HARRIET HOWARD HEITHAUS

Geiger blooms have an appearance similar to those of the African Flame Tree.

HARRIET HOWARD HEITHAUS

The amiable Geiger tree blooms all year with few pests, and it’s evergreen.

More All

• It’s Christmastime at Palm Cottage
• Rod Mackenzie, taking music by storm
• You Review Movie: John Augustine

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Share and Enjoy [?]

This is a trick tree — it’s actually in bloom all year, although it gets its Disney World groove on in June and July, when the the flowers are abundant.

The Geiger tree (Cordia sebestena) is a hardy evergreen tree that county landscapers use for color in high-traffic medians, so you know it will be fine in your yard. Give it its primary needs, abundant sun and good drainage, and it will grow happily into a 20- to 30 foot tree with about a 20-foot canopy within five years.

Its relative is the slightly less dense White Geiger (Cordia Boissieri). Both bloom with ruffly flowers that resemble a cross between a petunia and a Flame Tree flower.

Stephen Brown, the horticulture agent — and avid flowering tree follower — of Lee County Extension Service, has been shooting photos of them for years in various locations. He points out that the trees get even more flowery in the Caribbean. Still, they’re excellent here because of their salt and drought tolerance and constant beauty.

There’s only one known pest, the Geiger beetle, which can defoliate, but probably won’t kill, a tree. Temperatures below 40 may cause it to shed some leaves, but it can be pruned when spring arrives, according to University of Florida information on the tree.

Brown recommends that owners of young trees pinch back the terminal ends in January to make it bushier. The tree also should be pruned to keep it to a single strong trunk as it grows.

There’s more information on their sites:

hort.ufl.edu/trees/CORSEBA.pdf

lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsA_Z.shtml

---

Orange Geiger Tree

• Botanical name: Sebesten sebestena

• Origin: Bahamas, Caribbean to Venezuela.

• Growing zone: 10b-12b, but also grows in 10a, the zone for much of Collier County

• Physical: Thin-barked tree; deep green, coarse, oval leaves with pointed tips and striking bright orange blooms, about 2 inches in size, which appear at the tips of branches

• Growth rate: Medium

• Height: 20 feet by 20 feet

• Flowering months: All year, but best in June and July

• Type: Evergreen

• Uses: Specimen tree for most locations

• Where to buy: Most nurseries in Naples either have or can order Geiger trees