Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 09:17:40 -0500
From: RONALDJ ROVANSEK
<ROVANSEK.RONALDJ@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV>
Reply-To: Bulletin Board for Dissemination of Information on
Louisiana
Birds <LABIRD-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: LABIRD-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: abutilons and clumps

Bonnie, Karen, Lin, etc.
If I had an abutilon that was still blooming I would wait until
May to cut it back, to allow the migrating rubythroats a chance to feed there.
I would cut it back to about 3 or 4 feet, or even a little lower if you are
trying to keep it in a small area, and I would cut back any long weak
looking branches including horizontal branches that abutilons are prone
to growing. I think that abutilons are best grown in a cluster of
several plants rather than just one plant. This helps the plants hold each
other up (abutilons are rather weak shrubs or wimpy trees). Clusters of
plants also help ensure that your abutilons don't suddenly die out.
Abutilons occasionally die at a young age from freezing, insects,
including termite attacks on the roots and basal stems, and other reasons. If you
have a cluster of plants, the loss of one of the plants won't be a big
deal. The easiest way to start new plants is to take cuttings in the spring
and push them into the ground where you want the plants to grow. Use a
woody cutting 8 to 12 inches long with all but a few small or partial
leaves removed. Unless you are in the middle of a drought, spring
should provide cool and moist conditions good for cuttings to take
root. Expect only a percentage of cuttings to root, so start lots more than
you need. Cuttings placed directly in the ground should only be tried in a
shady, moist spot, such as under a tree or shrubs. If you want new
plants in the sun, then move some cuttings from the shade after they show
new, healthy looking leaves. Even if you already have a cluster of
plants, like Karen has, I would start a few cuttings each spring to ensure
that you have many plants. I would recommend the same procedure
with malvaviscus pendulaflora - giant turks cap - even though those
plants are much longer lived than abutilons.

I recommend growing plants in clumps not only because I think they
attract hummers better and look better that way, but also because a
garden is much easier to maintain when it is planted with large clumps of
plants rather than many intermixed species of plants. Much of
the maintenance in a flower garden is directed to where one species
of plant meets another species. One might grow a little faster and
intrude on the other, or a taller plant might topple onto a shorter one and
need to be staked or pruned. This wouldn't be a problem if the plants were growing amongst their own kind. Also, weeds tend to appear in between clumps
of plants rather than in the middle of a clump where the desired plants
are thickest. So, if you are planting a garden, especially a large one, plant
really large clump of each type of flower, rather than intermixing individual plants with plants of other species, and I think you'll find much less work and a better visual impact when your plants bloom. By the way, I don't think that it is necessary to have a huge variety of plants to attract hummers. Yes, people like Van and Nancy have a great assortment of exotic plants and a great assortment of exotic
hummers. They are growing those plants because they like to try new plants, and their hummers spend most of their time feeding on a few reliable favorites (this is my opinion, not theirs). If one is interested only in attracting hummers I would recommend choosing a small number of really good, easily grown hummer plants and concentrate on large clumps of them, rather than worry about collecting every plant that comes along. (Of course I am as guilty as anyone of trying to grow every plant I find, but thats because I like to grow them, not because I think it is necessary for attracting hummers)

Ron Rovansek

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 20:22:59 -0600
From: Didier & Bonnie Ardoin <cudjoe@ASBANK.COM>

Subject: Abutilon

Hi listers:

Can anyone tell me if I should prune back my Abutilon? it is at
least 6
ft. tall, and has been blooming all winter. If so, when should I
prune
it, and how far back.

Thanks in advance,

Bonnie Ardoin

==================================================

From: Nancy L. Newfield <colibri@GS.VERIO.NET>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
Date: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 11:48 PM
Subject: Re: Abutilon - Flowering Maple

Michael,

At 09:52 AM 5/1/01 -0400, Michael Gochfeld wrote:

>Question:
> From time to time I have seen mention of Abutilons as
hummingbird
>flowers. At a recent nursery show, I saw a plant I'd never
seen before
>(in New Jersey). It is listed only as "Abutilon Flowering
Maple". It
>didn't strike me as a good looking flower structure for
hummers or
>butterflies, but I'm wondering if anyone knows anything
about its
>prospects.

When I find a plant to be a superior hummer attractor, I am
inclined to try
any other member of its genus. So it is with Salvias, Cupheas,
Justicias,
etc. So it is also with Abutilons. Over the years I've tried a
considerable number. Most have bell-shaped blossoms, but
one had a more
open shape, rather like a Texas Star Hibiscus. All have has
some nectar and
all were visited by hummers, but none has been a better
hummer attractor
than the old-fashioned orange Abutilon pictum.

At one time, I had a red-flowered Abutilon that was very
popular with
hummers and with orioles. It did not remain in bloom all year
like the
orange-flowered one does. Its growth habit was more broad
than tall, but it
was a sizable plant nonetheless.

I have seen hummers go crazy for the recumbent Abutilon
megapotamicum types,
but my success in growing them has been less than stellar.
Next time, it
will get a shadier spot.

I presently have a pretty red one that has a rather floppy growth
habit. It
has not grown much in the 3 years I've had it and doesn't seem
to have a
strong root system. Hummers have used it, but it doesn't seem
as compelling
as the big, orange one.

Last week, I saw a cute small one at Charvet's on Clearview. It
was a real
miniature and there was a good bit of nectar. However, I am
going out of
town next week, so new plant purchases will wait until I get
back.

When extracting the nectar, hummers can reach up into the
flower in the
traditional manner, but most of the time, I see them probing the
crevices
between the petals and sepals. My advice is to give any
Abutilons a try.
Of course, you'll have to keep them indoors all winter in New
Jersey.

NLN

Nancy L. Newfield
Casa Colibrí©
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<colibri@gs.verio.net>

=============================================

Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 22:12:52 -0600
From: Nancy L Newfield <colibri@GS.VERIO.NET>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] orange flowered abutilon

I haven't looked at Carol's picture, but it is probably the orange-flowered
most of us down here grow, Abutilon pictum. Your description sounds
appropriate. I've had it grow to 17 feet and it drips nectar all over the
place. I used to have a dog that ate all of the flowers below about 3
feet. Never could understand why the plant books described it as a
flowering house plant. Why would anyone want all that sugar dripping all
over the carpet! Here in Louisiana, it flowers down to about 30º F. and
usually comes back from the root if temperatures plunge below 20º F.

It's cultural requirements are not difficult to meet, at least not
here. It seems to grow well in any type of soil, flowers generously in sun
to part shade, and demands little auxiliary watering in times of
drought. However, too much water can sometimes be a problem. A number of us lost plants to the 20+ inches of rain dumped on us during Tropical Storm Allison in June, when water sat in the roots for hours or even
days. Abutilon pictum tends to get overly lanky and breaks easily in high
winds, so trimming helps keep it from getting too tall.

Abutilon pictum was one of the first 3 hummer plants given me by the kind gentleman who taught me the principles of hummingbird gardening in
1975. Not only is this plant attractive to hummers, but I usually have an
oriole or two during the winter. I wouldn't be without it!

NLN

==================================================

Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2001 23:04:56 -0800
From: John MacGregor <jonivy@EARTHLINK.NET>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] orange flowered abutilon

Cheri,

I don't know where the "Dragon's Blood" came from. Perhaps a flight of
fancy of the nurseryman who sold it to you. (Nothing wrong with that!) The blossom in Carol Foil's photo is that of Abutilon pictum. a species native
to Brazil. There are several named forms of this species, including several
with various patterns of variegated foliage. To tell which this is, we
would have to see the maple-shaped leaves (abutilons often are called
"flowering maples"). "Pictum" in Latin means painted, referring to the
bright red veins on the orange background; "striatum", meaning lined, is
another obsolete synonym that refers to this same characteristic. I always think the bells look like miniature Tiffany lampshades. Hummingbirds of all species love it. Where I live (in southern California) it provides hummer
food practically all year long.

Like many of the hybrid abutilons that descend from it, A. pictum prefers
partial shade--especially in the afternoon, but will not blossom as much if
the shade is too deep. Watering needs to be regular in dry periods, with
very moderate fertilizing--perhaps with fish oil. Outdoors, it is hardy to
the mid- to upper thirties F./-1 to -3 C. In Canada it will have to be
wintered over in an east window or in a greenhouse.

John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030

=============================

Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 02:14:03 -0400
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] The Next Generation (botanically speaking)

The way to start abutilons is from cuttings. Seed is possible, but "Little
Imp" might not grow true from seed. In other words, the seedlings might not
turn out to look or attract hummers quite like little imp does. Could be
better, could be worse. I would try starting a whole bunch of cuttings,
keep them moist in the shade, and eventually at least a few should strike
roots, although it may take several weeks or more. You probably cannot
divide an abutilon - at least none of the many abutilons I have examined
and grown have ever spread vegetatively to permit division to be an option.
One possibility is layering. Take a low-hanging branch and put a small pile
of dirt over it to hold it to the ground. Leave the growing end and a few
leaves uncovered. In a few weeks the covered stem should strike roots, and
you can transplant it as a new plant - after you cut it from the parent
plant, of course.

If your seeds are molding, then the solution is to dry them more
thoroughly. Seed can be stored in the fridge which might help. If you home
is too humid (i.e. not central air conditioned in Louisiana) then perhaps
storing seeds at work is a better place.

 (no name provided)

===========================

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 10:22:09 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Abutilon Inquiry

>In a message dated 12/2/02 6:30:03 AM Pacific Standard Time,
>joyful1218@COX.NET writes:
>Help - I'm having problems with my abutilon! About 4 years ago, a friend
>gave me several cuttings in the spring - only one survived, but it did
>beautifully and I fell in love with it. Then after about 2 years it died
>- I assumed it was related to the house painters cleaning their tools not
>far from the plant. So, a couple of months later when the weather warmed
>up my friend gave me another cutting. I put it in the same spot so I
>could enjoy its beauty from inside the house (part to full sun). Now
>about a year and a half later, it died! About 2 weeks ago, I looked
>outside and saw it totally wilted! Within a couple of days it was gone!
> Any ideas about the cause and what I can do to prevent this catastrophe
>again (assuming I can get another cutting)?

> I used to lose abutilons to termites when I lived in Baton Rouge. Others
>died of uncertain causes. I recommend that you grow a cluster of abutilons
>rather than a single plant, since this provides insurance against the
>sudden death of a single plant. The winter is a good time to simply stick
>cuttings in the ground in places you want abutilons. I use cuttings about
>a foot long with most of the leaves removed except for a few smaller
>leaves near the top of the cutting. Stick it in moist soil about 6 inches
>deep, keep moist, and about half of them should sprout. Abutilons grow
>fine with plants a foot or so apart, so I put cuttings about a foot apart
>in groups, counting on some of them to croak and others to grow into
>plants. Ron Rovansek huntington Beach, CA

Joyful1218, Humnet:

If you are in Zone 8b or higher (usually higher is farther
south), abutilon should at least come back from rootstock after cold
weather. Farther north, and cold weakens them to the point of succumbing
to lots of things. If you're in an iffy hardiness zone, try abutilon in a
more protected spot.

How moist is the soil? Abutilon can take extended drought, but cannot take
month after month of soggy soil without succumbing to rot.

Also, if the house painters used a gasoline, kerosene, varsol, or some
other hydrocarbon based solvent to clean their equipment, it could be that
the soil in that spot is damaged.

Did you closely examine the recently dead plants? If visible, toothish,
but tiny gnaw-marks were at the base of the woody stems, maybe even
girdling the stem, my guess is you've got mice. If that's the case, on the
still living ones, try pulling the thick mulch way back, so the mice will
feel unprotected while they dine. You could use rodenticide, but that also
kills so many other critters I hesitate using it.

I also have had minor problems with slugs and snails doing the same thing.
Again, pull mulch back a few inches to make the environment less attractive
to them, and you can use some slug bait, or if you prefer a more natural
approach, diatomaceous earth or beer. I have a feeling the slug bait also
might be effective on mice. Maybe they don't like the smell or something.

Slugs usually aren't a problem once the stem gets woody. They prefer soft
tissue. Yours are 4 years old, so I assume they were woody.

MiriamLDavey
BatonRouge, LA

================================

Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 14:41:51 -0800
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] Abutilons

on 12/15/02 5:29 PM, Rrovansek@AOL.COM at Rrovansek@AOL.COM wrote:

>> Yes, you're right about that, and that's why I added the "Well Duh!" to
my
>> note. However, getting theoretical for a moment, then why do plants
like
>> Abutilon bother? Why go to the energy-wasting trouble of producing
large
>> volumes of nectar if nobody, be it man, insect, or hummer, knows about
it?
>
> Could it be that abutilons are adapted not for hummers, or at least not
for
> small north american hummers, but rather for large tropical hummers or
some
> other nectarivorous bird that DOES care about volume? Are the abutilons
we
> grow (e.g. A. pictum) native to a place with hummers? And keep in mind
that
> abutilons, at least the nectar-rich ones, are among the plants most
favored
> by hummers despite the existance of other even more highly favored
plants.
>
> Ron Rovansek
>

Ron,

Abutilon pictum, A. megapotamicum, and some of the other species that enter
into the parentage of modern Abutilon hybrids (A. X hybridum) are from
various parts of Brazil where a number of different hummer's ranges
overlap.
I see hummers feeding from the flowers of A. megapotamicum from below,
getting pollen on their heads in the process, but many of the the ones I
observe nectaring on the larger-flowered ones usually access the juice from
the side, between the petal bases (which are often provided with large
notches that permit such access). This suggests to me that they are
actually nectar robbers with regard to these larger flowers, which actually
may be adapted to pollination by large bees. In this area I often see
Valley carpenter bees feeding in abutilons--probably gathering both nectar
and pollen.

So far I have had no success obtaining an authentic plant of A. pictum, but
the abutilon I grow that produces copious amounts of nectar is 'Kristen's
Pink', which is sold in California under the name 'Logee's Pink' (since it
originally was marketed by Logee's Greenhouse in Danielson,
CT). I don't have Dennis Demcheck's "nectarometer", but I have sampled
several blossoms at various times and I find that they consistently yield
nearly a half-teaspoon of liquid which, to my tongue, tastes even sweeter
than the 4-1 water-sugar mixture I use in my feeders. At the Hall garden,
a male Anna's has made the 10-foot tall (and almost as wide) plant the center
of his territory, which he defends vigorously year-round from incursions
from the very aggressive Allen's that regularly send him packing when he
enters their domains.

Other abutilons among the 40 or more abutilon forms grown in the gardens I
care for that consistently attract hummers are A. X hybridum cultivars
'Luteum' and 'White Parasol'.

John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9 Sunset zones 21/23

====================================

Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 19:25:12 -0600
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Abutilon question
To: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU

Rusty,

At 06:08 PM 2/4/2003 -0600, you wrote:

> I have a large abutilon (the one with the orange/red-veined bulbs)
> that was
>damaged by the last hard freeze. It's looking pretty rough these days.
The
>leaves aren't quite black, but they've wilted bigtime. My question is,
>should I cut it back now? If so, how far back should I cut it? It's
>currently roughly 8' tall by 12' wide.

I have a couple that are in approximately the same condition, not to
mention a bunch of other stuff that is completely fried. I'm not cutting
my Abutilons back until about 15 March. When I cut back, I will cut to
about half the original size. It will grow back to full vigor pretty fast.

>Content with my first winter hummer,

Enjoy!

NLN

***************************
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
<colibri@webdsi.com>
***************************