Thursday, August 19, 2010

Chitalpa....a bigeneric hybrid between Chilopsis linearis and Catalpa bignoneoides

So obviously it's a favorite of Richard Olsen (Catalpa and all). Brad has used them in the tree boxes on the east Terrace of the Administration Building. They are a bit xeric so they fit in with the succulents and their small leaves provide a counterpoint to the Aroids, Brugmansias, Cannas, etc. Plus they flower all summer.

This cross has been around a while. We sold this tree at Behnke's in the 90's. It performed well in full sun with minimal supplemental watering. I always thought it would make a good parking lot tree, but Richard suggests it may require a bit more water than that. At any rate it takes heat well and flowers over a long period. 

1 comment:

Nic said...

This is really cool; I had never heard of it before. How hardy is it?