1776 



from t 

 seeds 1 

 The ^. 



Alfred Rehdek 



TECOMA 



land Rardens. When covered ^Tith its large fragrant 

 flowers it is visited by numberless hummingbirds and 

 insects. Owing to its rapid growth and dense foliage 

 from the groxmd, the Yellow Elder is highly valued as 

 screen for unsightly fences and buildings. This Tecoma 

 ripens its seed so abundantly that hundreds of seedlings 

 come up around the old plant. The value of this shrub, 

 blooming so late in autumn, cannot be overestimated. 



T. mollis, incorrectly known to the trade as T. xtans, 

 var. vi'luiina, also does well, but being a native of 

 Guatemala it is much less hardy than the former. The 

 growth is more upright and stiff, the Ifts. are much 

 larger less serrate and much darker green and the 

 flowers, which are borne in terminal panicles, are 

 smaller and without fragrance and the color is a mucii 

 lighter yellow. It also flowers several weeks earlier 

 than T. stans. The foliage looks crimped and often 

 blackish, being attacked by a kind of aphis and by 

 several fungi. 



T Smithii is said to be a hybrid between T. moUn. 

 and T. Capen.yis, raised near Melbourne, Australia, by 

 Mr Edwin Smith. The plant comes true from seed, and 

 seedlings flower when about a year old, beginning to 

 open thiir large clusters of yellow and reddish trumpets 

 °n April and continuing with short intervals until cut 

 down by frost in December. 



The Cape Honeysuckle, T. Capensis, is another spe- 

 cies which grows most luxuriantly in Florida — 1»"« 

 and in those all along the Gulf coast. It 



ern es 

 most 



,„ „^ planted from the start 

 ion they should be well fertilized at 

 They prefer a fertilizer rich in nitro- 



„,,,l,.l', iVill !iNii i>riiv.- vi-rv brncficial. 



2474. Tecoma Smithii CXK). 



Trumpet Vines in the South. -All the Teconaas, the 

 climbing species as well as those growing in bush form, 

 are very successfully cultivated in Florida, being well 

 adapted to the soil and climate, but most of them 

 their best, need 

 soil, and in add; 

 least once a year 

 gen, and a heavy 

 The bushy kimN can <"• ^'r""ii in u'l-Mups .-i .l:^^ .-.i.ip-^ 

 specimens on ,1,.. havu, ^vlul.. the ran,y:,nt .■Innbiug 

 species, such as r.r,„l,cans and T. ,,nn„l, flora , should 

 be grown on posts and tall stumps, or they may be 

 trailed over small oaks, persimmon trees or <=atalpas 

 T Capensis, a half -climbing species, is effectively used 

 for decoration of the veranda, its glowing scarlet flow- 

 ers contrasting well with the exquisite blossoms and 

 the tropical foliage of the allaraandas, thunbergias and 

 Vlerodendron Thompsoim, which all flower at the same 

 time. Tecoma stans and T. grandiflora are the two 

 showiest species of the genus, the latter being a climber, 

 flowering abundantly in May and June, while the first 

 one is a large-growing bushy species ^opening its im- 

 mense corymbs of vivid yell 

 November and c-irlv in Pfci 

 The Yelb'w n h ■■ r •■'■< 

 on high pin. !,■ 

 attaining an in 



dense massi 

 not at all ra 



Tlli-! 



I trellises c 



tpos 



Of all the 



specK 



health and readily trained into shapely speci- 

 If the long shoots are cut back severely, the 

 m 1.0 onsilv trained into shrub form. These long 

 ground, readily strike 

 .rial for propagation, 

 ire the only Tecomas 

 ell as pot-plants in 



flowers the latter part of 



N. grows exceedingly well 

 i.ctly at home in Florida, 

 ,v.ll fertilized and mulched, 

 ui.l as much through being 

 I is the glory of the south 

 Florida gardens in autumn, as is the beautiful Bau- 

 hinia purptirea in April, never failing to call forth en- 

 thusiastic admiration from all behol.lers No shrub is 

 better adapted for the new settlers in the sandy pme- 



usually 

 and piazzas with a south- 

 this is the best and 

 nitable for verandas, being a dense and compact 

 , evergreen, almost constantly in flower, easily 

 kept ii 

 plant can l.o 



root and f..i- 

 T. Cap,;,s,s 



which grow _ - , 



northern greenhouses. They need g.. 



large pots to do well. If not well .■aiv.i i..r in. > iu»u 



most of their foliage and look poor an. I un-.lia|.. i> . 



The Chinese Trumpet Creeper T ,iro„.hilor,,, is tne 

 most floriferous and gorgeous of all the climinug spe- 

 cies In the writer's garden a large pine stump, about 

 sixteen feet high, in May and June is completely covered 

 with masses of brilliant flery orange-scarlet flowers 

 which can be seen at a distance of half a mile The 

 flowers are much larger, more brilliant and much more 

 abundantly produced than those of our native J". rad»- 

 eans While all the other Tecomas are almost free fiom 

 the attacks of insects, this one is infested by a vora- 

 cious caterpillar, which devours t i.- buves K':'''.'l'0 • 

 The luhber grasshoppers also atta.k tli' l..«.i '""''e^- 

 T. qrandiflora grows well in the \ r -ai..l\ s..ii. per- 

 fecting luxuriant shoots 25-30 ft. lung in oiu- s.asnn ii 

 well fertilized. Like our native species, tbis one is ae- 



"ou" native Trumpet Creeper T. radjcans, is very 

 common in the southern woodlands a,nd fields. There is 

 a e-reat varietv in the brilliancy of the blossoms. Thi.s 

 is an excellent plant for covering the bare trunks of 



^*The Wonga-Wonga Vine, T. atistralis, is rather difR- 

 nult to erow on high pme land as it needs a soil rich 

 mhumu^s In rich foil however and liberal fe.tihzed 

 It IS 1 rampant grower with beautiful dark giecn glossy 

 foliage The flowers are interesting but c""" ir^tiveiv 

 small anl n t show\ HowtN" ■"•" " 

 cultn It till 1 



care c f I 1 ' ' 



or it will 1 II 



The I II \ 



a tall rani] 

 shine but it 

 weather an I 

 also proves vt 



have flowered i i I ' 1 ' , , t 



season 20 10 ft hi.,h l1 ml iii„t) ti et i 



r Uacleiiii from Natal an 1 Caffraria demands a 

 very rich soil and a heavy mulch of stable m'«>"^?; !*» 

 leaves easily drop from the woody branches aftei a 



gh 



