Catalpa leaves. Catalpa orchid tree: proper planting and care, propagation and growing from seeds, varieties and photos of a magnificent catalpa. Catalpa in landscape and landscape compositions

What is a catalpa tree?

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The growing season for catalpa begins in mid-May. Shoot growth stops in August. Leaf fall occurs after frost. Often the leaves fall while still completely green. Beautiful, large, fragrant flowers of a creamy-white color, with a wavy edge, inside with two yellow stripes and numerous purple-brown dots, collected in wide panicles 15-20 cm long, make an indelible impression on beholders. Catalpa blooms in late June - early July for 20-25 days. At this time, usually not a single tree species blooms, so the catalpa becomes a real decoration of any gardening composition.

Catalpa, this is unusual tree Because of the shape of the pods, it is sometimes called the macaroni tree, and in its homeland - North America - the cigar tree.

Varieties for Russian gardens

Review of the catalpa plant from an expert on video:

Places with close groundwater should be avoided. Soil acidity is neutral. The distance between planting holes can be from 3 to 6 meters, depending on the selected shapes. Add ash, leaf soil, sand and peat to the bottom of the hole. After planting, water the seedlings and mulch the tree trunks with peat soil.

Purpurea, leaves are red-brown when blooming
Immediately after the tree flowers, long, up to 40 cm, narrow pods appear in place of the inflorescences. They ripen completely only by October, but do not fall off, but remain on the tree almost until spring. Giving the snow-covered garden an exotic look.
In Russia, trees from the Catalpa genus began to appear in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. They were grown in botanical gardens, but were gradually adapted to the climate of various regions of Russia. Currently, many species winter well at temperatures below -25 degrees. Young plants or annual growths are more often susceptible to freezing.

Catalpa magnificent

Representatives of the genus Catalpa grow in the natural forests of Northern and South America, Asia. Thanks to the large leaves, original flowers, catalpa tree or shrub, is also in demand among gardeners.

Catalpa bignonioides

Catalpa bigoniformes

The pasta tree is popularly called one of the most beautiful trees in the world - the catalpa. This plant is from the Bignoniaceae family, the genus has about 10 species. Most of them are native “Americans”, because the North American continent is considered the birthplace of catalpas. They say that even the name of the pasta tree – “catalpa” – was given by the Indians.

The fruits (pods up to 45 cm long) decorate the tree from the second half of August and throughout the winter. By the way, it is thanks to them that the catalpa is also called the “pasta tree.”
The genus CATALPA (Catalpa Scop.) belongs to the Bignoniaceae family (Bignoniaceae Pers.) and has 10 species.
From North America, China and Japan, beautiful catalpas arrived to us - trees belonging to the Bignonev family. Their genus consists of 13 species, forms and varieties. And among them there are both deciduous and evergreen plants. The catalpa tree (see photo below) takes root without problems in rich, well-drained and light soils and in well-lit places. It loves moisture and blooms for about a month, and the catalpa fruits are long and thin, similar to green icicles. They can hang on a tree almost all winter, giving it original look. Of all the species of this plant, three are most often cultivated in our area.
In the first two years, if possible, cover the plantings for the winter.

All forms are quite slow growing. Nana exhibits the best winter hardiness, although it can also be subject to freezing and drying out in winter. Maximum height is 4.5 meters, oval leaves, flowers with purple specks and yellow stripes. The fruits do not have time to ripen.

Catalpa ovoid

Catalpa splendid has decorative variety- pulverulent, which is distinguished by the original “powdered” surface of the leaves.

In the conditions of Russian gardens, this is a very tall shrub or trees no higher than 7-12 meters. They are mainly represented by three types:

Planting and care

Among the Mayan Indians, the tree was covered in legends and fairy tales and was considered a tree of happiness.

bird cherry

And in the fall, when the flowering period ends, the catalpa turns into the same pasta tree that BBC journalists joked about: in place of the inflorescences, bunches of long, up to forty centimeters, pods are formed, shaped like thick pasta. The tree maintains this outfit throughout the winter. Each “pasta” contains a huge number of volatile seeds, but their germination rate is only 10 percent.

Many compare the decorative qualities of horse chestnut, which is widely used in urban landscaping, and catalpa. Indeed, large embossed leaves and inflorescences, reminiscent of candelabra with candles, make catalpa indispensable even in single plantings. Especially considering that the crown of an adult tree reaches several meters in diameter. Catalpa has been used in culture since 1726.

Catalpa begins to bloom around the fifth year of life.

Catalpa in landscape and landscape compositions

Representatives of the genus are picturesque deciduous, rarely evergreen trees, with a rounded crown, opposite, sometimes whorled, heart-shaped, very large leaves (30x17 cm) on long petioles.

And one of them belongs to the common catalpa, or bignonia. It came to us from North America, where in the wild it reaches a height of 20 meters (cultivated ones do not grow higher than 10 meters). The crown of this tree has a spherical, spreading shape, and the leaves are ovoid and large, up to 20 centimeters in length. Its flowers are white, fragrant and large, with purple specks. They are collected in panicles 25 centimeters long.

In more southern regions, with mild winters, feed the tree two to three times per season organic fertilizers based on compost or rotted manure. All other agricultural technology, including disease and pest control, does not have fundamental differences from other garden trees, so any gardener can master it.

The most frost-resistant and, unlike the magnificent and bignonia, has a short growing season. All young shoots have time to become lignified before the onset of cold weather, so they practically do not freeze. Withstands frosts down to - 29 degrees. It can also be in shrubby multi-stemmed forms.

This representative of the genus reaches a height of 10 - 12 meters. Tall straight trunks are crowned with a spherical crown. Leaves up to 20 cm in length. Flowering is quite long, up to 40 days. Flowering period July - August Has several decorative forms:

OgorodSadovod.com

Magnificent and ordinary catalpa - a tree for garden design

Catalpa bignoniiformes

The genus Catalpa is represented by 13 different species. Some of them came to Europe and Russia from America, others from Asian countries, Japan and China.

Not bird cherry, but not magnoli either

This is like the expression “to hang noodles on one’s ears.”

The flowers are characterized by a bright orchid color

A characteristic feature of the catalpas growing in our region is the leaf blossoming very late, sometimes in the first ten days of June, especially after a cold winter. It seems that the trees have died, but they suddenly begin the growing season and develop beautifully. All catalpas are not frost-resistant enough in our conditions, but with age their winter hardiness increases greatly.

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Does pasta grow on trees? What do people call a pasta tree? Replies with photo details are welcome.

I'll be better

Funnel-shaped, white or cream flowers with large dark spots and dots in the throat are collected in large erect, paniculate inflorescences. Quite large (up to 7 cm long), openwork catalpa flowers are somewhat reminiscent of foxglove bells. The pyramidal inflorescences they form, consisting of several dozen flowers, from a distance look like “candles” of horse chestnut. During flowering, the tree has a very “tropical” appearance.

The catalpa (tree) blooms in June-July for 30-40 days. Its fruits look like reddish-brown boxes, 20-40 centimeters long. They ripen in October and hang on the tree all winter. The growing season of this plant begins in May, shoot growth ends in August, and after frost the leaves fall off, often still green. Catalpa is a tree that has several cultivars. These include Kene - a plant with yellowish leaves, Aurea with golden leaves and Nana - a small tree, up to 4 meters in height, with a rounded dense crown.
Thanks to its exotic appearance, catalpa can be used in single plantings, like a tapeworm plant. Low Nanas are suitable for small gardens and home areas.

All types can be used in the design of gardens and parks.

Aurea, leaves are golden at the beginning of the growing season

catalpa magnificent
Typical representatives of the genus are trees or shrubs with very large leaves. The leaf shape is oval. There are representatives with heart-shaped leaves. It was these leaves that personified the hearts of warriors in Indian fairy tales. The flowers of the tree are very fragrant, large bells, often white, with specks and stripes. Flowering is quite long, occurring in June - July.

Is this a tree, some kind of shrub? Type of bird cherry

The Italian catalpa pasta tree in bloom is so fragrant, as if lilac and jasmine bushes were intertwined and competing to see who could smell who. http://krissja.livejournal.com/888971.html
All summer in the southern regions of the country, catalpas are pleasing to the eye lush flowering. From a distance the trees look like mountains covered with snow. And if you look inside the flower, it will amaze you with its unusually bright predatory coloring, reminiscent of an orchid’s outfit.

Very popular and widespread in European countries. They are used to create alleys in compositions of various sizes. Resistant to urban environments.
The fruit is a long, hanging, pod-like capsule up to 45 cm long, filled with a mass of volatile seeds. The fruits remain hanging on the branches almost all winter, giving the tree a rather original pasta look.

The magnificent catalpa was brought to our region from North America, which in its homeland grows up to 40 meters. In Russia, in the middle zone, it is difficult to find such a plant taller than 7 meters. But nevertheless, catalpa is a tree that pleases Russians with its decorative look: a slender trunk with a tent-like crown and large ovoid leaves. This plant is especially beautiful in bloom. It is abundantly covered with inflorescences-panicles of creamy-white and fragrant flowers, each of which has two yellow stripes and bright brown-red specks inside. The fruits of this tree hang from the branches in the form of long pods. They acquire this appearance already in July, but only at the beginning of October do they finally ripen. And these fruits also hang on the trees all winter. The magnificent catalpa grows quite quickly at a young age, its growth is up to a meter per year. It is relatively drought-resistant, loves light and does not tolerate spring floods and close groundwater.
Park paths decorated with catalpa also look great. Spreading magnificent catalpas are suitable for wide alleys; for narrow paths it is better to use bignonia catalpa Nana.
The best time to plant an exotic tree is spring. You can buy seedlings in specialized nurseries and garden centers.

NR

Nana has a crown in the form of a compact ball, the diameter of which reaches from 2 to 4 meters
Catalpa ovoid
After flowering, fruits appear in their place - pods. The length of the fruits in some species reaches half a meter, the width is up to 1.5 cm. From a distance, the narrow and long pods resemble spaghetti or pasta hanging from the branches. In its natural habitats, catalpa can reach a height of 40 meters.
pasta tree (catalpa)

I

Catalpa is a pasta tree. The fruits are in long pods - similar to pasta.

Martinez

Everything is clear with you :)
http://fiton-saratov.ru/?page_id=476
Here you can most often find the magnificent catalpa (C. speciosa Ward.) and bignonioides (C. bignonioides Walt.). Both of them came to Europe from the east of North America, where their natural habitat is fairly moist and rich soil on the banks of rivers and reservoirs. In their homeland, catalpas reach a height of 20-30 m. In our climatic zone, as a rule, do not exceed 10-15 m.
The ovoid catalpa is a tree that originates from China. It has a spreading shape and reaches 6-10 meters in height. Its flowers are also creamy-white, fragrant, collected in panicles up to 25 centimeters long. This catalpa is light-loving and demanding of soil fertility and moisture. And it blooms in July-August.

martin

If there is a pond in the garden, then this plant is simply created to decorate its banks. You can combine shapes with purple and gold leaves.

star Rain

It is better to choose a place as protected from the wind as possible. Because large leaves may break in strong winds, and in winter time the plant is also afraid of cold winds. Poor soils are desirable, since on fatty soils the plant will produce a large vegetative growth during the summer season, which will not have time to become lignified and will freeze out during the winter.
Kene, yellow leaves with a green center
The plant withstands climatic conditions perfectly middle zone Russia. It reaches a height of 10 meters. It has a straight slender trunk, a lush tent-like crown and very large, up to 25 cm, oval leaves. By mid-June, the plant is covered with panicles of inflorescences of light cream or white flowers, speckled with brown and striped with yellow. Depending on the region, flowering lasts from two weeks to a month.

What kind of tree?

Elena Rudkovskaya

Some wild species are a source of valuable wood, similar in characteristics to oak wood. But among Russian gardeners, catalpa gained recognition precisely because of its attractive appearance, beautiful flowers and leaves, and bizarre fruits.
Catalpa is majestic. It forms long pods like beans, but there are lionfish seeds inside. In Saratov, I think it will be freezing.

Valery Melnikov

(Catalpa), a genus of plants from the Bignoniaceae family. Deciduous trees with large leaves. Flowers with a bell-shaped, two-lobed corolla, white, spotted inside, collected in large racemes or panicles. The fruit is an elongated capsule up to 40 cm with numerous seeds, at the ends of which there are tufts of soft hairs. 11 species, from East Asia and North America. In the USSR, in the south of the European part (up to the latitude of Voronezh and Saratov), mainly K. bignonioides (C. bignonioides), as well as K. beautiful (C. speciosa), K. Bungei (C. Bungei) and K. ovoid (C. .ovata). K. is propagated by seeds, cuttings, and root suckers. Grows well in light, moist soils; photophilous. K. wood is light, soft, and resists rotting well. Oil from the seeds of K. bignoniiformes contains eliostearic acids (about 30%), dries quickly and hardens in the light. All K. are very decorative.

With small inclusions inside. For this reason the tree is also called summer tree.

Bignonioides (Catalpa bignonioides)

Catalpa bignonia came to us from the southeast of North America, where it grows on river plains and in deciduous forests. Loves soil, but at the same time green and moist. Has a deep root system, very sensitive to damage.

Grows up to 10 m in height. The shoots are arranged in the form of a funnel, forming an asymmetrical crown. They are covered with huge, up to 20 cm heart-shaped leaves, which initially have a pale yellow color, and closer to flowering - green.
During flowering, it blooms yellowish-white flowers up to 30 cm with specks inside. At the end of flowering, fruit pods up to 40 cm long appear on it, which by the end of the summer period acquire Brown color. They fall with the first ones.
It has become widespread in our latitudes, for which it is also called the common catalpa.

Important! Most species common in our country can withstand frosts of -35°C and even lower, but the tree’s frost resistance must be developed gradually. During the first two years, a tree grown from southern seeds does not have time to grow dense wood and in most cases freezes.

Nana (Catalpa bignonioides "Nana")

Catalpa "Nana" reaches a height of 6 m, forming a spherical compacted dense crown of spreading branches covered with thin lamellar light brown bark and light green heart-shaped leaves. Does not bloom and grows very slowly. Loves fresh loams, cereal grains and fertilized ones.
This variety does not tolerate well extreme heat and lack of water, so it is necessary abundantly and often. When growing catalpa, you need to take into account that the branches do not tolerate well and are sensitive to damage. The same applies to the root system, so you need to loosen it around it carefully and try not to replant it unnecessarily. Used in single plantings for landscaping parks, streets, as well as in group plantings such as gardens.

Bunge (Catalpa bungei)

The species came to our latitudes from Northern China, and therefore received the second name “Manchurian catalpa”.
It received its official name from the name of the German botanist Alexander Bunge. In 1830-1831, he was the first European to collect wood samples during an expedition to Asia.

According to the description, the catalpa of this species has pyramidal crown. The triangular or oblong leaves have a wedge-shaped base, sometimes with sharp teeth on the sides. The bare leaves have a dark green tint, which becomes lighter closer to the petioles. The petioles reach 8 cm in length, and the leaves themselves reach 15 cm.
The inflorescences grow up to 3.5 cm in length, with 3-12 white corymbose flowers with purple spots. After their flowering, fruits up to 25 cm in length appear. This catalpa requires careful care, grows slowly, and in northern latitudes it can freeze to the level of snow cover.

Did you know? Most catalpa species grow in the tropical forests of Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti. Six species grow wild in cooler latitudes, four of them in China and two more in the United States.

Magnificent (Catalpa speciosa)

The species has taken root well in the middle zone, growing up to 10 m in height. An erect, even trunk crowns spherical crown with very large oval leaves up to 25 cm in size.
In mid-July it is covered with abundant flowers of white or light cream color with yellow stripes and brown specks.

Flowers last from two weeks to a month depending on the region of growth. At the end of flowering, fruits appear - long pods up to 40 cm. They remain on the tree until, but ripen by October.
The magnificent catalpa has a variety with special, slightly pubescent leaves called pulverulenta.

Tibetan (Catalpa tibetica)

This species was described later than all others, in 1921, and is slightly reminiscent of the ovoid species. This is a small tree up to 5 m in height, but more often, which grows wild in mountain forests or bushes at an altitude of 2400-2700 m above sea level. Natural habitat is northwestern Yunnan and southeastern Tibet.

The wide, ovate leaves are pubescent below, bare above and have a dark green tint. Size - 22-25 cm in width and length. The inflorescences are pubescent, rather large (25 cm), corymbose-paniculate. The flowers on them grow up to 5 cm in diameter, have a yellowish-white color and light purple spots. Appear in the first half of summer. At the end of flowering, cylindrical fruits appear, up to 1 cm in diameter and 30 cm in length, striped and tapered towards the end. They contain oval seeds up to 2.5 cm in size.

Fargeza (Catalpa fargesii)

One of the most large species catalpas. The tree grows up to 30 m in height in its natural habitat - in southwest China, in the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and even up to the provinces. Mainly grows in the mountains.
Leaves of the plant average size- 12 cm wide and 20 cm long. Traditionally, the species has a triangular-heart-shaped or ovoid shape. Depending on the subspecies, they can be practically naked with weak pubescence or leathery, thick with yellow pubescence below.
Flowers of middle and large size light pink or light purple in color with spots of a darker shade. 7-15 flowers are collected in a corymbose raceme. Appears in the first half.
At the end of flowering, a long cylindrical box appears, up to 80 cm in length and only 5-6 mm in width, which tapers toward the end. The middle contains small oblong oval seeds 9 mm long and 2.5 mm wide.

Did you know? European experts identify a subspecies of this species - Duclos. It has ovate-pointed leaves, which are not pubescent when young. The flowers are slightly larger and have red spots on the bottom. However, botanists from China prefer to classify it as the main species.

Ovoid (Catalpa ovata)

About 2 thousand years ago, this species was brought to Japan from China, where it became an obligatory plant near Buddhist temples. In 1849 he came from Japan to Europe.
Catalpa ovoid is a tree up to 15 m in height, which has spherical crown. Bare branches become covered ovate leaves up to 25 cm in length, they often have 3-5 pointed blades. The base of the leaf is heart-shaped, while the end is pointed. The petioles grow up to 15 cm in length. The color of the leaves below is green with sparse pubescence along the veins, and the color above is dull green.
A characteristic feature is the small flowers, unusual for a catalpa. They grow up to 2 cm, have a yellowish color, orange stripes and dark purple inclusions. They appear in July-August, after which fruit pods up to 30 cm long and 0.8 cm wide are formed in their place. But in our latitudes they may not start, and if they appear, they do not have time to ripen. Therefore, this catalpa has only vegetative propagation. Under favorable conditions, it can bloom even in the first year of life.
In the conditions of the middle zone it is grown mainly as a tree, less often a tree up to 5 m in height, often frosted. In the Far East, even when frozen, it is capable of bearing fruit. The only territory where the tree reaches its natural size is the Black Sea coast.

Important! When growing catalpa seedlings for open ground, it is not advisable to germinate seeds in. The conditions there are very different from those present in the open ground, and the plant quickly adapts precisely to the conditions in which it grew “from childhood.”

Hybrid (Catalpa x hybrida Spath)

A tree of this species will grow up to 20 m in height, forming a wide, rounded crown with spreading branches. They are covered with large leaves up to 15 cm wide and 20 cm long, which are green in color and lightly pubescent.

Representatives of the Catalpa genus grow in natural forests of North and South America and Asia. Thanks to its large leaves and original flowers, the catalpa tree or shrub is also in demand among gardeners.

Among the Mayan Indians, the tree was covered in legends and fairy tales and was considered the tree of happiness.

What is a catalpa tree?

The genus Catalpa is represented by 13 different species. Some of them came to Europe and Russia from America, others from Asian countries, Japan and China.

Typical representatives of the genus are trees or shrubs with very large leaves. The leaf shape is oval. There are representatives with heart-shaped leaves. It was these leaves that personified the hearts of warriors in Indian fairy tales. The flowers of the tree are very fragrant, large bells, often white, with specks and stripes. Flowering is quite long, occurring in June - July.

After flowering, fruits - pods - appear in their place. The length of the fruits in some species reaches half a meter, the width is up to 1.5 cm. From a distance, the narrow and long pods resemble spaghetti or pasta hanging from the branches. In its natural habitat, catalpa can reach a height of 40 meters.

Varieties for Russian gardens

In Russia, trees from the Catalpa genus began to appear in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. They were grown in botanical gardens, but were gradually adapted to the climate of various regions of Russia. Currently, many species winter well at temperatures below -25 degrees. Young plants or annual growths are more often susceptible to freezing.

In the conditions of Russian gardens, this is a very tall shrub or trees no higher than 7-12 meters. They are mainly represented by three types:

Catalpa bignoniformes
Catalpa magnificent
catalpa ovoid

Catalpa magnificent

The plant perfectly withstands the climatic conditions of central Russia. It reaches a height of 10 meters. It has a straight slender trunk, a lush tent-like crown and very large, up to 25 cm, oval leaves. By mid-June, the plant is covered with panicles of inflorescences of light cream or white flowers, speckled with brown and striped with yellow. Depending on the region, flowering lasts from two weeks to a month.

Immediately after the tree flowers, long, up to 40 cm, narrow pods appear in place of the inflorescences. They ripen completely only by October, but do not fall off, but remain on the tree almost until spring. Giving the snow-covered garden an exotic look.

The magnificent catalpa has a decorative variety - pulverulenta, which is distinguished by the original “powdered” surface of the leaves.

Catalpa bigoniformes

This representative of the genus reaches a height of up to 10 - 12 meters. Tall straight trunks are crowned with a spherical crown. Leaves up to 20 cm in length. Flowering is quite long, up to 40 days. Flowering period July - August It has several decorative forms:

Aurea, golden leaves at the beginning of the growing season
Nana has a crown in the form of a compact ball, the diameter of which reaches from 2 to 4 meters
Kene, yellow leaves with a green center
Purpurea, leaves are red-brown when blooming

Catalpa ovoid

All types can be used in the design of gardens and parks.

Planting and care

The best time to plant an exotic tree is spring. You can buy seedlings in specialized nurseries and garden centers.

It is better to choose a place as protected from the wind as possible. Since large leaves can break in strong winds, and in winter the plant is also afraid of cold winds. Poor soils are desirable, since on fatty soils, the plant will produce large vegetative growth during the summer season, which will not have time to become lignified and will freeze out during the winter.

Places with close groundwater should be avoided. Soil acidity is neutral. The distance between planting holes can be from 3 to 6 meters, depending on the selected shapes. Add ash, leaf soil, sand and peat to the bottom of the hole. After planting, water the seedlings and mulch the tree trunks with peat soil.

In the first two years, if possible, cover the plantings for the winter.

In more southern regions, with mild winters, feed the tree two to three times per season with organic fertilizers based on compost or rotted manure. All other agricultural technology, including the fight against diseases and pests, has no fundamental differences from other garden trees, so any gardener can master it.

Catalpa in landscape and landscape compositions

Due to its exotic appearance, catalpa can be used in single plantings, like a tapeworm plant. Low Nanas are suitable for small gardens and home areas.

Park paths decorated with catalpa also look great. Spreading magnificent catalpas are suitable for wide alleys; for narrow paths it is better to use bignonia catalpa Nana.

If there is a pond in the garden, then this plant is simply created to decorate its banks. You can combine shapes with purple and gold leaves.

Currently, catalpa is a tree that is widely used in urban landscaping, replacing traditional poplars and lindens. Since representatives of the genus can withstand the gas pollution of large cities, they are very drought-resistant, and many forms bloom in early age and bloom annually. All types of catalpa are excellent honey plants.

Plant catalpa (lat. Catalpa) belongs to the genus of the Bignoniaceae family, representatives of which are native to North America, the West Indies, Japan and China. The Indians used the catalpa bignonia species as medicinal plant for the treatment of malaria and whooping cough, calling it “catawba”, and the Italian doctor and botanist Scopoli, who first described this genus, without malicious intent distorted its Indian name - “catalpa”. According to various sources, the genus contains from 10 to 38 species, some of them are grown as ornamental plants in different regions of the world, including Ukraine, Belarus and southern Russia.

Planting and caring for catalpa (in brief)

Bloom: from the fifth year of life for 3-3.5 weeks in mid-June or early July.
Landing: in spring (before sap flow begins) or in October.
Lighting: bright sunlight.
The soil: To fill the pit, prepare a mixture of humus, sand, leaf soil and peat in a ratio of 3:2:2:1.
Watering: weekly, more frequent in dry weather. Water consumption – 2 buckets per mature plant. If the season is relatively cool and rainy, then watering can be reduced to 2-3 times a month.
Feeding: Twice a season, 5-6 liters of a solution of rotted manure (1:10) is added to the trunk circle of each plant, in the spring they are fertilized with Nitroammophos, and in the fall - with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.
Trimming: Sanitary and formative pruning is best done in early spring, before the buds open.
Reproduction: summer cuttings and seeds.
Pests: Spanish flies, horntails.
Diseases: verticillium wilt.

Catalpa tree - description

Decorative catalpa is a picturesque deciduous or evergreen tree up to 20 m high with a rounded crown. The leaves of many catalpas are opposite, sometimes whorled, heart-shaped, long-petiolate and very large - approximately 30x17 cm. The flowering of catalpas will not leave anyone indifferent: fragrant funnel-shaped white or cream flowers up to 7 cm long with dark dots and spots in the pharynx are collected in paniculate pyramidal erect inflorescences . Catalpa fruits are pod-like hanging capsules up to 40 cm long and are filled with numerous flying seeds. Catalpa blooms begin in mid-June or early July, and the original fruits of the plant remain on it all winter.

Catalpa planting

Planting and caring for catalpas is carried out in accordance with general rules growing any decorative tree. One- to two-year-old catalpa seedlings can be purchased at garden centers or directly from nurseries. Catalpa is planted in the spring, before the sap begins to flow, or after leaf fall in sunny, sheltered from the wind places, since large but very delicate leaves of the tree can be damaged in drafts. It is desirable that in the area where the catalpa will grow, the groundwater lies at great depth. Catalpa needs a lot of space: a distance of 4-5 m should be maintained between it and other plants. The composition of the soil with which you will fill a hole 1 m deep and 70 cm in diameter should be approximately this: sand (2 parts), humus (3 parts) , peat (1 part) and leaf soil (2 parts). To this soil mixture you should add 50 g of phosphate rock and 5 to 8 kg of wood ash. The acidity of the soil should be in the range of 6.5-7.5 pH.

At the bottom of the hole you need to lay a fifteen-centimeter layer of drainage material, which can consist of broken brick or crushed stone, then the hole is filled almost to the top with fertile soil mixture, after that the roots of the seedling are lowered into it, the remaining space of the hole is filled with fertile soil, the surface is lightly compacted and watered abundantly. Try to place the seedling in the hole so that its root collar, when planted, is slightly above ground level, in the expectation that after watering the soil will settle and the collar will be at surface level. When the water is absorbed, mulch the tree trunk circle organic material, best with peat.

Catalpa care

How to grow catalpa in the garden

Catalpa is moisture-loving, so it needs weekly watering, especially in hot and dry weather. If you make the plant thirsty, its leaves will lose turgor and droop, which will damage the decorative appearance of the catalpa. Approximate water consumption is 2 buckets per adult plant. In cool or rainy summers, and also provided that the catalpa tree trunk is mulched, you can water the tree 2-3 times a month. After watering or natural precipitation, it is easier to loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle to a depth of 30 cm and get rid of weeds. In dry heat, catalpa is moistened more often.

Growing catalpa requires regular feeding of the plant: twice a season you need to add a solution (1:10) of rotted manure to the soil at the rate of 5-6 liters per adult tree. Catalpa responds well to spring feeding Nitroammophoska and autumn feeding with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers: at this time of year the tree does not need nitrogen.

Catalpa pruning

It is better to prune catalpa in the spring, before the buds on the tree begin to swell: remove frozen, damaged, diseased and dry branches. A plant is usually formed with a trunk height of 1.2-2.0 m, above which the catalpa branches into a low spreading crown of 4-5 skeletal branches. Subsequently, the skeletal branches of the tree are shortened, if necessary, and thickening branches and shoots are cut out.

Pests and diseases of catalpa

Catalpa is resistant to both pests and diseases, but sometimes, if it is weakened, Spanish flies can cause trouble, from which the plant can be eliminated by double treatment with pyrethroids Decis or Fastak. It’s worse if stem pests, horntails—hymenoptera insects, the adults of which look like hornets—establish themselves on the catalpa. The females lay eggs in the wood of the catalpa, and the larvae that emerge from them make tunnels in it and fill them with drill flour. Trees damaged by horntail larvae weaken and begin to dry out. As a rule, catalpas in which horntails live cannot be saved. But you can protect the tree with the help of prevention: healthy and strong plants are not affected by horntails.

If in the second half of summer you notice that the leaves on the lower part of the crown of the catalpa began to droop, turn yellow and fall off, it is possible that it is suffering from wilt - verticillium wilt. It's heavy fungal disease, as a result of which the plant sometimes loses foliage on only one side and therefore looks one-sided. On early stage Its disease can be cured if the tree is treated with Topsin-M, Fundazol and watered at the root with Maxim or Rovral. For preventive purposes, catalpa is treated with the fungicides Previkur, Quadris or Falcon.

Catalpa in the Moscow region

If you want to start growing catalpa in the middle zone, then you need to start by choosing planting material: You need winter-hardy seedlings. The most frost-resistant species is the magnificent catalpa. Catalpas ovoid and bignonia are also acclimatized in the middle zone. Of the catalpa bignonia varieties, Aurea (a variety with golden leaves), Pict (a form with variegated, variegated foliage), Catalpa Nana (a non-flowering compact form of the plant) and Plena (a variety with double flowers) grow well in the Moscow region.

To successfully grow catalpa, it is necessary to fulfill certain conditions: place the seedlings on well-lit and moistened neutral loams on the south side of buildings or dense coniferous plantings, provide them with protection from the wind and shelter for the winter for at least the first 2-3 years. In the future, winter-hardy catalpa varieties do not need to be insulated for the winter, and if they freeze one year, they will easily recover in the next growing season.

Reproduction of catalpa

Catalpa propagates well by seeds that do not require special treatment, and by summer cuttings.

Growing catalpa from seeds

Catalpa seeds soaked for 8-12 hours in warm water are sown as seedlings in February or March. You can sow them in the fall, without pre-soaking. Sowing is carried out in furrows, after which the seeds are sprinkled with soil and covered with film or glass. They contain crops at a temperature of 20-22 ºC, providing them good lighting no direct sunlight, regular watering and ventilation. Catalpa grown from seeds over the winter is planted in open ground in the spring, after warm weather sets in. As a rule, this happens in the second half of May.

Propagation of catalpa by cuttings

The cuttings are harvested in the second half of summer. Catalpa cuttings about 8 cm long with several buds are cut from mature trees, planted in a substrate of peat and sand and covered with a transparent cap to create a greenhouse effect. Caring for rooting cuttings is the same as caring for catalpa crops. As soon as you notice that new leaves have begun to appear on the cuttings, the rooting process can be considered successfully completed. The cuttings are planted in open ground, like catalpa seedlings, in the second half of May.

Types and varieties of catalpa

There are not many types of catalpa grown in culture, and we will present them to you now.

Or catalpa bignoniformes grows naturally along the banks of rivers in North America. This is a tree up to 20 cm high with a spreading, wide-rounded crown and thin-plate light brown bark. Noteworthy are the light green leaves of plants of this species, shaped like lilac leaves, but much larger in size: they reach 20 cm in length and 15 cm in width. The leaves are bare on top, pubescent along the veins below, and when rubbed they emit an unpleasant odor. White fragrant flowers plants up to 5 cm long with red-brown specks and two yellow stripes in the throat are collected in loose pyramidal inflorescences up to 30 cm in length and up to 20 in width. Flowering lasts about three weeks. The fruits of catalpa bignonia are narrow, pod-like capsules up to 40 cm long with small seeds. This species has been in culture since 1726 and has several decorative forms:

golden (aurea)– catalpa with bright yellow leaves;
Kene- a tree with yellow leaves with green veins and dark spot in the middle of the leaf plate;
low (nana)– bush form with a spherical crown.

Or beautiful catalpa native to eastern North America, where it grows along the banks of lakes and rivers. This is a beautiful tree reaching a height of 30 m with a wide pyramidal crown and a slender trunk covered with gray thin-plate bark. The shiny green leaves of this species, up to 30 cm long and up to 15 cm wide, smooth on the upper side of the plate, are located on long petioles and open earlier than the leaves of other catalpa species. On the underside they are slightly pubescent. Fragrant creamy-white catalpa flowers of a magnificent length up to 7 cm with a wavy edge, decorated on the inside with purple-brown dots and two yellow stripes, form wide panicles 15-20 cm long. The fruit is a capsule up to 56 cm long, cracking into 2 leaves when ripe. The species has been in cultivation since 1800. The most famous decorative form is:

powdery, or powdered– the leaves of this plant are decorated with many cream or white spots.

Originating from Central China, it reaches a height of 10 m, but in cultivation it grows no higher than 3.5 m, and in the middle zone due to frequent freezing it does not exceed 1.5 m. The crown of this plant is tent-shaped, spreading, the leaves are three-lobed, dark green, 20-30 long and up to 15 cm wide. The flowers are fragrant, creamy-white with a purple throat, collected in paniculate inflorescences up to 25 cm long. The fruits are pod-shaped boxes up to 45 cm long. This species is demanding of soil fertility and moisture and light-loving.

Catalpa fargesii

Under natural conditions, it is found in the warm forests of Western China. This is a deciduous tree up to 20 m high with entire-edged opposite simple green leaves resembling lilac leaves on petioles up to 10 cm long. The pubescence on the underside of the leaf blade is thicker than on the top. Flowers up to 3.5 cm long are pink or pinkish-purple with dark purple spots on inside corollas are collected in 7-15 pieces in paniculate inflorescences. Flowering of this species begins a month earlier than other catalpas. The species is highly decorative.

Catalpa is an extremely beautiful tree that can become a bright and worthy decoration for anyone. personal plot. The Mayans called it the “tree of happiness.” Does not carry any fruit benefits, and does not have any useful qualities, catalpa is valued for its high decorativeness and beauty, especially during the flowering period.

Catalpa: the original tree

There are only 13 varieties of this tree, and catalpa in the Moscow region is grown in only 4 species.

Catalpa appeared in Russia in the mid-19th century. And it was originally grown in botanical gardens as a exotic plant. Having gradually adapted to the climate of Russian regions with their harsh winters, catalpa has become widespread and can easily tolerate temperatures of -25 degrees. Catalpa, the photo of which fully conveys the beauty and originality of this unusual plant, has another name - “tree with elephant ears”, which it received for its large heart-shaped leaves. In Indian fairy tales, they personified the hearts of warriors. The peculiarity of the catalpa is the preservation of the greenery round and very shady due to big size crown leaves almost until frost.

Catalpa: description

Catalpa flowers are fragrant, openwork, often covered with dotted spots, very beautiful, have a white or cream color and are collected in large, chestnut-like, paniculate inflorescences, the length of which can be 20 cm. Outwardly, they resemble bells; their flowering lasts for a long time. Catalpa blooms 5 years after planting, in June-July. This is only to the benefit of gardeners, because at such times the trees no longer bloom.

Catalpa - macaroni tree

Catalpa is a tree whose fruits resemble long icicles. In fact, they are green pods containing a large number of seeds inside, vaguely similar to dandelions and scattering after opening into different sides. It is because of such pods, reaching a length of 35-50 centimeters and a width of about 1.5 cm, that the catalpa is also called the “pasta tree” for its resemblance to pasta or spaghetti hanging from the branches. In the absence of winds, the fruits can hang on the tree all winter.

Catalpa is a tree that is characterized by a straight trunk and gray bark with thick plates. Certain wild-growing forms are a source of valuable wood, which is similar in characteristics to oak wood.

Catalpa in landscape design

Catalpa (tree) grows quickly. It is not capricious and resistant to adverse conditions. Looks harmonious in quality single plant in the foreground (at entrance area office, store or cafe, in a prominent place in front of the front side of the house) and in alley plantings and parks as their component.

Catalpa looks great, the photo of which conveys all the beauty of the plant, when decorating the coastline of reservoirs. You can harmoniously combine species with golden and purple leaves. IN modern world Catalpa, which perfectly withstands air pollution and is characterized by drought resistance, is widely used for urban landscaping, replacing traditional poplars and lindens. All types of such trees are excellent honey plants. The catalpa can be made the center of the composition by surrounding it with a hedge of cotoneaster or hawthorn, which remain decorative throughout the season.

On summer cottages and garden areas greatest distribution we got catalpa splendid and catalpa bignoniiformes. Introduced from North America, they are capable of reaching a height of 30 meters in their homeland. In domestic conditions the most tall tree can grow up to 10-12 meters.

Catalpa magnificent

The magnificent catalpa is a fast-growing tree; the annual growth of its trunk can be 1 meter. The plant has taken root well in the climatic conditions of central Russia. Reaching a height of 10 meters, it is characterized by a slender straight trunk, a wide crown and large, about 25 cm, oval leaves, which bloom an order of magnitude earlier than other species.

The magnificent catalpa is drought-resistant, light-loving, has a negative attitude towards those adjacent to the surface groundwater. By mid-June it is covered with numerous panicles of light cream and pink inflorescences, yellow striped and brown speckled. Flowering, depending on the region, lasts from 2 weeks to 1 month.

Bignonia and ovoid catalpa

Catalpa bignonia is characterized by spreading branches that form a wide, rounded crown. The height of the tree is 10-12 meters, the bark has a light brown tint, lamellarity, large wide leaves about 20 cm in length, pubescent on top. Flowering lasts for about 1.5 months, occurring in July-August. Catalpa bignonia is represented by several varieties:

Nana. It is characterized by a compact, spherical crown, reaching a diameter of 2-4 meters.
Aurea. At the beginning of the growing season it stands out with golden leaves.
Kene. The leaves have a green center on a yellow background.
Purpurea. Characterized by red-brown leaves when blooming.

All varieties grow quite slowly; In terms of winter hardiness, Nana has the highest indicator.

Catalpa ovoid is found in multi-stemmed shrub forms. Unlike catalpa bignoniformes and magnificent, it has short term growing season. Its shoots have time to become lignified before the onset of cold weather, so the plant practically does not freeze. Able to withstand 29-degree frosts.

Catalpa planting

Growing catalpa should be done in a well-lit place, protected from cold winds, which can break the large leaves of the tree. The seedling needs to be planted in landing hole, the depth of which is 70-120 cm. When planting several trees, the distance between them should not be less than 3 meters. A mixture of sand, peat, leaf soil and humus in a ratio of 2:1:2:3 is suitable as soil. It will be very helpful to add 5-7 kg of wood ash into the planting hole. After planting catalpa, the seedlings of which are recommended to be immediately watered and mulched in tree trunk circles peat soil, begins to grow actively when proper care for her.

Features of catalpa care

Catalpa, which is propagated by cuttings, layering, and seeds, is calm about replanting, which is best done in early spring. It is recommended to water the plant once a week, 15-18 liters per plant unit. Catalpa, like any plant, responds well to fertilizing, which is recommended to be done 2-3 times per season. The application of slurry will be effective (approximately 5 liters for 1 tree).

An important element of catalpa care is pruning, aimed at removing dry branches and forming the crown. It is required to be carried out annually, in early spring.

Chinese legend

The Chinese legend about the catalpa says: once upon a time, monkeys and elephants were at enmity with each other. If monkeys were captured by elephants, they would hang their tails on trees. If elephants were captured by monkeys, elephant ears were hung on trees. This is how catalpas appeared on the planet.