From North America, China and Japan, the beauties of catalpa arrived to us - trees belonging to the Bignonev family. Their genus consists of 13 species, forms and varieties. And among them there are deciduous and evergreen plants. The catalpa tree (see photo below) takes root without problems on rich, well-drained and light soils and in well-lit places. It loves moisture and blooms for about a month, and the fruits of catalpa are long and thin, similar to green icicles. They can sag almost all winter on a tree, giving it an original look. Of all the species of this plant in our area, three are most often cultivated.
And to them belongs the common catalpa, or bignoniform. She came to us from North America, where in the wild reaches 20 meters in height (cultivated above 10 meters does not grow). In this tree, the crown has a spherical spreading shape, and the leaves are ovoid and large, up to 20 centimeters in length. His flowers are white, fragrant and large, with purple dots. They are collected in panicles of 25 cm length.
Catalpa (tree) blooms in June-July, days 30-40. Its fruits are similar to reddish-brown capsules having a length of 20-40 centimeters. They ripen in October and hang on a tree all winter. The vegetation of this plant begins in May, in August the growth of shoots ends, and after frosts the leaves fall, and often are 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, up to 4 meters tall tree with a rounded dense crown.
A magnificent catalpa was brought into our region from North America, which grows up to 40 meters in its homeland. 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 ovoid leaves. In bloom, this plant is especially beautiful. It is abundantly covered with inflorescences-panicles of cream-white and fragrant flowers, each of which inside has two yellow stripes and bright brown-red specks. The fruits of this tree hang from the branches in the form of long pods. They acquire such a look already in July, but only in early October they mature completely. And these fruits also hang on trees all winter. Gorgeous Catalpa 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 nearby groundwater.
Egg Catalpa is a tree that comes from China. It has a spreading shape and reaches 6-10 meters in height. His 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 catalps brings a certain southern flavor to the 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 affect diseases and pests, then they do not fade until the leaf fall, even with drought.