Question from Dee:
I am considering planting a couple of Gold Medallion (Cassia Leptophylla) trees.
My location is Carlsbad, CA. 92011
1) What zone is it?
2) Also is this a good time to plant this tree? August
Thank you.
Answer from Pat:
Gold medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla) is one of our best small to mid-size flowering trees, good in patios or as a street tree. It is almost evergreen along the coast and semi-evergreen inland and flowers for a long season, mostly in summer. Though this tree has the reputation of growing rapidly to 20 or 25 feet tall and 30 feet wide, it can easily be kept to a compact umbrella shape by pruning. It is easiest to begin with a boxed specimen that is fairly large and already trained into a well-balanced umbrella shape on a single sturdy trunk. If you purchase a tree in a 5-gallon can you will need to prune and train the tree carefully in youth to encourage a sufficiently tall trunk, strong branch structure and even shape without lop-sided growth.
If you purchase a boxed tree, for the first year of two while the tree is getting established, prune it after bloom only enough to remove seed pods and dead wood and maintain a good even shape. Once it is the size and shape you want, cut it back annually after bloom. The right time to do this is in early fall (mid-September.) Remove all dead wood, if there is any, and cut back the branches on the sides and top of the tree to maintain a nicely rounded umbrella shape. By cutting back all over the top annually in early fall (after, not before, bloom) you can keep a cassia tree exactly the size and shape you want for many years. Make sure that the trunk is staked in such a way that it can move with the wind. This will make it grow strong.
Regarding your climate zone, if you look at the map on page 54 of the most-recent edition of Sunset Western Garden Book or follow this link: http://www.sunset.com/garden/climate-zones/sunset-climate-zone-san-diego-area-00418000067314/ , you will note that Zone 24 extends several miles inland in Carlsbad. In northern Carlsbad, Zone 24 extends approximately half way from the coast to Vista and in southern Carlsbad slightly further inland than Palomar Airport. This unusually wide band of Zone 24 is caused by the fact that the land slopes gently upwards for several miles from the ocean and this causes the warming influence in winter and cooling influence in summer of coastal winds, air, and fog to slide inland as far as the hill slopes upwards. These coastal conditions of Zone 24 don’t change to the slightly more extreme conditions (cooler in winter, warmer in summer and sunnier year-round) of Zone 23 until you reach the other side of the first hill away from the ocean. Additionally, in any climate zone you will always find some anomalies, called “micro-climates”. These are caused by sudden changes in topography, such as small valleys, canyons, dips, mesas, or even man-made structures like walls or buildings. Some of the larger and more easily recognized micro-climates created by the natural lay of the land in Carlsbad include south-facing properties just north of Batiquitos, Agua Hedionda, and Buena Vista Lagoons that are protected from ocean wind. These areas enjoy salubrious micro-climates a few degrees warmer year-round than most of Zone 24 and thus they are conducive to growing many subtropical and tropical plants, including orchids, bananas, mangos and other tropical fruits.
To answer the third part of your question, yes August is a fine time for you to plant this tree, especially considering your warm mild climate. Cassia is a subtropical tree and therefore its roots will become better established in warm weather. Be sure to provide good drainage. (See page 40 of my organic book for detailed directions on this topic.) Keep well and deeply watered after planting. In the town where I live two large boxed cassia trees in excellent condition and flowering massively were recently planted into holes cut in sidewalk. Despite my repeated cautions, the owners of the property failed to water deeply enough to soak the entire root ball and both trees wilted. Lay the hose on the ground within the watering basin under the tree and allow the water to run slowly for several hours so that it really penetrates the ground. Sprinklers are not enough. Here is an additional tip: If you will apply humic acid or John and Bob’s Soil Optimizer according to package directions to the ground, this can help the roots of newly planted trees to get established quickly.
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I just bought a 15 gal. cassia tree. I live in the Berkeley, CA hills and would like to plant this weekend, but not sure if the conditions are adequate. It got down to about 37 degrees last night. If I do plant now, is there a special winter fertilizer I should use, and how often should I water in these winter months? I have a 4″ watering pipe in the ground to get a deep watering to the root. Will this be too much water. I would appreciate your advise, as I’m not too familiar with this tree.
Thanks!
Dear Pat,
I have 3 gold medallion trees in my back yard which were planted about 7 years ago. They were not pruned very well and the side branches are about 3 feet long with all leaf growth and flowering at the end of the branches. I’d like to prune them to get fuller leaves but I’m afraid I might kill the trees. I’m not sure where to make the cuts. I have made some cuts in the past and they simply stopped growth in that direction. The trees are kind of spindley but they had beautiful blooms this year so I think they are healthy. Can you help me?
Thank you.
L. Busch
It sounds as if you are describing a cassia that has been pruned in winter. This does not work well with this tree. Cassias do not appreciate winter pruning. Buds further back on branches will not grow during cold weather. The correct time to prune Cassia leptophylla is AFTER bloom, never before. Wait until your cassia has finished blooming next year then immediately prune it as hard as you wish. Follow up with fertilizer and water and it should bounce right back with plenty of fresh growth all over the tree.
Hello, my mother recently made a trip to California and brought me back a seed pod from a gold medallion tree. I live in north Texas and want to try to plant some seeds to see if I can get it to grow. As you know, the weather in Texas is crazy and some winters can be below freezing up to 50 degrees. So I guess my question is, what are my chances of actually being able to get it to grow, and also, how would I go about starting it? In a pot inside? Thanks.
Sorry but gold medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla) is not adapted to any of the climate zones found in Texas.
Hi Pat,
Where can I purchase a Gold Medallion Tree? I live in Chula Vista, CA. Thank you.
Gold Medallion tree (Cassia leptophylla) is a popular tree and widely available. Your local nursery either has one or can order a specimen for you in 5 gallon or 15 gallon size, depending on your budget. If you want a boxed tree you can go to any tree farm and they will deliver, but a 15-gallon specimen is likely to take off better and get established quicker. Do not plant deeper than the surrounding soil. Do not add soil amendment to the planting hole. Check drainage before planting. Loosen the roots before planting. Put slow release fertilizer according to package directions, in the bottom of the planting hole but not touching roots. Water the tree several times immediately after planting. Water three times deeply the next week, twice a week for the following month, once a week throughout fall and also water in winter when rains are not adequate. This tree can take less water once established. Feed annually in March.
What is the root structure like? I would like to plant near my house and next to the driveway…will the root structure impede both? Thanks for your advice!
Cassia’s like well-drained soil and are drought-resistant once established. They are not known for having particularly invasive roots, nor do they have a strong tendency to mound up paving. Hence they are often recommended as good street trees. However, any tree even a cassia if planted into hard or shallow soil with poor drainage will tend to grow spreading roots on the surface of the ground.
Hi Pat, I’m considering planting a couple of gold medallion trees in my backyard. I live in Scotts Valley, CA and receive sun all day long. Will my zone allow these trees to thrive? Thank you.
If your home is in Zone 15 you can grow gold medallion tree. Cassia’s are subtropical trees, and Zone 15 is a relatively mild area when compared with other zones close by, but it is borderline for this tree. Thus when you ask “will it thrive?” my answer is you could most likely find a flowering tree that is better adapted to your climate and more likely to survive longterm. Your first task is to find out which Sunset climate zone you live in. If you can tell me that it would help. Ask at your closest nursery and make sure they tell you the Sunset Zone that Scotts Valley is in, not the Dept. of Agriculture zone which will be no help. Small individually owned nurseries usually are more educated on this subject than large ones with many employees who might not be gardeners.
Yes, we’re in Zone 15. Thank you, Pat.
Hi Pat: That was very helpful. I am having a problem with my cassia. I live near downtown LA. My Cassia is about 15 years old. This year the tree has been very late to get foliage and the foliage so far is sparse and smaller than usual. Last year it was full and spectacular. We had less rainfall this year, but the lack of foliage is really dramatic. We have not had very many hot days. I am wondering if this could be effecting the tree. My tree is always the last one in the neighborhood to get its foliage and bloom, but is usually fine by mid-june. Might it need more water. Any suggestions. I don’t want to lose the tree if possible. Thank you
If you think your cassia tree has not had enough water this year, be sure to give it a deep watering now. Attach a sprinkler to the hose and let it run ever so slowly and move it around the tree at intervals. Before watering, fertilize the entire root zone beginning 18 inches away from the trunk and continuing to the branch tips with an all-purpose balanced fertilizer and then allow the water to thoroughly irrigate the fertilizer in the ground. March is the correct time to fertilize the basic landscape but I gather you might not have done that. Many times trees are planted in lawns and the lawn grass robs the tree of all nutrients and water too. (If you had a tensiometer you could check the level of moisture in the soil.) You are correct that we have had a cooler spring and summer in Southern California so far, even in Los Angeles, which is usually warm at this time of year. I have been in Hollywood a couple of times recently and noticed how cool the weather was there compared to usual summer temperatures. Gold medallion tree is a subtropical tree and prefers warm sunny locations so yes the weather could be affecting its behavior this year. Los Angeles is in a valley shaped like a basin and cold air can collect there at night. Also it might be breezy. Cassias abhor cold wind. The owner of a business in the town where I live asked me if he could plant a gold medallion tree as a street tree last year and I said sure he could but it might not be a good choice since it probably would never bloom because of cold wind and no reflected heat where he wanted to put it. He planted it anyway. The blossoms immediately wilted last year and many of them fell off, but I think that was because they didn’t water it enough. This year, so far it has not bloomed and shows no signs of blooming. It also leafed out later than usual. Another possible problem occurs to me also and that is if your tree was planted on the north side of a building so there is a heavy cool shadow or so that it is not planted in full sun. Many times people plant subtropical and tropical flowering trees and never notice that they chose a spot to plant it where it is in heavy shade for part of the day. All cassia trees need full sun.
Do the cassia need staked when planted and for how long? We have strong Santa Ana winds at the church where I want to plant the tree. It sounds like the roots will go deep if properly watered?
Cassia trees don’t like cold wind and often bloom less or more briefly when grown in wind. Olive trees and Calfornia pepper trees (Schinus molle) are two among several tree species that are long-lived, can take wind and also look beautiful, though pepper trees are messy and one might need to find a fruitless olive tree. Yes, young cassias need staking. Use three stout, strong tree stakes and arrange loose ties to each one so the tree can sway in the wind and thus grow a strong trunk. Rigid staking makes for weak trunks. In three years or when the tree has developed a strong trunk, remove the stakes. Roots of cassia do not normally run on the surface of the ground unless the tree was improperly planted in hard ground or over hardpan and then watered shallowly. Plant into well-drained native soil and dig a round hole the same size as the root ball. Then dig 4 trenches extending outward from the round hole and deeper than the root ball like a cross, in order that the roots can get out there into the surrounding soil. There is no tree species that sends its roots straight down, as can be seen when old trees fall. All trees spread their roots out into the surrounding ground with most roots existing in the upper two or three feet of soil, but you want them to go as deep as possible. Watering deeply and extending the time between waterings (once the tree is established) accomplishes this.