Sourwood Tree

Does anyone have a Sourwood Tree?

I would like to know what you think of them and are they hard to grow?

Sourwood is one of my most frustrating gardening failures.
It's supposedly 'native' to my area.
But I've planted ten or more in a variety of exposures and I can't get them to succeed.
I have a single survivor, but just barely.
Still smaller than when I planted him 5 yrs ago, which doesn't bode well for his chances.
I'll be interested in any tips people have for growing it successfully.

I've never grown this one so I don't have any specific tips, but often if you're having trouble with natives it could be that you're giving it too much TLC; they don't need all the pampering that we tend to give the rest of our garden plants. Once they're established, they typically don't need supplemental water unless you have a bad drought, and they probably don't need a ton of fertilizer or a nice rich amended planting hole since they wouldn't have survived very long in your area if they didn't like your native soil just how it is. I grow a lot of things that are native to my area and besides watering them every once in a while and pruning once a year I pretty much ignore them and they seem happier that way.

Thanks for your input, ecrane!
Sadly, I'm known more for ignorance than TLC.
I'll try to ignore them even more.

we have two, one that was here when we moved in and a very small one that we planted two years ago. The older tree is actually the second trunk from this root. The original trunk died shortly after we moved in and we cut it down leaving a sucker to grow. In 12 years it has achieved the height of 15 or 20 feet and flowers regularly and profusely in mid to late summer. They are a beautiful tree in my estimation.

Our trees are planted in heavy clay and mostly neglected as far as "care" goes, the only thing I've ever done for either one was to water the small one daily and then weekly after we first planted it.

In East Alabama--Tallapoosa county there is cherty red dirt and they thrive. Down there at Lake Martin you can see them by the hundreds, almost weedy in their abundance. I live 100 miles northwest of that location and have failed twice to grow them. My impression is that they do well only in certain types of soil.

I planted one a year and a half ago so it's still rather small (about 4 1/2 feet tall) but growing nicely. I did a search for growing info on them and it said they like lower areas where there is more moisture so I planted mine down close to our creek. Other than giving it a couple gallons of water every few days during the first summer it was in the ground (had a terrible drought that summer, naturally) I've left it alone. As stated above, they seem to thrive best on neglect. They are listed as slow growers too. And I have a fence around mine until it gets good height because the info I read said deer love to eat them and I have lots of deer out here! BTW, we have clay soil here too.

I know a guy that knows a guy that knows a little about sourwood.

Soil is and drainage is everything.- We actually grow them from seed, they are the size of a tiny sliver you can feel but can't hardly see. Sourwood have superfine roots, they love drainage. We used to put the seedling flats on the ground in the greenhouse, and they would die in patterns that indicated where the potholes were under the ground cloth. They would wick the moisture up and rot. So we had to raise the flats off the ground and the problem ceased. When planted in even a remotely low area, they rot. I know they can come up like grass seed on red clay, but often its also on a slope.

I treat Sourwood exactly the same as Franklinia because the root system is so similar. When I plant them, I will make a layered mound out of anything I have such as sand, used potting soil, and dirt. That way the mound can hold moisture, but also drain. I planted a Franklinia in the yard at my moms house, and the yard is very mushy and wet in the winter and spring, but the mound is 3' high and the Franklinia thrives. Sourwood handles the same way and can grow like a weed with little help if it has drainage.

The picture is the root of sourwood that I grow, it will give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Drainage!

That's great info, Johnny! Thanks.
Now, I'm eager to give sourwood another try!
Does it handle full blazing sun?
Our heat and humidity can be awfully intense,
so I've generally tried understory situations.


Coincidentally, Franklinia is another of my frustrations.
I knew about it's drainage fussiness,
so I've planted dozens over the years in the most perfectly draining soil I have.
I've tried different exposures also.
But despite my efforts, I only have one struggling survivor.