Garden Doctors: Orange flame vine has special requirements

Carl asks: What is a Combretum fruiticosum vine? I have an area in my garden that could accommodate a large vine, and a gardening friend suggested this particular vine as a possibility. She said it was unusual but didn’t know much about its size and care.

It is also commonly referred to as the orange flame vine and, yes, it is somewhat unusual and interesting since the masses of yellow-red flowers look like individual bottle-brushes. The vine is evergreen, and the flowers appear summer through fall.

The vine is of a spreading nature and can reach heights of 12 to 20 feet, so it does need a large space where it can expand with adequate support. Combretum fruiticosum requires regular water in order to thrive and should be planted in a sunny location. The downside is that it is sensitive to low temperature extremes of 20 degrees and below. These are all things to consider in deciding whether this is the vine for you.

You may have to special order this vine at one of our local nurseries. Annie’s Annuals is another source. Annie’s website (anniesannuals.com) has some photos of the vine and its colorful flowers.

Jimmy writes: My wife and I visited Seattle and saw a stunning Persian ironwood tree. Can we grow this tree in our area?

Persian ironwood’s botanical name is Parrotia persica. Yes, you should be able to grow this tree, but it does not like soil that is constantly soggy and doesn’t drain well. However, planting it on a mound or on a slope can solve poor drainage. In our area, it prefers partial shade to full sun and is admired for its year-round ornamental value. The roots are non-invasive, and it is drought-tolerant once established.

Parrotia persica is a member of the witch hazel family, is slow growing, can reach a height of 20 to 30 feet and 26 to 49 feet in width with a rounded canopy. In some locations, it is used as a street tree, depending on the cultivar and how it is trained.

The cultivar forms are weeping, compact, upright and columnar, and wide-spreading horizontally. There is a size and form for all landscapes.

Its most stunning qualities are the fall foliage color variations: brilliant orange-yellows, reds and pinks. The bark peels in patches revealing underneath shades of green, cream and silver tones. The bark peels reminds one of sycamore bark or Chinese elm bark. The tree is deciduous, but the glossy summer leaves are a wonderful contrast to the peeling and colorful bark.

Thank you for inquiring about Parrotia persica! Please refer to the publication Pacific Horticulture, January 2012, for more in-depth information and a photo view of Parrotia persica in full fall foliage color. Wow!

More: Put this little beauty on your must-have plant list for next year: Echinacea “Hot Papaya,” a perennial coneflower with its “sizzling hot” red-orange double flowers resembling a pom-pom mum with surrounding 4-inch long petals. It attracts butterflies, blooms early to late summer, is OK with low water usage and showy when planted in borders, containers or any mass planting. Seeds can be ordered from Burpee and Park Seeds.

Dan L. offers one of his easy fertilizing tips: If you have a large fish tank (not the salt water type) and clean it frequently, don’t discard the water down the toilet. Use it on your potted plants on a regular basis. I use it year-round on my collection of Thanksgiving cactus, Christmas cactus and Easter cactus (also known botanically known as Schlumbergera or commonly called zygocactus). The results are phenomenal, with masses of extended bloom for months on end. The foliage is abundant and a healthy-appearing green. It won’t burn and provides a slow release of nutrients. Sorry, I can’t tell you the chemistry, but it works.

David Kinney of Prickett’s Nursery offers some timely advice/tips: Protect your succulents and citrus against the seasonal below-freezing temperatures. Use a product called a “frost blanket” to cover all the plants. How it works: It will give an extra 5 to 7 degrees freeze protection, but still allows important ultraviolet light to penetrate in addition to moisture from rain. Spray “Cloud Cover” over frost sensitive plants for additional protection of, say, 5 degrees. Another option is to wrap your citrus in cheerful incandescent-type Christmas tree lights, which emit heat for frost protection. You and your neighbors will enjoy the light show.

Dana Lozano and Gwen Kilchherr are garden consultants. Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors, at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.