Cercis siliquastrum

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Hilary

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #15 on: April 15, 2017, 09:16:20 AM »

Cercis siliquastrum, Judas tree, Κουτσουπιά

I don't have a stamp photo of Cercis siliquastrum but to continue the Easter / Spring theme I am posting this under the Cercis thread where there are quite a few posts.

After searching I discovered that both Greece. In 2010, and Malta, in 2005, had issued stamps depicting Judas trees, unfortunately I don't have these stamps.

There are quite a lot of these trees flowering at this moment in Corinth, even one, in the back yard of the block, which my husband planted for me a few years ago.

I found a couple of slides which my father took showing Judas trees in all their glory at Ancient Olympia. In fact I can even find the exact date in  my Mother's small diaries. The photos were taken on Friday 18th April, 1969 . Orthodox Easter was on 13th April that year.

In THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 17, Summer 1999 there is an article devoted to THE JUDAS TREE by Sabina Rossini Oliva

MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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Charithea

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #16 on: April 15, 2017, 04:44:47 PM »
The trees is so bright when is in flower.  Ours has already finished. We had some rather warm/hot days at the beginning of the year and a lot of trees flowered early.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Hilary

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #17 on: May 20, 2018, 06:34:27 AM »
Cercis siliquastrum, Judas tree, Arbol del Amor
We saw this tree in the Royal Botanic Garden , Madrid in 1997
This was long before I knew  the Latin or Spanish name for the Judas tree.
I was fascinated by the  seed pods on the trunk of the tree and have since observed the flowers on the trunks of our local Judas trees here in Corinth
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Umbrian

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #18 on: May 20, 2018, 07:57:02 AM »
I agree - it is really amazing to see flowers on severely pruned trees. Here in Italy it is a fairly common sight where pruning is often severe in the extreme.
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: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2018, 09:15:23 PM »
Does anybody else here have problems with stem-boring larvae (perhaps leopard moth) ruining their judas trees?

This year, as last, I had several moderately thick stems die off and/or fold over because of this problem. It is saddening as I try hard, year by year, to form my four trees into good shapes.

Mike
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

Trevor Australis

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #20 on: August 29, 2018, 01:23:57 AM »
My experience is only with Cercis canadensis FOREST PANSY. It is over 20 yrs old and has suffered I think from too much winter rain standing about. The twigs and some branches have died back. THEN THE BORERS get in. Could this be your problem. The situation is on a slight slope but the soil is heavy and wet.

M Land. Arch., B. Sp. Ed. Teacher, traveller and usually climate compatible.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #21 on: August 29, 2018, 07:32:43 AM »
Thanks Trevor.
My trees are on the edge of a free-draining slope, made of somewhat stony marl. They get regular water, but even in winter, they don't get that wet. I've had the same problem on olives and Bauhinia, but thus far most of those have managed to keep going despite the borings.

Mike
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

Hilary

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #22 on: April 17, 2020, 05:30:54 AM »
Cercis siliquastrum, Judas tree

This tree is blossoming the moment and there is no shortage of photos of the tree on my computer

The first photo was taken this week opposite the church of Saint Paul in Corinth
The second photo was taken in Athens at a lesser known archaeological site
The third photo was taken in 2018 at the Royal Botanic Garden, Madrid
And the last photo was taken in the back yard of the block of flats where we live

The Judas tree is mentioned many times in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
I chose
URBAN TREES IN AN ATHENS NEIGHBOURHOOD by Caroline Harbouri

There is a drawing to illustrate this article by Derek Toms showing how the seed pods sometimes grow out of the tree trunk

THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 80, April 2015
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

Umbrian

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #23 on: April 17, 2020, 08:13:25 AM »
I had never found these trees particularly attractive, the colour of the flowers being rather too garish for me and then someone gave me a small branch in flower and Inhave to admit I found the individual flowers quite beautiful. Quite a strange tree all round with its ability to produce flowers even from the trunk as is often seen here after 'Italian' pruning!
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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Charithea

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #24 on: April 17, 2020, 08:48:58 AM »
Ours has already flowered and it now looks rather dull after the very bright colour of its flowers.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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MikeHardman

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #25 on: April 17, 2020, 09:02:48 PM »
My four judas trees have made some progress (8 years on), despite further branches being lost through stem borings.
I am growing them alternating between grey lavenders. These particular lavenders are too boistrous, but I will cut them back (they respond well).
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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Fermi

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #26 on: April 18, 2020, 04:34:06 AM »
Hi Mike,
brilliant colour on your cercis! We have one which we planted nearly 20 years ago but now seedlings pop up everywhere!
These are pics of ours from a couple of years ago,
cheers
fermi
Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!

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MikeHardman

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #27 on: April 18, 2020, 07:40:55 AM »
Hi Fermi,

Mine produce copious seed, but no seedlings.  The flowers are abuzz with bees, so I presume the flowers get properly fertilized, and hence the seeds should be viable. I guess they must get eaten before or shortly after germination.

//Mike
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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Fermi

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #28 on: October 19, 2021, 02:06:57 PM »
Cercis siliquastrum is looking good this year.
The parrots discovered the seed-pods this year and demolished most of them before the flowers came out so the tree wasn't as festooned with the dead pods as usual!
Still a lot of seedlings germinating around the garden,
cheers
fermi
Mr F de Sousa, Central Victoria, Australia
member of AGS, SRGC, NARGS
working as a physio to support my gardening habit!

Hilary

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Re: Cercis siliquastrum
« Reply #29 on: October 19, 2021, 05:37:43 PM »
Lovely to see so much colour in your garden
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care