When Should I Plant My 18” Peanut Butter Tree In The Ground?

Q: I have a peanut butter tree that I’ve been growing in a pot. It is now 18″ high and has a few smaller sprouts that have also come up. When can I plant them in the ground outside?

A: Peanut butter tree, Clerodendrum trichotomum, is also known as harlequin glorybower. It grows as a shrubby small tree, typically 15′ high and wide. It is distinctive for its white flowers, red calyxes, and blue fruits in fall. The leaves do smell like peanut butter when crushed. If the pot has been outdoors all summer, you can divide the plants and put them in a sunny spot wherever you like. Don’t fertilize now, wait until March next year.

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