Gorgeous and ordinary catalpa - a tree for garden design

From North America, China and Japan arrived to us the beauties of the catalpa - trees belonging to the family of the Bignaneans. Their genus consists of 13 species, forms and varieties. And among them there are deciduous and evergreen plants. The tree of the catalpa (see photo below) without problems gets accustomed to rich, well drained and light soils and in well-lit places. It loves moisture and blossoms for about a month, and the fruits of the catalpa are long and thin, like green icicles. They can hang almost all winter on the tree, giving it an original appearance. Of all the species of this plant, in our region, three are most often cultivated.

And to them belongs the catalpa vulgaris, or the bionniformes. She came to us from North America, where in the wild reaches a 20-meter height (cultivated above 10 meters does not grow). This tree has a globular, spherical shape, and the leaves are ovate and large, up to 20 centimeters in length. His flowers are white, fragrant and large, with purple specks. They are collected in panicles 25 cm long.

The catalpa (tree) blossoms in June-July 30-40 days. Its fruits are similar to reddish-brown boxes, having a length of 20-40 centimeters. They ripen in October and all winter hang on a tree. The vegetation of this plant begins in May, the growth of shoots ends in August, and after the frost leaves fall, and often still green. Catalpa is a tree that has several cultivars. These include the Kenya - a plant with yellowish leaves, Aurea with golden leaves and Nana - a small, up to 4 meters high tree, with a rounded dense crown.

From North America brought to our country a magnificent catalcus, which at home grows to 40 meters. In Russia, in the middle zone, it is difficult to find such a plant above 7 meters. But nevertheless the catalpa is a tree that pleases Russians with its decorative look: a slender trunk with a crown resembling a tent, and large egg-shaped leaves. In bloom this plant is especially beautiful. It is abundantly covered with inflorescences-panicles of cream-white and fragrant flowers, each of which inside has two yellow stripes and bright brown-red specks. The fruits of this tree hang from the branches in the form of long capsules. This kind they acquire in July, but only at the beginning of October they mature definitively. And these fruits also hang in the trees all winter long. Catalpa magnificent at a young age grows fast enough, its growth is up to a meter per year. It is relatively drought-resistant, loves light and does not tolerate spring floods and nearby groundwater.

Egg-like catalpa is a tree that comes from China. It has a sprawling shape and reaches 6-10 meters in height. His flowers are also creamy-white, fragrant, collected in panicles up to 25 centimeters long. This catalpa is photophilous, demanding for fertility of soil and moisture. And it blooms in July-August.

The unusual appearance of the catalepens brings a certain southern flavor to the garden design. But the advantage of these plants is not only their exotic appearance. They are able to maintain decorative throughout the growing season. And if their leaves do not affect diseases and pests, they do not fade to the very fall, even when drought.