S & J Nursery’s Guide to growing
Tecoma Stans
for Northeast Florida,
Jacksonville | St. Augustine area Landscapes
(Tecoma stans)
Origins and Uses of Tecoma stans :
– Native to the Americas from the southern U.S. to Argentina commonly referred to as Yellow Bells or Yellow Elder, this evergreen shrub or small tree grows year-round in frost-free regions of California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida though winter can cause some defoliation. In colder areas, Tacoma Stans can be treated as an annual or overwintered indoors in a container.
– Tecoma Stans plants add tropical ambience to the landscape with their profuse clusters of yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom over an exceptionally long time. Lightly fragrant blooms are a favorite of hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators.
– Tecoma Stans can reach 15 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 30 feet wide but they can be kept about 6-8 ft. tall and wide
– It is commonly used in places like butterfly gardens, because the smell of the bush attracts insects to its flowers. Following this same trend, it also works well as part of a garden, as it brings pollinators like bees to the bush, and encourages pollination to other nearby plants. The Tecoma Stans shrub can also just be used as a nice background shrub to other garden plants.
Preferred Exposure of Tecoma stans :
– Tecoma Stans will prefer a full sun location (a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sun a day) or partial shade in our North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes to perform at their best. It blossoms in any light but you’ll get more flowers with more sunshine.
Foliage of the Tecoma stans :
– Tecoma Stans is a fast-growing woody evergreen large shrub or small tree.
– Clusters of large, trumpet-shaped, yellow flowers are very showy against the lance-shaped, olive-green leaves. Long, thin pods are conspicuous in autumn.
Soil Preference and Salt tolerance of Tecoma Stans :
– Tecoma Stans will prefer well-drained soil in our North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area . Drought tolerant and Southwestern varieties are adapted to monsoon rains with dry spells between. They may flower better if such conditions are emulated in planned landscapes, so allow ground to dry out between waterings.
– Tecoma Stans are tolerant of many soil conditions like sandy and loamy soil, but they do best in rich, slightly moist, and slightly alkaline soil. Adding a healthy amount of compost to the soil is an efficient way to ensure adequate draining while providing important nutrients.
– Tecoma Stans is quite drought tolerant when established into the landscape During the first year of growth, make sure to water your bush regularly to keep the soil wet. This helps with root growth.
– not particular about soil components and grow equally as well in sandy soils as they do in clay.
– Moderate to low salt tolerance and can be utilized for coastal
plantings.
Size Variance of Tecoma Stans :
– Tecoma Stans can reach sizes of 10-30 feet High | 8-30 feet Wide but are most often kept to about 3-6 feet High | 3-6 feet Wide with annual or semi annual pruning in the North Florida |
Jacksonville | St. Augustine areas gardens.
– Tecoma Stans blooms on new wood and needs little or no pruning. Lightly shape after peak bloom, from fall to late winter.
– Space plants at a minimum of 3 ft – 4 ft from the center of one plant to the center of another.
Growth Habit of Tecoma Stans :
– Tecoma Stans shrub has an upright, bushy habit with rapid growth rate.
– The blooms may be prolonged by deadheading the spent flowers. Hard pruning is often done to keep the plant full and compact.
Growth Rate of the Tecoma Stans :
– Rapid growing shrub quickly establishes itself into the landscape. Tecoma Stans may freeze to the ground during a hard freeze and will reemerge from the ground in spring.
Blooms of the Tecoma Stans :
– Trumpet-shaped yellow Flowers, 3 to 5 inches long, are mildly fragrant. Flower clusters produce up to 50 blooms each. After flowering, plants produce thin bean-like seed pods that start out pale green, turning to brown.
– Anyone who has seen this plant in bloom can understand why one of its names is Yellow bells, as it produces great, attention-grabbing, yellow blossoms. They stay abloom throughout spring and summer and well into fall in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine areas gardens
Water Requirements of Tecoma Stans :
– Tecoma Stans shrubs are drought-tolerant. They easily thrive in hot climates and won’t need regular watering. Requires little water to keep growing happy and healthy. Water the bush twice a month, especially during the dry weather conditions.
Remember to check water needs daily after planting until the plant gets rooted in and growing on its own.
Here is a link for S & J Nursery Guide to watering large shrubs and trees.
Watering Newly Planted Larger Shrubs and Trees
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Flowers stay on the bush all summer long and well into fall, making a good sources of nectar for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Care of S & J Nursery’s North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine Tecoma stans Shrubs:
– Tecoma Stans should be pruned annually after bloom time is over in late summers. Do not be afraid to trim, they resprout quickly and bloom on that new growth! Pruning will not only keep its size in check but increase blooms.
– Tecoma Stans shrubs can be planted in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area at any time during the year. In normal and well draining soils dig the hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Plant the top of the root ball level or slightly higher than the surrounding soils. Avoid planting in poorly drained soils.
– Check the plants water needs every day during the establishment period. For most 3 gallon size shrubs in the North Florida landscape in average soil, that is neither heavy clay that holds water or really sandy that will take 2-3 weeks of daily watering to ensure that your newly planted shrub will begin to put out new roots and grow into its new home happily. After the first few weeks begin tapering back your watering to every other day then every third day and so on until your newly planted items are flourishing without your assistance.
– Tecoma Stans does not require supplemental irrigation during time of excessive hear or drought. Drought tolerant once established in the landscape.
– IMPORTANT: If planting shrubs in heavy clay soils that hold allot of water after a rain or irrigating, remember to check the soil for moisture by sticking your fingers into the soil near the root ball of the newly planted shrub down to 2-3 inches. If it remains wet from the previous watering wait for the top 2-3 inches to dry out before watering again.
– IMPORTANT: When planting shrubs into poor sandy soils be sure to amend the planting hole by mixing compost or cow manure etc. with the native soil that will go back in the hole around the new plants root ball when installing your shrub material, this will not only give your new shrubs good soil to grow its new roots into but help it hold water.
– When planting shrubs from containers be sure to loosen the roots as much as possible pulling loose roots away from the root ball before installing your new plants, if the roots are to tight to easily loosen with your hands use a knife to cut a few slits into the root ball being careful to go all
the way from the top to the bottom and making the cut at least an inch deep. This will ensure that your plant will immediately begin to form new roots into its new surrounding soil.
Here is a link for S & J Nursery Guide to watering large shrubs and trees.
Watering Newly Planted Larger Shrubs and Trees
– Mulch newly planted shrubs whenever possible. Shrubs will benefit from a 3-4 inch layer of arborists wood chips, Pine bark or Pine Straw.
– Fertilize each spring with a shovelful of good garden compost or a mixture of Milorganite and a good quality slow release poly coated plant food like Stay Green or Osmocote. Be sure when fertilizing to sprinkle the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the shrubs.