The bells are ringin'

We thought this was some sort of weedy tree when we first moved in. The home inspector said we should trim it back because it was so close to the house and roof. Then a month or so ago it started blooming spectacularly.

It's called Tecoma stans, or Yellow Bells. It's also known as esperanza, which is a name I just love. In general it's a shrub, meant to grow about 12 feet tall and 6 feet wide. But here it is at least 20 feet tall, towering over our home. The branches are so loaded down with these fantastic, sweet-smelling flower clusters that some of the branches have bent and broken.

The bees and hummingbirds are going absolutely nuts over this Southwest native. And I am too! It's going to bloom all through the winter.

I'm going to try trimming some of the long branches with blooms on the end and using them inside as cut flowers.

We misjudged you!

Here we thought it was just an old, crochety grapefruit tree (among 3 grapefruit trees on the property) that might not live out the year. We pruned it back hard and almost cut it down.

Really, we were standing around holding large chopping/cutting implements after pruning off three-quarters of the tree. The topic of just putting the tree out of its misery was brought up and seriously considered. But we held off, deciding that we may as well see how good the grapefruits were before taking the tree out.

Then today, I took a close look at the fruits. Do I detect a hint of orange!?

Suckers!

We just moved in to a home with 5 citrus trees and a peach tree. Now that I've had some time to look them over, it appears that I have three grapefruits, a peach and two big suckers!

These suckers -- which are defined in my "California Master Gardener Handbook" as rapidly growing, upright secondary vegetative shoots that develop from the root, crown or stem of a plant -- occurred when the trees' fruiting (grafted) stock was pruned off or died, and the rooting stock took over. It's not good.

This is my peach. The fruit is small (could use some thinning in the future) and it needs some pruning. But I think it may do all right.

This is my old granny yellow grapefruit. The poor thing has been underwatered for years and needs a ton of pruning. Fruit is OK.

Here is one of the suckers. Note the long shoots, lack of flowers and fruit, and spiky spines along the trunk.

Sucker #2. Long, leafy shoots. Again, no sign of fruit or flowers. Just lots of shoot.

And a close-up of a Sucker #2's "trunk," which is just a long shoot coming up from the base. Get a load of those spines!

Ahhh, this is nice to see. My second grapefruit -- don't yet know if it will be yellow or red flesh. But please note the thick trunk, evidence of fruit and outward (not just upward) growth.

Thankfully, I also have this wonderful and delicious ruby red grapefruit (at left and above left) that is doing fine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Now that I have identified the suckers, they are on the pull-out list.

They will never grow fruit!

I need contributors, not suckers! I'm thinking an orange, a lemon and a lime, for starters. Any suggestions for good desert varieties?