Flowering trees in Central Florida

[paulie1972]

Hello, I have recently purchased a home in central Florida on one and a quarter acres. It is filled with pine trees and palms of all sizes and conditions. The pines and palms make a huge mess of the property and the constantly falling small branches from the pines and the massive fronds of the palms make for a neverending job of yard cleanup. I am going to be removing alot of the pines and relocating the palms. I have always wanted to have a yard filled with flowering trees, especially Royal Poinciana, Blue Jacaranda, and one of the yellow "golden rain tree" types, either Tipu or Cassia. I was also interested in a silk floss tree as well. I want to insure a good start for the new trees. Are any of these species especially difficult? Are there any things that i can do the soil well in advance of planting that you would recommend?

P.S. I was also interested in the empress pauwlonia but a friend of mine said they are impossible to control, yet a neighbor has one about 20ft or so and its a really nice looking tree and i didnt see any little pauwlonia's springing up around it. Any thoughts?

 

[LightningLoader]

central FL trees

I'm not sure what most of the trees are that you mention, but I can say that although golden rain trees are beautiful, I would not recommend them. You just thought that the pines and the palms were messy. Golden rain trees drop tons of big papery seed pods every year all over your yard, and then they all sprout little trees everywhere. Also a messy plant in terms of just dropping twigs and such everywhere, and tough on allergies. I would recommend possibly planting Cassia. They are pretty and easier to control. Also there is a tree that has oblong pointed leaves and purple flowers that is beautiful and easy to care for. Sorry I don't know the name. I worry that many of the flowering trees that you have named may be intended for South Fl, and not central Fl. We do have freezes here, and they will kill your tropical trees as well as many palms.

 

[paulie1972]

Thanks for advice on the golden rain tree. I'll look into the cassia instead. What about Tabebuia sp. also known as the the silver trumpet tree? A nursery in my area has several beautiful ones in large containers at a really good price. Anyone have any specific info regarding it?

 

[paulie1972]

anyone have any experience with Tabebuia sp.? also known as the silver trumpet tree?

 

[pmuscato]

Tabby's sure the chrysotricha do very well here (Cen. FL) thats the Golden color. Now Jacaranda I don't think you have good luck there. To tender.Poinciana umm maybe with mild winters. Silk Floss yes great tree (Chorisia speciosa) Goldenrain sure, kinda messy. Cassia oh ya thats your fall color.Tipu got me on that one.Tabby's come in Pink and purple also.

 

[paulie1972]

Thanks, Pmuscato! I think the poinciana will do ok if i can protect it till its established. There is one 3 streets down from me thats in full bloom. But the owner said she doesnt know how old it is or whether her late husband did anything specific to protect the young tree. Does anyone know how to protect a tree about 15 ft (the size of the one im looking at right now) till its established?

 

[rb_in_va]

paulie,
What city do you live in? My uncle is a gardener/landscaper (retired from Disney). He lives in Casselberry.

 

[paulie1972]

I live in Melbourne, about an hour and ten minutes southeast of Orlando. I see alot of flowering trees doing really well around here but they are scattered around and rarely do i see a good grouping or a well thought out landscape containing more than one type of flowering species. Id like to fill my yard with flowering species but id still like to have good shade, so id like to get trees that attain a fairly decent height. Around 35 to 60 feet at maturity would be perfect i think.

 

[treeseer]

Does anyone know how to protect a tree about 15 ft (the size of the one im looking at right now) till its established?...Id like to fill my yard with flowering species but id still like to have good shade, .

Sounds like what you ideally want is a high canopy of light shade, just like pine trees cast...Hey, Wait! Isn't that what you have right now?

So before you clearcut your canopy, consider retaining some of those specimens, to shelter your home and some of your young trees. Pruning deadwood is a whole lot cheaper than removal, and it will change your view of those large green assets.

 

[paulie1972]

I dont mind the diffused light that the pines let through. But the pines are , in my opinion, hideously ugly trees (at least this species is) that drop TONS of pine needles everywhere in my yard, on my house, and on my vehicles. My property is covered in them. My gutters fill to overflowing in about 10 days. With a little forethought and planning id like to be able to enjoy my backyard. Not have a forest of pine trees that are a full time job to clean up after. Plus they outcompete any tree that comes near them except palms which im not a big fan of either. The palms leave huge masses of fronds every time the wind blows more than 10 mph. The pines ARE leaving eventually, although i do plan on taking them out in stages over the next several years. They make it terribly difficult to have a decent lawn, and they severely limit what types of plants you can put in your landscape around here.

 

[paulie1972]

so can anyone tell me how to protect a poinciana that is about 15 ft or so tall? do i cover it if it gets cold? and what would i use to do that? im not sure what to do for the first few years to "protect" a tree.

 

[LightningLoader]

Maybe you should think about crepe myrtles. You can get them in all sorts of colors, and some of them have a more tree like shape about them if that's what you're looking for. Might want to think about bottle brush tree too. I've never had one, but they seem to do well here. Powder puffs aren't actually trees I don't think, but the right variety will get pretty big, as will azaleas and gardenias.

I really think that your best bet if you're looking for color is to plant some oaks so that you can get some shade then plant azaleas, camelias, and different flowering gingers to serve as your colorful elements. You definately won't have to worry about the freezes with the azaleas and camelias, and I'm convinced that you can't kill ginger, which makes it suitable for central FL where we have so many pests and variables in terms of climate and moisture. There are about a million kinds of ginger that you can grow here, all with very different flowers, but they still have a very tropical look.

 

[tenacrewoods]

I don't know if these would do as good in your area,but Lightning Loader
suggested Crepe Myrtles and they do great here in Texas. Here's 2 pics
Of wifes favorite one w/ my girls. also have a couple of smaller white ones
and purple ones I'll get pics of later. No tree expert! Just know what I like.

Have a Great Day!
Mike E.

 

[paulie1972]

those crepe myrtles are beautiful! any idea how old they are? And bottlebrush do fairly well. my next-door neighbor has 2 in his yard and they are a nice tree but mostly a spindly accent. they provide almost zero shade and flower sporadically. still a decent specimen tree though.

 

[tenacrewoods]

Those Crepe Myrtles are 65 to 70yrs old acording to my Mom, and here mother planted them when she first got married,just before my mom was born.

Mike E.