Not fully hardy here in this part of USDA 8, so I have to wonder about results in Zone 6. And yes, it tends to pop up nearby, like a sumac.

Neighbors here has perhaps the largest, most shapely one I have seen for a long time. But eventually a hard winter killed most of the top. A hard winter around here is when it gets below 10 degrees F.

Neighbors here had...

Are you sure we're talking about the same variety? The one I have is listed as zone 6 hardy. I got it at Forest farm web site. I know there are some that are for warmer climates, but this is listed zone 6. Another name used for it is Harlequin Glory bower. If it is equal to Forsythia in suckering I can handle it, but if it's much more thuggish, I'll have to think twice about where it goes in the yard.

Yes, I am talking about the same botanical species. And yes, I am talking about separate sprouts coming up yards away, from creeping roots, as with a sumac or a black locust - and not the sprouting of new canes within the same framework that a forsythia, lilac or rose uses to keep going.

I trusted the FF catalog that said zone 6, I will probably have to wait til the plant fails next winter for a refund. It may be a good thing that it isn't hardy if it is a thug. I have a wild area it could go but it is at the bottom of a slope and may be colder than the rest of the yard. I got it for the scent and tropical look. I have more experience with trees than shrubs. I have rugosa rose already, which is supposed to smell good,and Honeysuckle vine, I made sure I got a fragrant Honeysuckle that isn't supposed to be like the invasive one. Any other fragrant shrubs for part sun that bllom in spring before the rose and Honeysuckle? I will do a web search myself too, but any off the top of your head? And thanks bboy for your replies.

I think you may be fine :-) I have much different experience with the hardiness of Clerodendrum trichotomum here in the PNW......I know of many examples that have withstood our sometimes funky wet and cold winters without ANY problems. It is also rated to increased hardiness by MOBOT and other sources as well (at least zone 7, perhaps lower). And, this is a shrub that can be coppiced to the ground and will still survive, so I doubt some cold damage to top growth is significant. But it doesn't bloom in spring, if that is what you are looking for -- more like late summer :-) It does sucker though and at some distance and sometimes aggressively but suckering shoots are easily removed - my 15 year old shrub started life as a sucker removed by a gardening friend, so you can share with neighbors if you like.

If you are looking for early season fragrance, you might want to consider one of the viburnums, like carlesii, x juddii or x carlcephalum. All share an intensely fragrant early spring bloom.

There was general damage to this tree (the more common hairy-leaved variety) in this area in 1990, and that is a fact. The less frequent, smooth-leaved variety (of same species), that is also apt to differ by producing pinkish petals was not much damaged.

I mentioned the one in my neighborhood because even though it was a long-successful, unusually large example it was still badly hammered.

Catalogs and labels often put the wrong zones in descriptions and on labels. The basis for the USDA Zone plotting seems to be too much for a great many people to grasp, at least in 20 seconds. Each zone was determined by what the average annual minimum temperature was during specific, comparatively short periods of years. The average range given by the USDA for each zone does not include the coldest temperatures seen there. Therefore, in the case of Zone 6 (-10 to 0 degrees F) a plant will have to be hardy below -10 in order to last outside there.

Comparison of commercial listings with personal observations of particular plants gives me the impression it is common to rate an offering hardy to a zone if the top end of the average range for that zone is where the plant starts to go south. So, a plant hardy to only 0 degrees F. could end up being presented as hardy to Zone 6.

I have decided to put it in an area where it can be wild IF IT LIVES. If I would,ve known it wasn't truly zone 6 I wouldn't have got it. Other than trying Live oak in zone 6, I usually stick to my zone. I found Seven son flower, and ordered 2. It is zone 4 hardy. I found it when seeing if Crape Myrtles were hardy here. It is an alternative to Crape Myrtles, and it turns out to resemble the Glory bower, and also blooms in fall. It is Heptacodium Miconoides, it can handle dappled shade too, and still bloom, I wonder if it's safe to put about 4 ft from a ( full basement ) foundation. It will get about 20 ft tall. And can shade the house a little, til the trees get big enough, and should be able to stay there when there is some shade.

Gardengal the spring flowering was a seperate question from the glory bower, but I will check out viburnums, I'm just now getting into shrubs. The last 8 years at this house I've been planting trees. Thanks for the suggestion.

I looked up the viburnums and ended up getting one, and when searching I recognized the berries in pictures to be a plant I started from berries I got in the Florida keys last fall. I have a plant growing on my basement windowsill now. I wasn't sure if I could grow it here outside.It has to be the same plant. I went on the Florida garden forum and ( not having a camera for posting pics )described the plant and it's berries and they all said Beautyberry but the berries were red not purple. So I finally know what it is. I will try to acclimate it to outside, and try to grow it here, I don't know if it's like trees with hardiness provenance. I'm trying Vib Carlesii, by the way. Thanks Gardengal48 for the info that helped me ID the red berried Vib so I know what I grew from seed!

Here is my neighbor's plant. It has been blooming for a couple of weeks now. Foliage is kind of stinky if you rub them but flowers are fragrant, especially in PM. I know it will make a blue berry, let's hope it doesn't become weedy.

Foliage has a very strong aroma of peanut butter, hence the common name of 'peanut butter' shrub. And when in bloom with the sweet smelling flowers, it can almost extend to the peanut butter and jelly shrub :-))

Generally, the weediness of this shrub derives from root suckers rather than seeding. Planting in the middle of the lawn like above removes most of that risk due to mowing.

I have one of these in a pot right now that I'm trying to figure out where to plant... Glad to hear that the suckers can be handled with mowing.

This is my first year owning it. I'm hoping that it will get the pretty berries!

I haven't remembered this thread until now, my Glory Bower died. It's been 6 years since I started this thread. I am glad some of you are having success with it. I don't even remember how long it lived for, it could'nt have been very long I guess.

Sam, we're going to have to restrict you to 2 thread bumps a month. (JK, it all seriousness, for a case like this, it's probably better to bump the old one than start a new one)

The best I have seen was at Norfolk Botanical Garden, trained to a single stem. So that is how I am handling mine. I apparently have soil that is incredibly conducive to germinating seeds, as I've covered in earlier threads. My Clendrodendron has produced blue berries for at least 3 years now, but I haven't seen any seedlings. No guarantees but not something to worry about I think.

Mine survive the polar winters with no stem injury, as did most deciduous material of mine. Leafed out normally the next spring. Pinkneya, OTOH, did not survive the first.

I wouldn't eat any peanut butter that smelled like these leaves. To me it is a more rubbery smell than PB.