I just found one at a semi-local nursery and brought it home. Actually the five foot fella is the biggest thing I have ever transplanted. Usually I do bare root mail-order. The web, even my favorite hort.uconn.edu site is full of doctored fall Nyssa pictures even though it is a GREAT looking tree. At least most of the Japanese Maple photos were just taken under the best possible lighting condition on the day of the year the leaves look the best. Many of the Nyssa pictures are just bad. Anyone have non-photoshopped pictures of some or references for places to look? How have these grown for you all? I have placed it in a fairly sunny spot down low in my yard where my pretty good clay based soil gets damp often enough. A generic Acer Rubrum (Red Maple) is doing fine nearby when I can keep the deer away and my Metasequoia also seems happy.
No tampering with these pics! Autumn colour is wonderful. Just young trees. 1. Nyssa sylvatica. 2. Nyssa sylvatica. 3. Nyssa sylvatica Sheffield Park. 4. Nyssa sylvatica Wisley Bonfire. 5. Is the same tree shown in the first 2 pics. Taken 2008. We thought we were always so careful in teasing out the roots from the pots prior to planting. Obviously not careful enough. The tree blew right over in a gale. We found a main root was wound round the trunk, cutting into it and strangling it completely. Sadly it went on the bonfire.
How sad! A wise fella recently told me the outside of the root ball can look fine but if the tree was left inside too small a pot at any time previously it could have hidden girdling roots. Thank you for the pics. I'll put more of mine up in a week or two.
