Oleanders/Trees Project

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JT

Privacy before shade

Post by JT »

When this thread began last year, I thought trees would be a good first choice. Having taken a close look from the street side today, I'd say, we should get some fast-growing hedge up, quickly. More of the oleander has died. The weeds and grass have grown up between. There is some sort of bush-tree that Andy tells me is sumac growing directly under and into the chain-link fence. Never mind our entrance needs only a couple of guard dogs to really resemble a pick-your-part yard.

I visited the Ultra Greens nursery a few months back and got a few suggetions for drought resistant, fast growing vine-shrubs that could solve the problem. Large plants cost from $45 to $75 each. They even said they might give us a discount for volume and because we are a club with destitute members (I lied). And Jesse Benson may be able to get us a better deal on the same sort of plants through his sources (no one seemed to pay any attention to his offer last year).

As for Steve's honeysuckle, he's refering to cape honeysuckle. Mine has been in since 1988. I haven't watered it regularly since the end of the first year. It grows so fast I gave up trimming. It now is about 12 feet tall and pushes pedestrians off MY sidewalk into the street. If I trim it, it grows denser and seems to grow faster. The leaves are small and it is self mulching. The frost this winter didn't bother it. But it isn't a California native and neither are the other two suggestions that could be used to make a nice mix. That is apparently a problem.

Honeysuckle does attract quite a few pests, especially, those pesky hummingbirds that invade my yard whenever the stuff is in bloom.

We need about 20-25 plants. And we need to fix the watering system so Kate doesn't have to run around with a hose.
JBBenson
Posts: 182
Joined: Thu May 12, 2005 9:19 am

Post by JBBenson »

Because there is already an existing "Planting Committee" I have backed off, other than answering the committees' request for plant suggestions, at the behest of our President. My recommends/suggestions were again met with silence, so it is difficult to generate any enthusiasm on my part.

Steve may also be referring to Thunbergia, which is popular in these parts. There are several varieties. He could also mean Lonicera Hildebrandiana (Giant Burmese Honeysuckle). Hard to tell.

"Green" leaves and "Orange" flowers are not much to go on....

There are anyway many "native" plant varieties that will fill the specs. Just need to decide and get them in the ground, time's a wastin'.

Attracting too many bees is a consideration, given the seriousness of some bee-sting allergies.

As regards "Pests":
I am a big fan of hummingbirds, for the record; VTOL, reverse-flight, blackout-inducing acceleration...ultra-high-performance in an brassy little package. Not everyone can be a soaring machine.

:)
JT

Post by JT »

I'm guessing the "smiley" means you realize I was kidding about the hummers as pests?

Whatever the scientific genus and species, Steve and I discussed it: its common name is cape honeysuckle and the hummers love it. As for bee allergies, as the mother-in-law says in the search-cat-movers ad, "they have pills for that now." :twisted:
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