Hello Everyone,

I have the strangest plant in my garden, it was here when I moved here in June of 2002. The plant was cut down sometime last fall, but these little fuzzy buds appeared in March 2003. I took pictures in March, April, May and then again today. Buds that started out less than an inch long have grown into a plant that towers over my two story house in 7 months! Can someone please tell me what the name of this plant is? It's hard to tell from recent pictures, but the plant appears to be growing flower buds at the top. The stalk is hollow, rather like bamboo. But, the stalk and leaves are sticky and leave a residue on my hands. The leaves are over 3 feet wide now.

You will find the pictures here:
http://community.webshots.com/user/jc2weho

Thanks!
jc2weho
jc2weho2@yahoo.com

What do we look under in the webshots....I can't find them????
Catlover

Sorry I made a mistake on the URL for the pictures. Please go to:

http://community.webshots.com/user/jc2weho

jc2weho

Wow....what a monster!
I have no idea but hopefully someone will be by shortly to help you out.

Catlover

Hi Catlover,

Yes, it is a monster! I am truly curious what is growing so very TALL in my garden.

Thanks for your reply,
jc2weho

Hello there jc2weho,
Wow, that's a heck of a name you got there.

And that's a heck of a bean stalk you got there.

My first thought would be start talking to your neighbors. Neighbors know alot!!!!
Whether you want them to or not sometimes.

But How long, between cutting and that growing to that length??? What is in the pictures is a summers growth????????
Would you use the word, fast growing????
I'll take a peek and you wait a bit for
either Papito or Bill, they'd be a little bit
closer to your area....

I have a small idea of a fast grower, but for the life of me, I can't remeber as of this typing....
I'll post later tonight if I find it again!

Weezie

Okay,
Give this one a try,
I'm not sure, but these may be your culprit!!

http://www.paulownia.org/

http://www.paulowniatrees.com.au/Growing.htm

Weezie

Weezie, you are simply grand!!!!!!! This is exactly our plant and soon it looks like it is going to flower. When it does I will put a last post here for where to go to see them.

Thank you for your horticultural prowess.

To eplain my "display" name, my initials are JC, I used to live in West Hollywood, CA, ergo the "weho", the 2 is for you to guess.

jc2weho

Well,
JC, I just happened to know about that tree
because I had investigated it for the wood.
As I understand it, it's a fast growing,
really good wood tree, and when you chop it
down, it still regrows from the stump, again and again. They cut the trees every three years for harvest.
I had looked into it only for my father~in~law because he works with wood.....

But I sure am glad to help.
I never realized it flowered so pretty,
but I would love to see a picture of it,
when it does bloom....

Do you have a garden????? Plants or Veggies?

Well, we hope you stick around and peak in
on us from time to time and ask questions.
We love a good Mystery!!!
And we always enjoy new voices here at the
The Garden Helpers Forum.
We have The Banter Hall just for chit~chatting too.

Glad to have helped!!!
Weezie

Had to leave to go grocery shopping and was wanting to get back home so bad just to find out if the mystery was solved. If it wasn't I was going to dive in and surf the net! You know me I can't pass up a good mystery!

Great Job Weezie Catlover

That's funny Karen, you can't really cut those
things down!! It just keeps coming back and back!
I have read they are considered an invasive plant outside it's natural growing area.
But the wood is supposed to be awesome.

Weezie

Hi Weezie,

Thanks for all the info about the Paulownia. I would never have guessed that anyone would have solved my mystery so fast! My dad was a woodworker and would have loved the grain this wood seems to have. I saw the pictures from the web link you sent me of oriental stinged instruments made from this wood - Lovely! I will certainly post pictures for you to see when this giant blooms.

For Cat Lover,

You are just tooooooo funny. I looked at pic #6 and yes, it does look like gravestones in front of the plant. In reality, they are just the slats from our garden gate.

For both of you,

Here is the link to webshots where I have just made a new album of photos from our succulent and cactus garden. The usable space we have is only 9' x 39', but it is packed with glorious plants and loads of garden whimsey. Click on the album called Long and Narrow Garden. Please enjoy!

http://community.webshots.com/user/jc2weho

A delight communicating with you both, I promise I will be back again and again.

jc2weho

JC....... You have some beautiful plants! I want a Paulownia (for the tree, AND the wood!)

Weezie....... Don't get a swoolen head just because you hit two for two today! (Including shaming me!)

Karen..... I knew you would zero right in on those pictures. You're "sickness" is getting worse by the day! (and its only just begun) You poor thing......
Don't worry, we'll be here to support you through your withdrawls when you can't find the cacti you HAVE to have!

I have butterflys that host on mine.hope that breed of butterfly doubles next yr so less leaves to rake.they weren.t bad from that tree considering my clean up crew the flutterbys..LOL

I won't name any names.... but the hillbilly who lives on a mountain top in Washington is being a little

I feel so terrible about this Karen...... almost like some sort of drug dealer....

Oh..... Ya know what you need to have growing next to your Donkey Tails? A Ghost Plant!!!! Graptopetalum paraguayense..... gotta have one! 3" silver grey rosettes on hanging stems...... turns an awesome, irradecent pink in the sun, and even better under a grow light...

NO!! Forget that I mentioned this plant..... you DON'T WANT ONE!

You guys are toooooooooooo funnyyy.

I learned my lesson one night with
cactus plants,
after a good night of havin' a few!!

NEVER GRAB IT AS IT FALLS OVER!!!!
BAD, BAD, BAD IDEA!!!!!

You know I loved that cactus, even
though it attacked me that night,
but I'll never get another one..
Well, I'll keep my christmas "cactus"

Weezie

ROFL

Weezie I thought the lesson would of been NOT TO DRINK ANYMORE then there would be no more problems with flying cactus!

No, who ever potted it up didn't
understand the law of gravity,
It was top heavy in a little lite pot!!
And it actually was soooooooooo dry it
just fell out of the pot because there
was no weight to the soil to hold it in there.

I was actually a very good drinker!!
No problems there

Weezie

jc2weho,
Those are great pictures! I love the whimsy you've added. I have a little whimsy here and there in my garden, would like more but my hubby just doesn't get it. I have the cutest statue of a laughing frog, if I ever own a ranch its going to be called The Laughing Frog just because it makes me smile everytime I see him.

Hi Everyone who replied to this original post!!!

I must tell you all that I have never had so much fun sitting here and reading all of your posts. I feel I have to answer each of you in turn, it's only fair.

First to Catlover,
Yes, I do have a little "wicked" sense of humor, I am a Saggitarius! I have a feeling that you are too much fun also. This garden adventure has been one of the best in my life. No, it was not done all alone. My partner JG is the one who touches almost all of our plants, I am the buyer, the design critic and the purveyor of garden whimsey. Please take all the ideas from our pics that you like. Regarding the marbles, we have color coordinated marbles for many of our plants. Our "pseudo" 99 Cent Store (on Lankersheim in the SF Valley) helped to perpetuate our grand "Movie Star" plant idea. Love that you are in 7th heaven. After one shopping that took us seven trips up our long stairs, we had marbles to match or accent every color plant we have. I promise to post more pics soon to assist with your "addiction" and potential property expansion.

Thank you, one and all, for this wonderful beginning online adventure in the Garden Helper.

A Big MWAH! to all of you! <img border="0" alt="[clappy]" title="" src="graemlins/clappy.gif" />

Ta Da!!!!!!!

This is the plant that led us to the MOST WONDERFUL online experience we have ever had..

JoAnn and I love each and every one of you garden-family folks, and I had to share the BIG event..

SHE BLOOMS!!!!

What a beautiful tree...or is it a plant? Whatever it is it is gorgeous! I looked through all of your photos and they are wonderful. I loved all of the bird photos, and your cacti & succulents are so beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing

It's a tree, I think, Chrissy...It's such a monster.. I love it. It's already growing new leaves and will get even taller...It's already 30+ ft....YOW!

Thanks for the nice words about our much-loved garden.

That's the Paulownia tree!!
I reconize those flowers!!!

Gorgeous!!!

Is it only at the top of the tree Jillie?
Or the whole tree??

I wish I had one!!!

Enjoy it for me~will ya???

Weezie

Only at the top....Waaaay up there...

Yep that is the humungo, giganto mystery tree ....WOW with blooms now! Beautiful flowers.

Jillie....The 2nd best part of this posting....YOU LEARNED HOW TO PUT THE PIX UP YOURSELF!!!!!
Catlover

I second that, Catlover!
Jillie, I'm soooo proud of you posting the pictures!!!

And what a beautiful tree!
Is it scented?
It reminds me of lilac blossoms...

...can't get my nose up there high enuf to get a whiff...Don't know...Gotta go look it up...