Plants & Bulbs

» Barbara Nicholson Bell - Fringe Tree zone?

Susan, is there a limit to the zone range in which this tree will grow? Will it do well in a Zone 4-5? Does it drop fruit or leave any other messes around? I'm looking for a smallish fragrant tree for my front yard, which faces east.

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» smertz - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by bici:

White fringetree grows in zones 4-9 and can handle full sun to part shade. The female trees will fruit - egg shape dark blue - and it is quite pretty. I had fruit the first year I planted mine but haven't had any since. Probably, because there is not a male polinator in the neighborhood. A great website for more details on White Fringetree is http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plant...

I absolutely love mine.
Susan

-- posted by smertz

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» Georgene A. Bramlage - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by smertz:

Barb,

There a is an Asian species of the fringe tree Chionanthus retusus as well as the American native Chionanthus virginicus.
There are excellent pictures of both species at the Waverly Farms site. This is a whole sale concern, but the pictures are excellent

I have the native species growing on my south-facing, but shaded hillside...got it as a rooted cutting from the Arnold Arboretum.
Not reason why you should not be able to grow it provided your soil is prepared well.

The male tree is showier than the female...because of the long anthers (male parts). There are lovely specimens at Longwood Gardens, if you ever have a chance to visit down near Philadelphia.

If you decide this is the tree for you and need help finding a source, I'm sure your dedicated plant people in H & G can help find one

It is a great tree! Very underused.

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» smertz - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by Cercis:

The nursery I work for also stocks Chinese Fringetree (Chionanthus retusus). It is a wild looking tree. I have seen them in sizes ranging from 1.5" to 3" caliper, about 12' tall. The bark of Chinese Fringetree is much more interesting to look at than the Chionanthus virginicus; however, the branching is just all over the place.
Susan

-- posted by smertz

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» Barbara Nicholson Bell - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by smertz:

Thank you, ladies! Both of you gave me excellent advice. My yard will be torn up this spring when a very old clay sewer pipe will be replaced, so I will be waiting until that's finished before re-landscaping. Budget will be an issue, of course, but this tree sounds like a winner so it goes on my list.

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» Georgene A. Bramlage - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by bici:

Barb,

Way to go...:) This is a neat-looking tree...and if I remember correctly, the flowers are also sweet-smelling. The native species will probably do better for you in your zone than the Asian.

If you begin to train the tree early on, you should have no trouble keeping it to the size and shape you want.

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» rdaowner - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by bici:

I live in the same area as Susan, and have planted both varieties. The blossoms on my Chinese Fringe are much showier, bloom about two weeks later, and last quite a bit longer- 2-3 weeks. THe blossoms on my native fringe seem to get covered up by newly emerging leaves pretty quickly. The native fringe trees haven't grown much height wise- 18" in 8 years. The Chinese fringe trees were tall to begin with, and haven't grown much taller, but have only been in two years.We are Zone 5, but the past few winters have been very mild, more like Zone 6, so I can't really speak to cold hardiness.

-- posted by rdaowner

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» smertz - Fringe Tree zone?

In response to Fringe Tree zone? posted by rdaowner:

RDA,
Since you have found my articles on Suite101, you might want to read Managing Bamboo. This is the bamboo article I was working on when you stopped by the nursery one day.
With my native fringetree, I have decided to keep the height at 4-5'. I want to always be able to see the flowers of the Persian Lilac, it is 6-8', behind it and I like the contrasting foliage.
It's interesting that the Chinese Fringetree flowers last longer and are showier. I'm just not sure what I think about the wild looking tops.
Susan

-- posted by smertz

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