they also have a spread of about 8 - 10 feet they are also evergreen. We took out all but 5 so I could have some sun to plant other things. It took a Bob Cat and a lot of work to get them out - some of the roots broke off and I am still trying to kill the new ones that pop up.
We have several old Poplars too, they are really messy with the falling blooms and it seems they are the first ones to drop their huge leaves in mid summer.
Well, hmmm....How about Gardenia...is that going to get tall enough to screen them out...I know there is a gardenia that gets pretty tall if you let it..or ooooo...how about Camellia....I love them and I promise they can get very tall as well....lots to choose from too...
Your eleagnes is by far the best way to have neighbor control, and it has a very fragrant flower in the fall.The flowers are very subdude, like tiney little bells.I have a hedge between my neighbors, and me however small.Another fast hedge, that can get tall is lugustrum, it can make a small tree, as well as carolina chery laura.What I like MOST about eleagnes with my neighbors is it has 2" thorns.Mike
I have Eleagnes as well, and I love the smell!!!
Deborah, Leyland Cypress makes a fairly quick cover - a lady planted some across the front of the yard a few years ago and I just thought the other day how fast a cover they became.
Eleagnes is said to be invasive although I don't have firsthand knowledge about that.
I do have tulip poplar and seedlings. They are pretty soft wood, though, and a couple have been topped in storms at my mom's house. When it cools down a bit, and if there are enough to make it worth your while, I'll send them to you for postage.
I had read about them being host to swallowtails but had forgotten that - but we do have swallowtails around here. Normally, we have gulf fritallary butterflies and they ravaged the passiflora incarnata but not this year. I don't know what happened to them.
This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 9:00 AM
I need some kind of screen, didn't know the tulip poplar's branches went up with the trunk. Still I want some though. My first one died at 5" tall, just a seedling. My new one is about 2' tall, but still a seedling.
I have one backyard neighbor and two side yard neighbors all in view of me in my sunroom typing away this very minute.
One side neighbor rigged up a BLUE-BLUE tarp that hangs over his dog pen and raised it up like a gossip sing tent. He cut down all three of his shade trees inside the dog pen. Now all they do is howl under that hot tarp. It stands out behind my milkweed garden. I'd love to put something behind my garden to block out that blue color! I'll research Eleagnes, lugustrum, Carolina Cherry Laura and Leyland Cypress. Even an arbor with vines on it directly behind my milkweed may even work. I was even thinking about a bottlebrush buckeye. I got one but planted it somewhere else.
Thanks for all of your suggestions, I'll get to work looking these up. I still want more Tulip populars so, Brenda, I'd love to get some for postage some time.
On another note, crytomeria is a japanese red wood with leyland cypress type growth habbit, but much more pest free.It grows very fast too.Can't believe someone would take out trees, and put up a tarp!!!Mike
I think my neighbor is your neighbor's kin folk, Mike. lol
I think I was told that you will have a hard time finding Red Tip Ligustrum at any nursery - they tend to get black spot very badly - I happen to have some old ones that are doing ok, but others got pretty ugly and had to go.
Can't be, all my neighbors marry each other.
The lusgustrum I'm thinking of is in the privet family, but more refined.
More info for you Deb!
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/scplants.pdf
Loropetalum
http://gardenblog.typepad.com/photos/040207_trials_preview/loripelatum_v02.html
is also a really nice sized shurb/small tree that I have and love the color...it is evergreen and the leaves are bronze/green with beautiful fushia fringe flowers a couple of time during the year.
Thanks for the link Janet!
;)
A note on camelias.. unless you move in with them as a screen... they grow slowwwww. I love them and have them planted in many places, but It will be a long while before it grows tall enough to fill in.
Susan
I second the cryptomeria (yoshino) they grow straight and strong. I started with one in the front of my house and 2 years ago added 8 more. They are the birds favorite tree to hang out and hide in. A bit more expensive than the leylands but well worth it.
chris
Deborah, I have a cryptomeria that I rooted 8 Yrs. ago, from a cutting, so it has been in this location for 6 Yrs., after I rooted it, and kept it in a pot forthe balance of two years.What I'm trying to get across, is it grows fast, and only gets pretter as time goes by.It is at least 20' tall now, and growing in the worst backgroubd I have.Mike
That's the one! Where's the best place to buy one?
The best price on seedlings is;www.sunsetgrowers.com/japanesecryptomeria
You can buy larger trees, but they do grow fast.Mike
Thanks, Mike!
I ordered mine from HD for 12.00 for a 1 gallon. They were about 18" tall. I would get them from a small nursery if you have one nearby
chris
That is a very pretty tree!
Wow, Mike, that is a great site. Deborah, you could get 10 small trees for $20 - you'd probably have cover next year and you probably could drive there.
Bless your heart - my sunroom is behind both my next door neighbors and we have a creek and cul-de-sac in the backyard and the backyard is pretty deep. So I feel if anybody can see anything, they are really trying and I'm not much to look at, especially with no clothes.
Brenda
This is the one in my front yard, I bought it as an 8' tree 5 years ago. Picture was taken last year.
This one is not mine, but I have been trimming up some of the ones in the backyard so I will have a shade planting area underneath.
I love these trees. I wish I have room for more.
