Help with plant/tree identification

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Posted by roonster on August 16, 2006, 2:09 pm
 
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Hello ive seen a tree in someones house that I would like to know its
name.

It has flowers in jun/jul - well i wouldnt call them flowers, they are
more like
orange balls. Lots of them as well. And they attracy hundreds
of bees to them
when in full bloom.

They have started dying and have browned off now.

THe leaves are oval kind of shape and a bit furry. The tree is about 2
meters
tall and about 3 wide.

Any help with what its called?




--
roonster


Posted by DavePoole Torquay on August 17, 2006, 2:14 am
 

roonster wrote:


It would be Buddleia globosa.  A very large shrub to well over 3m. high
and 4m. across eventually, it puts on a good display in mid-summer, but
can look a bit drab afterwards.   The 'balls' are flowerheads
comprising of tightly packed, small, tubular orange flowers.  If it is
to be cut back, pruning must be carried out immediately the flowers
start to fade since they are carried on the previous year's wood and a
spring pruning can reduce or prevent flowering for that year.  The more
common Buddleias flower on current season's growth so they can be
severely cut back in spring without risk of losing and flowers.


Posted by Nick Maclaren on August 17, 2006, 7:43 am
 


|>
|> It would be Buddleia globosa.  ...  If it is
|> to be cut back, pruning must be carried out immediately the flowers
|> start to fade since they are carried on the previous year's wood and a
|> spring pruning can reduce or prevent flowering for that year.  The more
|> common Buddleias flower on current season's growth so they can be
|> severely cut back in spring without risk of losing and flowers.

My experience is that, as with quite a few plants like that (including
many clematis), "must" is wrong - "should" is right.  When I cut my
B. globosa (and B. alternifolia) back hard in spring, they flowered
much later than usual, but still flowered that year.  I.e. the wood
needs to be of a certain ripeness more than it needs to overwinter.

However, I didn't do it regularly, and it is quite likely that it
would work only on some plants and in some years.  I did do that
regularly for Clematis "henryii", and have seen evidence of the
phenomenon with C. montana.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Posted by DavePoole Torquay on August 18, 2006, 8:18 pm
 

Nick Maclaren wrote:


Which also means that in some years, the growths will not achieve that
degree of maturity.  So, if you want a fail-safe method of ensuring a
good show every year, you must do any pruning immediately after
flowering.


Posted by roonster on August 18, 2006, 3:44 pm
 


Good stuff. Just done a search and you are indeed correct. Thanks to you
and
all others to replied.



DavePoole  Torquay Wrote:

roonster