This week’s profile of plants that made it through February’s freeze and came back with an attitude is the one-and-only Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus).
I took the pictures just last Wednesday morning. As I was leaving an on-site consulting job in the Memorial area, I caught a glance of it out of the corner of my eye and had to go back to get some shots.
This particular tree has probably been there for decades, but even younger ones in the area are blooming like crazy right now and proving they are worth serious consideration in any Houston landscape. Not just because they thumbed their noses at Winter Storm Uri, but because their blooms are wonderful and aromatic.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Chinese fringe tree, it is strikingly beautiful, small, and multi-stemmed. In the spring, it blooms with frothy, upright panicles of very fine, strap-like flowers atop the foliage. It has attractive berries in the fall and interesting bark for winter value - a wonderful landscape accent.
And “wow” is what you’ll say about the fragrant blooms.I think it’s like a buffered jasmine flower, blended with vanilla. And then, after blooming is over, it has forest green foliage throughout the season. In the fall, the glossy narrow leaves turn yellow with navy blue berries into late autumn. The peeling gray bark adds an interesting dimension.
And it’s about as low-maintenance as a flowering tree gets - it doesn’t require lots of fertilizer, and it has no significant disease or insect pressures.
A Chinese fringe tree will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical ground clearance of two feet, so it’s suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live 70 years or more.
This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It is amazingly adaptable, tolerating both dry conditions and even some standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is also highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments.
PHOTOS: Randy Lemmon