Albizia julibrissin.

As I walked out of Hyde Hall, I noticed a tree in the Dry Garden which for most of the year has truly appeared lifeless. Not only have its bare branches come into full leaf, but otherworldly flowers now cover it too.
       The leaves really are fantastic - ferny frondy things in lush green, although I gather a 'Summer Chocolate' cultivar has elegant bronze-coloured foliage. The flowers, wispy little pink fluffballs, give the impression that the tree - an albizia - is happily celebrating its apparent return to life.


Albizia julibrissin, "Silk Tree".
(Deciduous tree.)


Planting: Sow seeds in early autumn after collecting them from pods, soaking them in hot water and then leaving them to cool for a day.
Flowering: Late summer.
Aspect: South-facing and sheltered.
Hardiness: Not hardy to freezing point.


Notes:The albizia tree possesses an unusual habit of closing its leaves in rain and overnight. In Persian, it is thus called "night sleeper" (شب‌خسب or shabkhosb), and in Japanese it is known as nemunoki - "the sleeping tree".