Dombeya wallichii
| Lifespan: | ⌛ | [[Lifespan::Perennial]] |
|---|---|---|
| Origin: | ✈ | Madagascar |
| Exposure: | ☼ | Full or Part Sun"Full or Part Sun" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
|---|---|---|
| Water: | ◍ | Regular/High"Regular/High" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
| Features: | ✓ | Flowers, Fragrance, Leaves"Leaves" is not in the list (evergreen, deciduous, flowers, fragrance, edible, fruit, naturalizes, invasive, foliage, birds, ...) of allowed values for the "Features" property. |
The Tropical Hydrangea is a fast growing medium size tree that can be grown as a large shrub as well. As a tree it can grow to 15' in height but can be kept smaller by trimming. Dombeya wallichii looses its leaves in the winter only if the temperature falls to the low 20°s. The plant flowers are fragrant and come at the beginning of the year, lasting for over 1 month. The pink flowers are about an inch and a half across and can have bracts up to two and a half inches long.
Cultivation
It likes full sun, plenty of water and fertilizer during the growing season. It is a strong grower and even though it is possible to grow it in a container for many years, it will perform better in the ground.
Old flowers remain a long time, and should be removed to keep a neat appearance. Trimming should be done after the flowers are gone in the spring until mid September. You can trim as far back as necessary without harming the tree.
Propagation
You might want to try to divide your Tropical Hydrangea because the plant develops multiple canes that have a better chance of success than those that grow out of a single trunk as with a tree.
