A question regarding my Edgeworthia.

Hi all. I have an Edgeworthia in a pot that is flowering at the moment. I'm eager to get the plant into the ground this year. As well as the main structure, very much like a tree, it has quite a bit of growth that has emerged from the soil around the main trunk. Are these similar to suckers would you know? And as such should I remove them? Or is it just that the plant will have multiple stems?

 

I've never heard of this plant but from looking at photos it seems to be a shrub with many branches coming from the ground, therefore I don't think it is necessary to cut them off, unless you want a specific number of stems.

 

@Harri Can you be more specific? Do you know the cultivar or even the species of Edgeworthia? The RHS divide shrubs into pruning groups, which may help to enlighten us on what the needs of your own plant are.

Nick

 

Not grown one but I must admit I like the look of them.

Suckers, in the form of unwanted growth, only appear on grafted plants.
Suckers do appear from the roots of ungrafted plants but will be the same plant, if you get my meaning.
I think your plant is just becoming a multi stemmed plant and you can leave them on or cut them off, but often they will regrow anyway.

 

Having a quick Google, it looks as though recent, named cultivars are grafted onto E. chrysantha. Have a close look at the main stem....if it's grafted, there'll be a bump and probably even traces of wax or tape, in which case it would be as well to take off the suckers as they're likely to be more vigorous than the cultivar.

 

Agree with Noisette. If the new growths are below the graft then best to take them off. If you are not too sure you can always wait and see if the leaves on the new growth are the same or different to the parent plant. Before now I have been too hasty and hacked off what I thought were suckers and then realised they were what would have been desirable new growthIdeally if they are suckers it is preferred to pull, snap them off as far back to the stem as you can. If you prune them off it can encourage yet more suckers. I have various Sorbus that sucker badly from the root stocks which are not Sorbus. Having pruned them off ( can’t pull them off) I now get a mini forest of suckers to deal with every year.

 

After reading all your helpful replies I have had a closer look at the plant and followed up on the internet some of your comments.
The label tells me it is a Edgeworthia Chrysantha. I've had a close look and I can't see any grafting. The branches/trunks on the Edgeworthia are quite distinctive and the new growth is the same. And according to the RHS it is in pruning group 1. I think it's a case of wait and see then. If the new growth produces flowers next year then brilliant. The label description and some on the internet say the distinctive flowers in spring are 'lightly fragrant'. I would say that is an understatement! It is wow!!!
Again, thanks for all your helpful replies.

 

Have been having a good look at this lovely plant @Harri. I knew there must be a reason that I have not tried growing it. Yup had forgotten it is really quite tender and not suitable for where I live in Scotland. I can grow Daphne ( deciduous variety) but only in the most sheltered spot. Maybe when I get my unheated greenhouse a little less crowded, have huge amounts of Agapathus which I am going to reduce this year, I might try one and keep it in a big pot which I can then move into the greenhouse for winter.

 

Good point about the Edgeworthia. There are gardens quite close to where I live and I see what grows successfully there. They have an Edgeworthia there so I thought I would give it a go. At the moment there are lots of Daphne 'Jacqueline Postill' in flower there too which smells really nice. I'm looking around for a nice one to buy at the moment but havn't seen a good one yet.