>Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 07:59:54 -0500
>From: Bill Fontenot <bbboy@NATURESTATION.ORG>
>Subject: Re: red buck eye

>as is the case with most plants possessing a deep taproot (hickories,
>walnut, long-leaf pine, dwarf palmetto), red buckeye takes its sweet time
>for the first 3 years, with most energy going into building root rather
>than aboveground parts. after that, it produces top growth at an acceptable
>speed. down here in s. central la. (where it natively occurs down to
>vermilion bay), it generally leafs out in late january - long before any
>other native deciduous tree or shrub. by the same token, it drops leaves
>early: by early july in sunny locales; early fall in shaded locales.
>blooming occurs from march-may - in perfect timing w/RTHU spring migration sequence.
>
>moving red buckeye is as problematic as moving other deep taprooted>species. chances for success are not good. take as large and deep of a
>rootball as you possibly can. fortunately, red buckeye easily germinates
>from seed. in fact, once you get a mature seed-producing specimen (4-6
>yrs), it can become downright weedy if you do not faithfully remove the
>seed before it falls.
>
>red buckeye grows to large shrub proportions (7-8'X6-7') in deep shade. the
>more sun and moisture, the bigger it gets - often to 20-25' in height. we
>like it in moderate to deep shade (where it holds its foliage better),
>along with american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), strawberry bush
>(Euonymus americanus), dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), witch hazel (Hamamelis
>virginica), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), turk's cap (Malvaviscus
>drummondii), spiderwort (Tradescantia spp.), and ferns. it also looks very
>fine as a "foundation tree" up within the foundation of the home. those of
>you who attend remsen's party this month can view it in that situation.>also, he'll probably have beaucoup seed for anyone wanting some.
>
>lastly, the moisture situation: good news! red buckeye can handle prolonged
>dry spells to floods and everything in between. an awesome plant.
>
>bill fontenot
>
>
>
> 07:51 PM 10/4/99 -0500, you wrote:
>> How long does it take for the red buckeye to mature from seed to
>>blooming tree? Mine are 3-4 years old and are taking forever. They're
>>only a 1-2 feet tall. Also, how hard is it to move a small one. The Al
>>has decided that a driveway must go through where one is planted.
>>Yvonne Bordelon
>>Baton Rouge and Covington, LA