Diane, I planted a common pawpaw/asimina triloba in the bottom of the hollow, because I'd read that they usually grow by creeks and streams. They must have meant pretty far away from the actual water, because mine rotted and died. I planted one in my garden in a raised bed, which you'd think would be too dry, but it's done well in mostly shade with a little sun, although I would have been happier had it grown faster. I ordered three more last fall, potted them up, and they grew so fast and much that I had to keep potting them up to bigger pots. Finally, I had to plant them in the ground this past summer - their roots were growing out of their big pots to the point it was making the pots tilt. I had mixed a lot of chicken manure into the potting soil, because I'd read that they naturally grow in fertile soil, usually with a neutral PH. My soil is naturally acid, so I added a lot more chicken manure to the planting hole when I planted them out, knowing how much they responded to it in their pots - chicken manure not only has a good bit of N-P-K, it has calcium which raises the PH of acid soil to one better liked by pawpaws. They get part sun/part shade in the area where I planted them, and the soil is sort of low and stays moist longer than high and dry soil, but it doesn't get totally saturated like the bottom of the hollow.
So, if I were you Diane, I'd plant one/them in a spot where they get about half sun/half shade, even moisture, and if your soil is acid, I'd add chicken manure and/or lime to the planting mix. In a dry spell, you need to water them.
Good luck!
MissSherry

Thank you Miss Sherry. I plan to order some after Christmas and get started for the spring and summer.

I planted my pipe vine last week and started a trellis for it yesterday. The trellis is not pretty put it will work. Just steel fence posts and heavy gauge wire. I do want food for those Pipevine swallowtail cats this year.

I grow my paw paw trees in full sun and prune them each fall to achieve a pretty umbrella shape...very lush and tropical-looking. They grow wild (tall and lanky) in our damp wooded areas, but grow much faster and fuller in my sunny garden. If you want fruit you'll need to plant at least two for pollination. My 10 foot tree produced 52 fruits this year! I had to pull many of them off early because the limbs were so heavy. I also collected more than 100 Zebra Swallowtail eggs from a single tree over a period of six months. Good luck!

Judy
www.ButterflyNature.com

I grew mine from seed. The seed is very large, about the size of an apricot seed. It germinated and is now about 10" tall. I planted it out this fall. It is in partial shade but seemed to do fine in that environment. Pawpaws are taprooted, so I didn't want to wait too long to plant it from the pot into soil.

They appear to grow readily from seed, but I'm sure a plant would be better. Just remember that most tap-rooted plants do not like transplanting too much.

Susan

I am glad to know they will grow in full sun. The area I had picked out is in full sun.

I believe the ones I found offered on e-bay are 12-24 inches tall. When I plant them I don't plan to move them. Just water and fertilize.

It's interesting that pawpaws grow in damp areas north of here, but when I planted one in what I considered to be a damp area, it died. The same thing goes for my aristolochia tomentosa vines - I had read that they grow by creeks in Oklahoma, where the seeds of my vines originated, so I planted two vines in the bottom of the hollow, and they died, too. I didn't get my big vines until I planted them in raised beds in my garden. I've always known that a given plant needs more sun the further north you go (and conversely, less sun and more shade the further south you go) but I'm also wondering if there's a difference in the waterways and low areas in my Gulf Coast area from the ones further north - I think they're wetter here. :)
MissSherry

When I talked to a local "Butterfly Lady" last year about my Zebra ST she asked me if I had streams near my house. I told her I did and she suggested that I might have paw paws growing near these streams. It is interesting about where you can get trees and plants to grow. I have sasanquias and camellias growing in full sun and was told I couldn't do that. Needless to say I did.

Susanlynne did you order your seeds for the paw paws and did you have any trouble getting them to germinate.

I had my aristolochia tomentosa in a pot but have planted it in an open area where it will get lots of sun. Miss Sherry does you aristolochia tomentosa's stems stay green all year round. Mine has no leaves but the stems are nice and green. After I got the trellis up I wove the stems through the wire.

Yes, I ordered my seed from www.seedrack.com. I got about 9 seeds, and only planted two. One germinated and is growing well. Like I said they are large seed. I sent the rest to a friend of mine who wants to grow them, too.

I didn't care if I had a male and a female in order to get fruit, so the one tree is fine with me. I don't think I will get any ZSTs, but I may get some sphinx moth cats. With the way things are changing, butterflies extending their range, etc., I may eventually see a ZST one day.

BTW, I winter sowed the pawpaws in soda bottles. Worked great!

I am going to try to grow some tomentosa from seed, too. Will see how it turns out. So far, I have A. macrophylla, A. clematitis, and A. serpentaria. But, all are small plants. I don't know how big the serpentaria will get next year, because I just planted roots I got from Rob.

Susan

Yes, Diane, I'm always surprised to see how green the stems of my a. tomentosas are in the middle of winter when they're practically leafless. I took a small raised bed, about 2'X 3', that was in my garden and moved it to an open space near my house and planted three more a. tomentosas - they'll get plenty of sun there, so I'm glad to hear that yours is doing well in a lot of sun. My other a. tomentosas are in shadier situations.
MissSherry

Rob said to plant them in the shade, so I did. I didn't realize they could take more sun, especially in the south. Should I move mine, do you think?

Susan

As the Paw Paw trees grow to maturity they will send out suckers to produce a nice thicket. These can carefully be dug out and transplanted elsewhere. In PA these trees grow naturally along the floodplains of rivers but also on hillsides near rivers and streams, and sometimes in woods no where near water. Raccoons love the fruit and help disperse the seeds resulting in new Paw Paw patches.
There are three forms of the Zebra Swallowtail. The spring form is the smallest with short tails and the most red on the hindwing, the early summer form is larger with longer tails and less red, and the late summer/fall form is the darkest with very long tails and with the red spots restricted. The spring brood seems to be the most common.

Curt

Curt thanks for the information on the Zebra ST and the paw paws. Sounds like they grow a lot like sassafras trees. If one gets started it just makes a little grove.

Susan I have no idea about moving your tree. From what I learned the past two days if it is larger and well established with a good tap root it might now do to move it.

Susan, the serpentaria that you got from Rod is strickly for shade, with filtered light. I would not move them.

The tomentosa and macrophylla can take more sun, with more water, but does better with protection from the hot, southerly wind.

Diane, if you get lots of zebra swallowtail eggs/cats and don't have enough pawpaw leaves to feed them, I'll gladly drive all the way to Enterprise and take them off your hands! I got a visit in my garden twice from a ZS for the first time this year. I've got two good sized a. trilobas, three more that I think are going to thrive, and an a. parviflora that grew to about 5' tall in its pot before I planted it out, only about 6" shorter than the a. trilobas grew. A. parviflora grows close to creeks around here, but it's always up in a high and dry area, frequently a bluff, and not subject to flooding, at least not frequently. So I should have ample food for ZSs - I'd love to raise some and increase the numbers locally. You can be sure I'd treat them royally!
MissSherry

Miss Sherry I would be honored if you would drive up and get the babies to raise if they arrive. You wouldn't have to drive to Enterprise though. I live about 11 miles west of Dothan of US Hwy 84. (We will discuss a easy route to come off I-10 at DeFuniak Springs, Fl. to get to my house later.)

I am just chomping at the bit to get outside and work. I did manage to stay outside most of yesterday. Now that the days to Christmas are getting short I guess I had better stay in and get things ready for Christmas Dinner. I plan to clean up all signs of Christmas by the middle of next week and then start working for the butterflies and hummingbirds.

I know you will believe me when I tell you that I have daffodils sprouting. I also have salvias putting out new growth. I know the daffodils will be fine but the salvias will more than likely be killed. January and February and get rough sometimes. I have also known us to have snow in March too.

Mimi - I have hyacinths sprouting in my garden in zone 7a! I think that's really strange. But it seems like for a gardener, that strange things happen a lot! I bet they will get nipped by the frost before they're able to do anything. We're in for a stretch of really cold days. Highs in the 40s, lows in the 20s.

Susan

I am sure we have some freezing temps coming our way over the next few months.

I planted crocosmia 'red lucifer' yesterday for my hummingbirds. The ground was so dry, but we got some much needed rain last night. It settled them in so I know when it gets warm they will start sprouting. I had a few last year and they were a great hit with the hummingbirds.

I have just recieved the paw paw trees I ordered from Forest Treasures. They came bare rooted. I have them in water and fertilizer. These were the instructions from the grower. I was wondering if it would hurt the trees to stay in that water over night. (I have e-mailed the grower and waiting for her responce but thought I would ask y'all as well.)

I ordered 4 and was sent two extras. I am looking forward to getting them planted. I do hope they live and grow for me.

It probably wouldn't hurt to leave bare root pawpaws in water that long, Dianne, it might even help, but I can't say for sure. I assume that by fertilizer, you mean liquid fertilizer in the water.
We're supposed to have another big rain event starting tomorrow - after having a dry 2006, we've had 11" of rain in about ?10 days, with about 4 more inches expected for tomorrow. I imagine you'll get the rain Friday, since these are slow moving fronts - that might play a part in your decision as to when to plant your pawpaws.
MissSherry

Yes liquid fertilizer. I read the directions again and they said to get them in the ground asap. So I went to Wal-Mart and got some potting soil. Came home and went to work. Yes we are expecting that rain too and I sure wanted them in the ground before the rain.

They now settled into their new home. Four will have some shade and 2 will have lots of sun. I can put a screen of some kind over them to protect them from our hot summer sun.

When I had finished planting the little trees I was so sweaty and dirty. I looked at what I had just done and just saw twigs sticking up from the dirt. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would one day be planting plants to feed and attract butterflies. But I am and the rewards are wonderful.

Congratulations on getting your pawpaws in the ground! Which species is it? Triloba?

They will take quite a bit of moisture until they get established.

I know - doesn't it amaze you that on all those garden shows, the people never get a speck of dirt on themselves?

Susan

Yes they are Asimina triloba. I planted them where I have sprinklers and soaker hoses. They will get plenty of moisture from those during the spring and summer. I just hope we continue to have rains during the winter and early spring so the roots will get a good start. I am glad that I got them in the grown this early in the winter.

It is amazing how those hosts of the television garden shows can get so much done and never break a sweat or get dirty. (This applies to those cook show hosts too.)

Just checked my paw paw trees and they are nice and green. No buds yet but they are alive.

Mine look healthy, too, Dianne. The buds are velvety reddish brown - very pretty!
MissSherry

Ok, I see all of the info on the trees, but can anyone tell what the fruit is like? I've read about them tasting some what like banana's. Are the fruits good to eat, and is there a certain one that tastes better than the other?
Where is the best place to get the trees from?

Here's a little article I found describing the fruit texture and taste. I've heard them referred to as "custard apples", too.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Pawpaw fruit

Braveheart maybe I will find out for myself in a year or so. I don't know how long it takes a tree to bear fruit. That is not why I planted them but it could be an extra plus. Will have to see.

Susan, You pretty much got me wanting to plant paw paw trees sometime. I love custard and I love apples! The Zebra Swallowtails range ends around the southern border of PA and I'm about 100 miles north of that. I wonder if there's any chance of getting them up this far. I guess even if I wouldn't, all wouldn't be lost...I'd have the fruits to eat. :)

I think there are some sphinx moths that also use pawpaw for a host.

In order to get fruit, you will have to have at least one male and as many females as you want. I don't know how large your property is, but these are reasonably small trees. About 20'?

Susan

Cathy, I attached a link to the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society's page that provides information on native plant sources in Pennsylvania and contiguous areas, in case you need it.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Native Plant/Tree Sources

Thanks, Susan! I sure will take a look at it. I love to look at plants. It would be better yet if I could afford all that I want. Ha.