Planted fall 2017, from Mr. Maple online
Planted another 'Vanessa' from Sooner Plant Farm in fall 2023 but lost it the first winer.
Planted a replacement 'Vanessa' from Forestfarm in early 2024, but took that out, replaced with:
Parrotia persica 'Persian Spire'
Planted fall 2024, from Sooner Plant Farm
Photos
The intent is to screen the neighbor's wall and offer shade in the guest room in the afternoons. The two houses keep it in deep shade, but a bit of western sun does penetrate this long alley later in the day.
Photos
Expectations:
Parrotia is one of the earliest trees to leaf out fully in April. It is is a native of high altitudes in the middle east, and it is very tolerant of tough conditions, but not necessarily alkaline soils.
Parrotia is one of the earliest trees to leaf out fully in April. It is is a native of high altitudes in the middle east, and it is very tolerant of tough conditions, but not necessarily alkaline soils.
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| Examples showing variable fall color and limbed up pruning |
'Vanessa' will be very narrow and upright.
Fall color can be highly variable, some orange or rust, some red, some metallic coppery, and it can vary in different years.
It is late to color, not until November, and it often holds most of its leaves through winter.
Experiences:
I love how this tree is part of a shady alley on this side of the house.
Its first spring (2018) it grew beautifully and the deeply pleated leaves were deep green and lush looking. But by mid summer 2018, a bad case of chlorosis developed.
I think originally, when it first put out so much nice growth, it was living off the potting mix at the rootball. But when it hit native soil, it encountered alkalinity and the leaves quickly turned whitish yellow. I added a lot of composted bark mulch under the gravel in early July.
I think originally, when it first put out so much nice growth, it was living off the potting mix at the rootball. But when it hit native soil, it encountered alkalinity and the leaves quickly turned whitish yellow. I added a lot of composted bark mulch under the gravel in early July.
It really put on fullness and size in 2020. It was full and fresh looking in spring 2020.
It looked green and leafy all spring, but leaf cutter bees were eating on the leaves. It didn't appear to harm the little tree, though and it continued to grow nicely. But when hot dry winds hit in June, the middle of most leaves turned yellow and then it really scorched badly.
In March 2021 I cleared away some gravel and added a trug of mushroom compost. I saw a tightly circling root, a large one. I cut it near the trunk and later in the season, between the cut root, the compost, and some rain, the tree really thrived. It almost doubled in size.
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| Both 'Vanessa' trees in 2023 |
The raised area where it is planted is narrow between the house and the rr tie, so the roots will need to spread out where they can and as much as they can. It's in line with a canale drip zone.
So I took it out, replaced it with a small skinny 'Vanessa' sapling from Forestfarm in 2024. That one never really took, although it lives.
I pruned off the lower branches in mid summer 2021 and it is starting to look good, despite the ungainly new growth up top.
Fall color each year has been different, ranging from olive green to metallic copper, not the showy orange and red of my Vanessa Persian ironwood tree in Connecticut.
In 2023 I planted a very nice 5 gallon specimen from Sooner Plant Farm in the lower flagstone area off the patio and it is a lovely focal point.
I absolutely loved the form and shape of this small 'Vanessa' tree, but it never came back in spring 2024.
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| What 'Persian Spire' should look like |
I potted it up and again -- again! -- got a replacement, only this time a smaller, darker version called 'Persian Spire'.
It won't dominate that small space below the patio so much at maturity, growing only to about 20 feet tall and a narrow 9 feet wide.
Much better for the patio site.