>some sources say it might be hardier Stewartia pseudocamellia is certainly hardy in DC - it's rated to zone 5. I have 4 up here on Cape Cod, in zone 6 or 7 - our summers are much less hot and humid that yours, but I've never heard about a problem with heat. Although these are not considered particularly drought-tolerant, mine get little supplemental water after the first year, and do well. They are beautiful trees.

Watauga County said that trees are bareroot, 18" to 36" inches and have to be picked up in April. I won't be in NC all summer. Could I plant them in the ground in NC and heavily mulch? Or should I pot them and grow in Florida until ready to plant? Asheville is lower and warmer than Boone which is zone 6. I'll be in Asheville in March and will visit the NC Arboretum. You guys are great-keep your ideas coming!

I've got two of them, but they're still very small, haven't grown much at all. One of them is promising, but I don't want to jinx it by bragging on it too much. I've tried them in the past, and they've died slow deaths. You'd think they'd be easy for me to grow, since they're native to this area, but they're rare and only grow in the sandy soil on ridges close to rivers and creeks, much like mountain laurel, which is also almost impossible to get to grow here under most conditions - I only know of one healthy group of bushes not grown by a creek, it grows at the base of a mag grand in front of a house in douwntown Wiggins. The local bluff-growing mountain laurel blooms under the DEEP shade of big swamp chestnut oaks, magnolias, bluff oaks, and beeches, with wild gingers and jack-in-the-pulpits growing under the thick leaf cover. I've planted some wild ginger, and it seems to be thriving, it's even making the little brown jugs/flowers its known for. There is or was a lady who lived close to the Pascagoula River who grew some silky camellias/stewartia malacodendrons in the gritty soil of her woodsy front yard. She grew them from seeds she got from plants on ridges by the river. I'm thinking if I buy any more land, I want it to be on a bluff by a river or creek - hopefully the high bluff would protect it from floods, and I could raise mountain laurel and stewartia malacodendron. I saw the lady's stewartias when they were in bloom, and the blooms were breathtaking! I think it's the purple stamens that got me! Sherry

woody and lacey, w/ the exocorda, i was interested in it because the book said it was wicked tolerant of dry shade. [My similar looking regular button bush(cephalanthus), which i love, is in boggy area. It wants to get giNORmous so i've whacked it this year(its second here).] Don't know why you 2 chose exocorda, but you may want to consider my fav unknown (mostly)and VERY deep shade/drought tolerant, shrub, Rhodotypus. Spring blooming and How do i love thee? Let me count the ways:I'm guessing it's in the kerria family, has same leaf but larger, and BEAUTIFUL single white open petal flowers(2" diam.). After bloom, berries go black (common name is jetbeard.) Lovely layered arching stems like neillia. btw, that's a great idea for clematis- to grow them over shrubs that have gone by. never quite saw it like that before but i'm defly going to do this. calliope, can i just scatter the lavatera or do i have to start w/ pots (if so, it will just never happen here, sigh). I'm really enjoying hearing of all your experiences with these plants, but I really wish youall would put your location next to your zone in your i.d. so all of us could relate to your experiences and be able to apply them to our situations!! thanks much again, best, mindy www.cottonarboretum.com/ Here is a link that might be useful: