Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Friday - June 24, 2011
From: Grand Rapids , MI
Region: Midwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Can a madrone be used as a house plant from Grand Rapids MI
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Can a madrone tree be used as a house plant in Michigan? It is about 10" tall in a gal pot. Can a couple of trees be planted together to become one larger house plant? it's currently in a clay mix.ANSWER:
Actually we have no idea, because we can find no record of it being tried. Let us tell you what we know from our Native Plant Database about the 3 species of the Arbutus genus found in that database.
Beginning with Arbutus xalapensis (Texas madrone), which is native to New Mexico and Texas. This tree grows to 20 to 30 ft, requires full sun to part shade. From our webpage on this tree, here are the Conditions Comments:
"Conditions Comments: One of the most interesting and beautiful native trees of Texas, but temperamental to propagate or grow. Propagation requirements are complex, and it is very difficult to transplant successfully from the wild. In the landscape, it grows best in well-drained areas."
Then, there is Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone), native to California, Oregon and Washington. Needs sun or part shade. It grows 50 to 100 ft., with a spread of 15' to 75'. Here are its Condition Comments:
"Conditions Comments: A. menziesii has been shown to have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. The fungi enable the madrone to take up nutrients in the soil. Arbutus spp. benefit from wind protection and may need to be trained early to central leaders to offset their tendency toward shrubbiness. A messy tree, A. menziesii is best planted away from well-used areas."
Arbutus arizonica (Arizona madrone) is native to Arizona and New Mexico; its native habitat is high altitude and oak woodlands. It requires full sun and sandy, acid well-drained soils. Pictures
So. if you already have a plant you want to experiment with, now you know what conditions are needed. Clay soil does not drain well, getting sufficient sunlight to a house plant would be a challenge, and disturbing the roots is going to cause problems, like sudden death.
Now you can conduct your own experimental laboratory in this matter, and let us know what happens.
From the Image Gallery
More Trees Questions
Black spots and fuzzy circles on live oak leaves
November 20, 2010 - We live in Georgetown Texas and have many Live Oaks on our property. Lately some leaves have fallen off which have fuzzy round circles on the back along with some little raised black dots. Should we...
view the full question and answer
Arborvitae for house plant from Austin
August 15, 2013 - I am a Northerner transplanted to Austin, TX. While I love Austin it feels like many of the plants & trees I came to love up north won't grow here at all. Could I grow an arborvitae in my home as a...
view the full question and answer
Space between trees from Blythewood SC
April 05, 2013 - I'm planting 4 green giants in a back corner of my yard. I also have a kumquat tree to plant. I have somewhat limited space. What is the minimum spacing between the four green giants and the green gi...
view the full question and answer
Is December a good time to prune oaks in Central Texas?
December 29, 2010 - Given that we haven't had much cold weather here in central Texas (Wimberley) this season, is it a good time to trim live and Spanish oak trees (damaged limbs and low hanging branches and suckers)? ...
view the full question and answer
Problems with Savannah holly from Livingston TX
October 05, 2013 - Our Savannah Holly standards, planted in spring 2012, are now 10' tall, with 2-3" caliper trunks at the base. Some are in decline or have died. We thought the ribbons holding them to the nursery's ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |