This week I am digging up my Cornus Controversa Variagata (Wedding Cake Tree) and replacing it with an Albizia Julibrissin "Summer Chocolate" (Persian Silk Tree). Both of these trees are stand alone specimen trees. I need a very beautiful tree to adorn the widest part of my hidden patio and it must give dappled shade as opposed to deep shade. I spent months visiting garden centres looking for the Wedding Cake tree to no avail (I live in Spain and finding the more unusual shrubs or trees - or indeed perennials - can be nigh next to impossible), I then tried on-line and only came up with tiny little trees less than a foot tall - and that space needs filling within 2-3 years maximum - not 20 years from now. I eventually found 1 five foot tree but it has been struggling since I planted it. First it had a water issue then it got hit by hot winds from the Sahara desert which not only caused leaf scorch, but leaf drop and now every single one of the growing tips is desiccated. Can I save it yet again.....most likely yes.....come spring with some clever selective pruning I could cut back to living tissue and try to reshape the tree and I love pruning - but this area needs a WOW factor tree and not a pruning experiment. My garden has a very harsh climate and sometimes you have to accept that certain types of plants are not going to flourish and are always going to languish - so I decided to try the Persian Silk tree - the chocolate version and I am crossing my fingers that this one will do well - because it is a really beautiful tree. This tree has a green variety and the chocolate variety - I have chosen the latter because it is not invasive and it maxes out at 20 feet and not 40 feet like the green one so much more manageable in a smaller garden.
I am keeping my fingers crossed it will survive the winter - it is a little frost sensitive in its first years - the reason why I have chosen to buy a 7 footer instead of a smaller, younger tree. So my advice - 1) if something doesn't work - don't let things linger on - make the decision and pull it and 2) if you like a particular type of tree, even if according to the books it is border line - go for it - every garden is unique - and micro climates definitely exist within a garden.
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Hello, my name is Úna and this is Granny’s Garden. I am a Master Gardener and I would love to share some tips and advice gained from years of experience with fellow gardening enthusiasts. So please join me every week on my journey to create and recover a very neglected garden.
I garden in a zone 6 in the mountains to the north of Madrid, Spain
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