greene said: ...
Hope your plant lives a long and happy life; it is known as "The Happiness Tree".
...

I guess some guys would be offended if you said that the blooms were like an "organic Viagra".

It would be OK as long as you added "But I bought it for the foliage."

"But I bought it for the foliage"

Audrey, I would certainly plant it in the Spring as soon after last frost date as possible. That will give it lots of time to acclimate and get a good set of roots going before next winter. Just make sure where you plant it has really good drainage.

I saw this article from a zone 6A location.

http://gardenforeplay.avantgar...

greene said:
I was saving this next part for after the tree arrived.
You could tell your husband that you want to look young forever, not have sagging skin, not have big old eye bags and dark circles under your baby blues (or whatever color your eyes may be) and that the flower extract of this plant has been studied and show effective.

"Gee, honey (or whatever you call your DH), you want my skin to be soft and supple, right sweetie?"

http://www.google.com/patents/...
http://www.google.com/patents/...

Hope your plant lives a long and happy life; it is known as "The Happiness Tree".

I will now look to see if it is legal to take cuttings for ones own use...

Very interesting Greene! I will add that to my regime of bone broth and lypo vitamin C. Another great reason to own this beauty. "The Happiness Tree"....... I like that

RickCorey said:


I guess some guys would be offended if you said that the blooms were like an "organic Viagra".

It would be OK as long as you added "But I bought it for the foliage."

I would plant it out when you know frost is done this year for sure. It can be kept in the pot, but for no purpose. Water it adequately til it gets well established

Be sure of location. Think it over several times. They detest being dug up and moved. And they do have a wide spread - usually wider than tall. They can be a bit messy, particularly once they start setting seeds (about year 5 -7).

Do you have any idea where the plant was in the ground before? No biggy - just wondering.

Are common Mimosa a common tree in your neck of the woods?

Moonhowl said:"But I bought it for the foliage"

Audrey, I would certainly plant it in the Spring as soon after last frost date as possible. That will give it lots of time to acclimate and get a good set of roots going before next winter. Just make sure where you plant it has really good drainage.

I saw this article from a zone 6A location.

http://gardenforeplay.avantgar...

Thanks for the link. I had read it already looking for any information I could find on it. At least they had their own experience to share. Almost every single source sounds like a bunch of darn parrots mimicking the same words. I keep reading over and over how fast growing it is. Well, then why are there only two pics on the internet of an actual tree? Then some say it grows 12" to 3 feet a year. That is not fast in my opinion.
If it does grow fast I know exactly where I want to put it, but if it is going to be a scrawny shrub that has to be staked for years then I am undecided. I dunno, I might keep it in a mixed large pot and grow its roots out more this year and just watch and see how it grows before deciding. At the same time I know it will do best in ground. I think my problem is now I need more than one. Just kidding! One expensive twig is enough for 2016.

DavidLMO said:I would plant it out when you know frost is done this year for sure. It can be kept in the pot, but for no purpose. Water it adequately til it gets well established

Be sure of location. Think it over several times. They detest being dug up and moved. And they do have a wide spread - usually wider than tall. They can be a bit messy, particularly once they start setting seeds (about year 5 -7).

Do you have any idea where the plant was in the ground before? No biggy - just wondering.

Are common Mimosa a common tree in your neck of the woods?

It came from Stocton Mo. and I am unsure if it was grown in ground. That is good to know they do not like being dug up and moved. That narrows down my choices on where it will go. I tend to move plants around like furniture. We do have mimosas here but I have never had one or had any experience with them. They just do not seem as robust as the regular ones from what I have gathered off the net.

So here is a spot that I think will work the best. I took this picture today so keep in mind the garden looks a little scraggely. It is January, ya know? I drew in(red) where I am thinking about placing it. It will look awkward there without adding a few things around it for balance while it is growing. I really do not want an ugly stake on it either. Hmmmm......

I wonder how it would be if you "planted" it there in the pot, then moved the pot if it grew too fast.

While I do not have Summer Chocolate nor the standard green mimosa, my neighbor does. Just make note that while Summer Chocolate does not grow as fast, nor as large as the more common green mimosa, They are of the same ilk. The canopy on Summer Chocolate will top out at roughly 15 feet wide. The caveat...the root system can spread up to 3 times that distance, so be sure that wherever you plant it, it is at least 23 Feet from any structure, driveway, foundation or septic system/pipes.

Esperanza said:

T Then some say it grows 12" to 3 feet a year. That is not fast in my opinion.

Actually, for trees that is a pretty fast growth rates.

My Mimosa went from seed to ~ 13 ' high and 18 ' wide with a trunk 5 + inches in diameter. The seed was planted in April 2011 in the kitchen.

I staked it for 2 years with a 5' metal stake.

Esperanza said: So here is a spot that I think will work the best. I took this picture today so keep in mind the garden looks a little scraggely. It is January, ya know? I drew in(red) where I am thinking about placing it. It will look awkward there without adding a few things around it for balance while it is growing. I really do not want an ugly stake on it either. Hmmmm......

Are those trees behind gonna shade it? Nicer Mimosa specimens need open and airy location.

I wondered that as well Arlene.

I really need to take a panoramic shot of the whole area so yall can see a better view. To the right of that sago is a cliff that has views for miles and behind where I am taking the picture from is my house, deck, and a strip of garden with more open sky. I think the dark foliage would look much better being viewed in front of greenery. I am attaching a few more photos. I do not know if that will help get a better idea or not. The area in the photo above has been somewhat difficult to plan and needs something special.

When we moved in at the end of 2011 it was a raw piece of land that all the ash junipers had been removed. It looked like acres and acres of rock quarry. The red oaks had dropped the leaves already and beside from a few small live oaks it was just white limestone and no soil, no greenery. A blank slate. That is what every gardener dreams of right? This is what that area originally looked like















Things took forever and I have never really been happy with that area at one point it was this in 2013






And here I am now 2015 this is looking the other way. I am just tired of everything I have done and have started stripping it down to bare bones for a change.




Whew............. long post. I might be expecting to much with this tree. I just really want something tangy, eye catching, different and colorful. It is like doing a painting and you have been staring at it for so long that you can not really see what it looks like anymore.

Ok good advice Jean and David. Thankyou. No the oaks face east. Where I am standing taking that photo behind me is west. It will have full blaring sun with no shade at all from 9 in the morning until sundown.

Esperanza said: I might be expecting to much with this tree. I just really want something tangy, eye catching, different and colorful.

Check on everything in several years except not sure what tangy means in this regard.

Then you need some protection on it for awhile or it will get fried. An old wooden orange crate or something til it settles in. It is only 17 " tall?

Tangy................. hmmm.............well............ um.......... ...... me neither
A taste of something different I guess.

But, ya I imagine in a few years the mimosa will be in the wrong spot and I will still be struggling to figure out where to go next and what went wrong. Ahhh.... gardening. It is like any other relationship I guess. It takes a lot of work and is never really perfect. Maybe that is just me.

So now I need a stake and an orange crate? Your killing me David. Yes 17"

You are welcome. I just don't want you to wind up having to move it once it is established. Also, as Pirl suggested, you may want to keep it in a pot this year while you decide where it will give you the biggest Bang for your Buck.

Having three Japanese maples in pots, for too long, I can almost feel your angst. I'd probably want it in a spot where you'd see it most frequently.