Comments on: hot plant: stewartia, an ideal small tree

By: Bob Scherer

Bob Scherer — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:48:23 +0000

I’m late to the party on this post. When I lived in NJ my S.p. was a Japanese Beetle magnet. Here in southern Maine they have not bothered my tree maybe because we have less beetles here than in NJ.

The flowers, though pretty, don’t last but a couple of days. But the blooming period is several weeks since they don’t all open at the same time.

I prefer my single trunk tree. It takes up less “floor space” and I can see through it from my sun room in the winter when the leaves are gone. It was about five feet tall when I bought it 11 years ago. Now it’s about ten feet tall.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:18:16 +0000

Welcome, Stephanie, and what a story you arrive with! So sorry. I have never known anyone to need to “rejuvenate” a Stewartia (i.e., regrow it from near the base) or even try to shape one severely so I have no idea, frankly, of what it will do. As with much of pruning, I think this is a purely aesthetic decision — whether some/all of the new growth is going to fit into an attractive new tree. Once it got butchered, all bets for horticultural common sense were off I think. You can email me a photo at awaytogarden at gmail dot com if you like.

By: stephanie

stephanie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:24:16 +0000

your site is most helpful!! unlike the young man who cuts the grass!! he thought he was being helpful and pruned the stewartia to about four feet tall “so it will bush out”. trying to both not hurt him or cry in front of him, i have left the tree alone and now it has new limbs standing up straight around the cuts and is about six feet now. please tell me what to do! do i prune it, allow it to acheive it’s own shape, or try to develop a new shape with a strong center.

thanks, in advance,

stephanie
atlanta, ga.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:16:09 +0000

Welcome, Eric, and what a treat; photos of all the species and their characteristics. Beautiful; what a help. Now I just need to make more room in the garden here. :) Thanks for your visit, and your contributions.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:37:08 +0000

Your blog readers may be interested in a in-depth review of the genus, an article I co-authored last June. The URL is below, and if you scroll down the screen, there is a link that opens the PDF file of the article.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/RHS-Publications/Journals/The-Plantsman/2008-issues/June