What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex

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Umbrian

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What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« on: June 21, 2012, 05:28:43 AM »
At last have got round to posting this photo for identification John! Despite the recent harsh, by our standards, winter it has survived and come into leaf again! It will be interesting to see if Oron agrees with you ;D
« Last Edit: June 21, 2012, 01:05:21 PM by Alisdair »
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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oron peri

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Re: What is this please?
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 09:29:29 AM »
Looks like a young Firmiana simplex tree.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2012, 01:04:38 PM by Alisdair »
Garden Designer, Bulb man, Botanical tours guide.
Living and gardening in Tivon, Lower Galilee region, North Israel.
Min temp 5c Max 42c, around 450mm rain.

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John

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2012, 05:39:40 PM »
Having looked at it again and given it has come through your winter it can't be what I thought it was! So yes probably Firmiana.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

Umbrian

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2012, 09:04:02 PM »
 :) Thanks both of you!
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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MikeHardman

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2012, 11:11:53 AM »
To me, it looks more like Droopiana than Firmiana :)
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

Umbrian

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2012, 06:42:22 AM »
Actually Mike it is a lovely tree and always draws comments. I bought it as a small specimin, grown from seed, and was warned that it might not survive in my area. The lady who had grown it told me that there was/is a mature specimin in Rome (much further South than me) but, if I remember correctly, that she did not do so well with it (she is midway between Rome and me).This was quite a few years ago and it is very slow but managing to survive even with this year's heavy snow and low temperatures.
It is about 3m tall and the trunk still very slender but a lovely green apart from the very beginning. The leaves form a canopy at the top, they are held on the ends of quite long stems that arch downwards and are large - up to 35cm at their furthest point  -giving an umbrella like appearance, I have it planted at the end of a narrow walkway and it really looks quite stunning.
I have never pampered it - just my normal practice of watering well for the first year after preparing the planting hole as well as possible. I would be sorry to lose it now and it is nice to know what it is after all this time - keeping labels/records of names is not my strongest point! Perhaps you should give it a go ;D
Luckily the Gypsy Moth caterpillers are avoiding it (never encountered it before probably!) or else it would look a sorry mess - nothing left to droop! ;D
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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MikeHardman

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2012, 07:21:12 AM »
Umbrian,

I hope it continues to progress, and makes you ever more proud of it as the years go by.

Who knows, maybe Firmiana contains some chemical the gypsy moths larvae actually don't like; maybe it might be the basis for a deterrent in future. (Biochemists are always busy: some Dutch ones have recently determined that vine weevils find 16 odours attractive, and are working with the best three (one from Taxus baccata, two from Euonymus fortunei) to develop a vine weevil trap/bait. ['The Garden', June 2012, p.8] I hate the things; they destroyed my sedums and sempervivums years ago.)
Mike
Geologist by Uni training, IT consultant, Referee for Viola for Botanical Society of the British Isles, commissioned author and photographer on Viola for RHS (Enc. of Perennials, The Garden, The Plantsman).
I garden near Polis, Cyprus, 100m alt., on marl, but have gardened mainly in S.England

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John

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2012, 10:05:22 AM »
I planted a Firmiana simplex that I grew from seed about 30 years ago in a garden I was working in to the south of London which grew away well. I can't say whether it is still there as I haven't been back since.
As to the vine weevil I find the nematode controls work very well though quite expensive.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

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Alisdair

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Vine weevil
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2012, 11:48:02 AM »
As it's worth having a general discussion on this, in the Pests and Diseases section I've started a topic on vine weevil.
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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John

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2012, 12:37:08 PM »
I've just found a picture os this that I took in August 2008. It was a few meters high and about as wide and very happy.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

Umbrian

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2012, 06:14:43 AM »
As the photo is from you John I suppose the flowers are on the tree! Mine has only produced leaves so far but I am hotfooting it down the garden to see if anything is stirring. ;D
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.

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John

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2012, 08:57:53 AM »
I forgot to mention where it was. It was taken at Kew. The tree was growing completely in the open with no wall protection and looking very healthy.
John
Horticulturist, photographer, author, garden designer and plant breeder; MGS member and RHS committee member. I garden at home in SW London and also at work in South London.

David Dickinson

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #12 on: January 16, 2020, 02:28:21 AM »
Hi Umbrian,

I was looking to see if anybody had written anything about semprevivi and this chain came up! Did your tree ever produce flowers? Is it still in your old garden? I think that this is the tree that grows along the main road near my house. Here is a link on google maps. Hope the link will take you to the exact spot that I am looking at and not the whole road, which is kilometers long. The trees are twice the size they were when the photo was taken.

And now to my original question. Can semprevivi (semprevivums?) survive full heat in summer? Most of my Sedums do but in part shade.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8811839,12.5395616,3a,75y,74.84h,109.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sndUCLWVfyXw1_rsm7jvowQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

I have a small garden in Rome, Italy. Some open soil, some concrete, some paved. Temperatures in winter occasionally down to 0°C. Summer temperatures up to 40°C in the shade. There are never watering restrictions but, of course, there is little natural water for much of June, July and August.

Umbrian

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Re: What is this please? Confirmed by Oron as Firmiana simplex
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2020, 08:43:09 AM »
Hi David, my Firmiana simplex never did produce flowers but continued to grow well and was an interesting addition to the garden. Whether it is still going strong I do not know...
I have only returned once, briefly, since we left sold the property and was saddened to see that the garden was rather neglected - couldn't bear to linger.....
MGS member living and gardening in Umbria, Italy for past 19 years. Recently moved from my original house and now planning and planting a new small garden.