Harlequin glorybower.

Thank you bboy that's it. I'm surprised I never noticed it before. Anyone around here growing it?

BBOY, Is that also called "Clarodendren" Or something like that? A friend gave me a start, and I was so thrilled, having coveted its scent, and delightfull play dough-esque berry things, but it died, right away. So Sad for me :( DO You know what it takes to keep one alive?

It was part of our conversation today too.

The largest one I've seen was in Seaside, Oregon - about 14' to 16' tall. Fairly old.

They can get a decent size if given some space.

They tend to be rather unnoticeable until bloom season - just another large green shrubby thing :-) But then those pink tinged buds form and open into the fragrant white flowers with the burgundy calyx and all of a sudden, a plant you passed for months without noticing makes its presence known. Sometimes called the peanutbutter and jelly shrub, as the leaves when rubbed have a distinct aroma of peanutbutter and the flowers a sweet, jelly-like fragrance.

Clerodendrum trichotomum is not all that hard to grow and is pretty undemanding once established. Can send up suckers that are rather easily separated from the mother plant and that's a pretty good way to get one going. I've got one that needs removing, which you are welcome to have if you are anywhere in my vicinity. Let me know.

Thanks so much for posting this one! I, too, have seen this tree all over my neighborhood and wondered what it was. I'd love to know what everyone thinks of it, because I just spent half an hour looking it up on the internet, and all I found was conflicting information.

Some websites say, for instance, that it is actually a large shrub. Anyone know if this is true? One website suggested that to make it into a tree, you need to stake it until a sturdy trunk develops. Another said you can just prune it to shape.

Some websites said it is invasive, or not hardy, or that it suckers too much.

But the Seattle Times website says it has lots more than just flowers going for it: "Harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum var. fargesii) is a razzle-dazzle carnival of a plant. While most of the year it offers quiet charms, come autumn it explodes with a show of nearly unbelievable colors. A small deciduous tree (to 8 to 10 feet), the variety fargesii has large leaves that come on bronze in the spring, turn mid-green in summer, and offer a surprising scent of peanut butter. Sweetly fragrant little white flowers bloom in late summer, but the main justification for giving it garden space becomes clear in late September and October when brilliant pink calyxes surround vivid turquoise fruit for an inspired combination of colors in the autumn garden."

Sooo... what do all you glorbower growers have to say? I'd love your feedback!

Garden gal, Thank You, I Will get in touch. Do you know what kind of site it likes best? Sun, Part sun? Wet?, Drained? The person who gave me the start said exactly what You said. I must have done something wrong when I was caring for it. It certainly gets people under its spell.

Not a rare item, especially down there: "In Portland, OR, many small trees are found. When it is a tree (to ca. 26' x 3'0") it is often low-forking and broad" (Jacobson, NORTH AMERICAN LANDSCAPE TREES).

The way it was phrased, looks like that 'Times' piece ended up attributing characteristics, including foliage smell to var. fargesii that are not specific to it alone. The var. actually "Differs in having smooth leaves and stems, and usually more free-fruiting" (HILLIER MANUAL OF TREES & SHRUBS). It comes from western China; the native range of the species as a whole extends to Japan.

Xantippe,

I like this tree. I've grown it at my last two Seattle gardens (debating it for the current, #3 garden) and really liked it.

It's right between a large shrub and a small/medium tree. I bought my first one as a five foot tree-shaped plant (in a surprisingly small pot) and it basically stayed that way with just an occasional pruning. It made a couple of suckers over the years, but nothing as irritating as, say, a lilac or a Kerria japonica. I think it's a fun, well behaved little tree. It tolerates pruning well and often develops a nice multi-branched shape.

Zephyr, I wonder if yours was a sucker that had recently been separated and wasn't able to survive on its own yet? They're pretty easy to keep happy and growing in my opinion.

Now you're giving me a craving to put one in this garden, heh heh.

Take care,
Grant

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This tree/shrub sounds like something I'd be interested in. Does anyone have problems with the Glorybower reseeding? A nursery based in the southeast cautioned that it seeds itself profusely. Wondered if that was a problem up here.

Huh. I never noticed mine ever actually reseeding. Anyone else?

Like I mentioned, it made an occasional sucker, but they were easily removed with a stab of a shovel (or saved to give to friends).

I'm curious if others saw reseeding problems too. Oh, and let us know if you get one and how it works out.

Take care,
Grant

I saw one today that was about twenty feet high. My neighbor's is about twelve feet high. I have never noticed seedlings from it.

Haven't heard of it with this one in particular but lots of east Asian stuff pops up over there because of the similar wet summer climate. Some have become major weeds. Recently I noticed the frequently watered garden across the street from me has some paulownia seedlings coming up, from my tree(s) no doubt (only ones nearby). So if it rained alot in summer empress tree would probably be a weed here as well.

Since clerodendrum suckers another question would be if the seedlings in that instance were actually suckers.

If anyone in Portland wants to see a nice example of these at maturity, there are four of them growing all in a row on a parking strip at SE 14th & SE Knapp. Best smelling corner in my neighborhood right now.

My Clerodendrum trichotomum is lovely, but I'm beginning to regret its introduction to my garden. I have one that is a single stemmed tree form, as opposed to multistemmed. Right now it is about 16' tall and in full carmine/turquoise flower. Gorgeous. BUT - this tree must drop a thousand seeds and I swear each one germinates. They are in the lawn, between the pavers, all around the ground below it. I've created a weeding nightmare. On top of that, this year the tree has started sending up suckers up to 20' away from the trunk. One day nothing is there - then it seems like the next day the sucker is a foot high.
So far, I like the tree enough to put up with it. But the negative side is starting to mount.

Mine is coming down this winter because of the suckers.
Duane

Must be a climate thing, Portland having hotter summers or the fact that most people don't water much up here (it rains all the time, right?).

Good feedback from folks with suckers/seedlings. If I based my recommendations on just my previous plants I would have strongly said suckering/seeding isn't a problem, so it's good to hear that for some folks it is so I can be sure to mention it/keep it in mind in the future.

Happy gardening,
Grant

Misslemonverbena, thanks so much for listing the address in Sellwood. Managed to get by today and although the flowers are past their prime, the fading blossoms in the grass stilled smelled wonderful. I thought the shape was charming and heavens those leaves do smell like peanut butter. I'm wondering how old these trees are, any ideas? They are just below the electrial wires so I'm guessing that's twenty feet tall. I did notice one does have a sucker coming up about 18 inches from the base but I didn't notice any others. Thanks again!!

Krys