Hi Ken
I've been interested in propagating the Hong Kong orchid tree and was told it doesn't have seeds and would have to be air-layered. I tried to root cuttings at different times of the year and on different wood types, but none took.

I read this in a book on tropical plants "Bauhinia x blakeana is sterile and must be propagated by grafting."

It also says it is distinguished by 5 stamens and blooms from fall to spring, whereas the common orchid trees which bear seeds, purpurea, blooms in the fall and is distinguished by 3 stamens and open, up curved petal tips, varying from pale lavender and pink to magenta.

Sorry I can't help you ID the kind of Orchid Tree in the pic. Does it have seed pods? Since the book says the Purple Orchid Tree is shrubby and multi-trunked and heavily self-seeding and restricted in Florida, you probably are showing a pic of the Hong Kong.

Let us know if you are able to reproduce it, if it is.

Here's the one on the island that smells like heaven when I walk by:
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Susie

Looks just like the one I have and seed pods are all over, and seedlings constantly come up around the yard. I always thought it was Hong Kong orchid.
So I guess I have the "common" one. Never counted the stamens, and it is not in bloom right now. Sounds like the sterile one has a longer blooming period, which would be nice.

I have a Hongkong Orchid tree, Bauhinia X blakeiana, which is just about to bloom now. I just took it out of a pot and put in the ground this past summer. It has bloomed before and made no seed pods so I am confident it is what I paid for. My plant is obviously from a cutting or an air layered limb. I have tried to root cuttings before without success, so after it blooms I'm going to try to air layer it.I have got cuttings to root in water and superthrive but they quickly died when I put them into a mix.

The more common species is B. variegata which comes in a purple and a white variety. The BB stores sell these as Hongkong Orchid trees. Of course they don't know the difference, it's whatever lable the vendor puts on it. I have also seen B purpurea labled as HK orchid tree. The B blakeiana has long been thought to be a hybrid of B variegata and B purpurea. I have read recently, that this has been confirmed by DNA testing. Good luck, john

The only way to tell is to wait and see if it makes seed pods. If it does, then it is the common orchid tree and not the Hong Kong orchid tree. :o) I would not recommend getting or keep the commom one.

kal2002 - Hong Kong Orchid is a tropical tree and I do not believe you will have much luck in Northern California. They can take a little bit of cold, but even here in Florida, you will not see them north of the Tampa Bay area.

If you still want to try, once they are established they don't need (or like) a lot of fussing, watering and fertilizing. Yes, they do drop leaves, in cold weather ALL of their leaves. They are hard to find and expensive because they are so difficult to propagate.

I really love these trees, they smell heavenly, and have gorgeous flowers.

kal2002, I sent you an email. If your email address listed on GW is correct you should have received it by now. GW will not let me post a link to the place I bought mine, probably five years ago. The B. Blakeiana will take 27, maybe 25 for a few hours, it is said to be a little less tolerant of cold than the B variegata, which is common here in N central Fl, Z 9a. I disagree that it is a no care tree. In our poor sandy soil it requires fertilizing with a good product with adequate minor elements, otherwise the leaves become cloriotic, turn yellow and fall off. It blooms in winter for me. The place I bought mine has them in stock now for $36. Shipping for me was about $10, but I'm only about 280 miles away.

good luck john

Yes, it is, I have 2 of them in my yard, they can get up to 40' high and very wide spread.

Last year I planted 2 of these trees in our garden and they both look unhappy. Their leaves are dried up and brown around the edges. Does anyone know what the problem is? I would be grateful for any advice.

They will grow in pretty much any soil in FL. But it really requires some good soil and fertilization for it to look good year round. It does drop ALL of it's leaves for a month or 2 but aside from that it's a beautiful tree.

Thank you for all of your comments. Hi johnjsr, I got you email, thanks. If I decide to get one later on, I will mail order from the same source as yours. I have since found out from a local nursery that it will not bloom in the winter here. That is one of my goals - have a winter flowering tree. As gypsyrose mentioned and I was told that it does not do well with our cold winters. If I ever decide to get one and if possible, I would like to grow it in a big pot like a bush so I can protect it in the winter.

mine yawned at 28 degrees this winter. its blooming right now with some leaf drop.

If it's Bauhinia variegata (orchid tree) it is considered invasive in Florida. This is the one with the seed pods.

Interesting fact: It's not an orchid; it's related to Peas/beans. It's beautiful, but should not be planted in the southeast.

Here is a link that might be useful: Invasive Orchid Tree link

Watch where you order yr HK Orchid tree from. I just got a delivery of one that I ordered from T Tropicals. They charged $25 shipping for a 5 ft tree which cost $30. When I opened it all the leaves were yellow and on removal of the netting they all fell off. They say it's heat damaged and they won't do anything.... Not good. It was only in transit 3 days. So beware who you buy online from - I certainly won't use them again.

Just a little update.. I got my money returned but not nicely. They blamed me for ordering a tree in summer... who would have thought they would pack it in a cardboard box FULL of packing chips that sweat....!
All I wanted was another HK Orchid tree to replace the one I lost in the cold weather - on the look out again..!

Bump

julsintx, I too have been duped by T. Tropicals. And it was bauhinia. Gardeners, beware, they are nasty (at top level, not the actual workers who care for the plants). They do not like admitting they made the mistake. The sad thing about this company is that they could have built an excellent online business. Instead, they just count on the newcomers and ignorance. Since all bauhinia share the same leaf, unless they are blooming, you can't really tell what species you have. They got me. I like the specie I ended up with, but not what they tagged it as.
DO NOT PURCHASE plants from this company! jmo.
* I know old post, but if you still don't have this tree, I do in fact grow several species. If you want, I have seeds, and fresh, of b. acuminata and variegata

This post was edited by MsMorningSong on Tue, Apr 23, 13 at 13:46

From my experience they are prone to leaf scorch during times of stress, I have found they don't like transition. I fertilize with fertilizer for acid loving plants. Also deciduous in my 9B zone and responds to pruning. I grow B. acuminata, HK x blakeiana, and a Bauhinia vine. Also had trouble with TT, originally bought my trees from them, both arrived in terrible shape and died.

I have a white veriegata and it's been in full bloom for months. The humming birds adore it. If anyone wants seeds, let me know. The pods are drying now, I seem to have a few extra. LOL.

I also have 2 HKorchids and a purple veriegata that is too small to bloom yet. While I agree that they can be messy, it's all in where you plant. Make sure you keep them where you can mow around them so any seedlings get run over and that makes it easiest.

As for care. Either variety is going to be fairly easy to care for once established. Some pruning to keep the shape and a few applications of fertilizer annually and you should be good to go. THe only thing I've had to watch out for is sooty -which was easily handled when the plants were young. Once they were larger they were never bothered again.

Barbie~

If you're in the Tampa area, there is a nursery in Brandon that carries Hong Kong Orchid trees, the x blakeana type. It's called Kerby's nursery located on S Parsons off 60. Freaking love that place. Pretty sure I spend at least 3 hours a week there just ogling all the awesome plants they have. And the roses! Heaven.

Be ready to fertilize heavily, spray, and deal with a million little leaf notcher weevils. When they're well taken care of they're a beautiful tree, but usually they end up looking like crap with chorotic leaves, bare branches, few flowers, and ragged leaf margins.

Just about to plant one today. Was here to ask the best things to put in the hole prior or underneath the actual plant, which I purchased for $25 from Lowes a few days ago. Noticed the leaf borers and sprayed already, will continue. Was thinking of making a blended slurry of extremely ripe & limp banana peels and coffee grinds. Any tips are welcome!

What is your soil like, Dana? If it is common sandy soil like most of Florida then some organics like you mention would probably help. I always put some time-release fertilizer in the hole when I plant and some organic fertilizer. The key is to not over do it. Although our soil doesn't have many nutrients most plants do well with enough water. They normally find enough nutrients to do well. After the plant has been established then you can put some fertilizer spikes around the tree--just not right at the base of the tree.

I live in Central Florida and have a Hong Kong Orchid tree in my front yard. It bloomed beautifully in February and March but now looks awful.The leaves are turning and falling, causing a mess all over our lawn and neighbors. This is the second season planted in our front lawn and we are distressed over the mess and short blooming time and contemplating removal. Is there any saving grace for the once, short time beautiful tree or is it doomed for removal?

Thank you

dsstroud, unfortunately, they are a deciduous tree and very messy. They will also get HUGE if you let them. You can't change the nature of the tree, so either change your attitude or chop it down. Not being smart, just that's your only choice.

That reminds me of a story of when I was working at a garden center. A woman called and said that the tree we had sold her was dead. My boss went out and it was indeed leafless, but then, all Jacarandas are leafless in the winter. He tried to explain to her that it was deciduous and would come back out and bloom in the spring, but she was all upset and made him dig it up, so he brought it back, cleaned up the roots, stuck it into another pot, and resold it.

Then there was the woman who walked in and said she wanted a bush that bloomed all year, only got 4 feet tall and never had to be pruned. I told her the silk flower and plant store was about 3 miles down the road. She didn't like things that grew out of control, and said very haughtily that she refused to prune anything. I told her that this is Florida, everything grows out of control here, and she needed to just buy what she liked and hire a gardener.

We are considering the "chop down" solution. Below is a picture of the tree--any suggestions re a replacement tree?

You are looking at the tree at its worst. This tree drops its leaves and flowers around this time of year, but soon it will regrow its leaves and be a very pretty tree by June. I have an Orchid tree--not to be confused with the Hong Kong Orchid tree-that is very large and still blooming. It is a messy tree, dropping seeds and leaves and flowers at this time of year. The hummingbirds and butterflies and other pollinators really like it. Soon it will be almost without flowers and leaves, but it will grow back the leaves and be a very attractive green tree for the rest of the year. This will happen with your tree also if you leave it alone.

Offhand, I can't think of many trees that bloom and stay attractive all year. Gardenias and Camellias bloom without losing their leaves, but their blooming period is very short also. Both of these are primarily bushes and both have their drawbacks. I have both and enjoy them, especially when they bloom. Gardenias, however, need to have grafted root stock to do well in most places in Florida. Camellias are very slow growers. Both will tend to get scale unless they have very good aeration.

I am new here. I bought the Hong Kong Orchard tree from Eureka Farms . I paid $572.00 & free shipping for an 8ft. Tree. It is in a pot & I am trying to find a reliable
Professional Tree planter who knows the size of the hole and width etc along with proper fertilizing etc. here in Palm Harbor , Florida. I want to buy two
Large hydrangeas and one or two nice gardenias all for the front of the house. I want to keep the tree protected in the pot until it gets cooler to plant here . Do you agree? I sure hope I did not pay too much for my tree . The prices I see here folks paid for theirs is so much lower?

Hi again when can I hear from you ? Appreciate the help& guidance

I think it's a good time to plant the tree. If a good job is done planting it then it will be able to absorb more water and nutrients with the new soil. I recommend organic fertilizers. Espoma has some excellent ones, including one that is specifically created to help plants root. I recommend time-release fertilizers also, but the most important thing is to plant it right and water it often for several months. When watering it's better to do deep watering to encourage the roots to fill out and seek the moisture.

You think it will
Be ok to
Plant why it is so hot hot now? Should we wait until a little cooler? I am
Prepared
For the mess it makes as it is so beautiful and will really make the front yard stand out for the neighborhood . What do you think of the price I paid? I fell
In love with the tree and I think Eureka is a good company and they have offered any help
I should need😘 but I need a planter that knows what he is doing. Do you know anyone around here?

I have no idea about either the price or of someone to plant the tree. I don't live anywhere near you. This is a good time to plant the tree, in my opinion. The heat will encourage it to put down roots for a bloom next year. Make sure you water it well (until water runs out the bottom) while it is in the pot. I would water it every other day for the foreseeable future. It would appreciate it if you sprinkle the leaves also.

Awesome thanks ! Will do