Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)
Fringe benefits. Let’s start with the drawbacks. If they deter you enough, you need not read the rest of this article. The fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is one of the very, very, very last trees to leaf out in the spring, which leads some people to jump to the conclusion that it is dead. As a late-leafer, it may not work in an early spring garden or landscape. Autumn color is reported to be a gentle yellow with brownish suggestions. The benefits, however, far outweigh those persnickety complaints.
May to June brings a cloud-like profusion of white, fleecy, fragrant blooms in showy drooping clusters that are four to six inches long. The fringe tree is easy to grow in full sun to partial shade, moist, well-drained soil and makes a splendid ornamental specimen or understory tree, twelve to twenty feet tall. It has a short trunk and branches close to the ground. Many horticulturalists consider it the most beautiful and striking of North American native shrubs or small trees.
The fringe tree belongs to the olive family and the female trees will produce small olive-like fruits in the fall. Although low maintenance, pest-free and adaptable, it does not tolerate prolonged periods of drought.
