Albizia julibrissin

There is no doubt that some of the near tropical weather we have been having recently has been beneficial to some plants in the Gardens. Planted in 2016, this Albizia julibrissin, also known as the silk tree, originating from Iran, east to China, has really flourished. This particular variety, 'Tropical Dream’, was selected from a group of trees in Seoul, South Korea, growing in high altitude conditions where temperatures went down to -20 degrees C.

It is rarely seen because it is easily lost over a cold winter, but this little gem has been sited in the relatively sheltered Robert Marnock Garden, so named after the designer of the Gardens and their first curator. It is a beautiful, exotic-looking small tree, with feathery foliage, similar to the acacia and mimosa, and densely clustered small pink flowers. The tree was named in honour of F. del Albizzi, a Florentine nobleman who in 1749 introduced it into cultivation.