From North America, China and Japan, beautiful catalpas arrived to us - trees belonging to the Bignonev family. Their genus consists of 13 species, forms and varieties. And among them there are both deciduous and evergreen plants. The catalpa tree (see photo below) takes root without problems in rich, well-drained and light soils and in well-lit places. It loves moisture and blooms for about a month, and the catalpa fruits are long and thin, like green icicles. They can hang on a tree almost all winter, giving it an original look. Of all the species of this plant, three are most often cultivated in our area.
And they include common catalpa, or bignoniform. She came to us from North America, where in the wild it reaches a height of 20 meters (cultivated does not grow above 10 meters). In this tree, the crown has a spherical spreading shape, and the leaves are ovate and large, up to 20 centimeters in length. Its flowers are white, fragrant and large, with purple dots. They are collected in panicles25 cm long.
Catalpa (tree) blooms in June-July 30-40 days. Its fruits are similar to reddish-brown boxes, having a length of 20-40 centimeters. They ripen in October and hang on the tree all winter. The vegetation of this plant begins in May, shoot growth ends in August, and after frosts the leaves fall, and often still green. Catalpa is a tree that has several cultivars. These include Kene - a plant with yellowish leaves, Aurea with golden leaves and Nana - a small tree up to 4 meters in height with a rounded dense crown.
From North America, a magnificent catalpa was brought to our region, which in its homeland grows up to 40 meters. In Russia, in the middle lane it is difficult to find such a plant above 7 meters. Nevertheless, catalpa is a tree that pleases Russians with its decorative appearance: a slender trunk with a crown resembling a tent and large ovate leaves. In bloom, this plant is especially beautiful. It is abundantly covered with inflorescences-panicles of creamy white and fragrant flowers, each of which has two yellow stripes inside and bright brown-red specks. The fruits of this tree hang from the branches in the form of long pods. They acquire this form already in July, but only in early October they fully ripen. And these fruits also hang on trees all winter. Catalpa magnificent at a young age grows quite quickly, its growth is up to a meter per year. It is relatively drought-resistant, loves light and does not tolerate spring floods and relatives.groundwater.
The ovoid catalpa is a tree that comes from China. It has a sprawling shape and reaches 6-10 meters in height. Its flowers are also creamy white, fragrant, collected in panicles up to 25 centimeters long. This catalpa is photophilous, demanding on soil fertility and moisture. And it blooms in July-August.
The unusual appearance of catalpas brings a certain southern flavor to garden design. But the advantage of these plants is not only their exotic appearance. They are able to maintain decorativeness throughout the growing season. And if their leaves do not infect diseases and pests, then they do not fade until the leaf fall even during drought.
