Description Family Fabaceae. Originating from Iran to China, Myanmar. Received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Small deciduous tree with a wide canopy of exotic red/black feathery leaves. Whispy candy-floss-scented pink and white flowers appear in mid to late summer. Vigorous and easy to grow in any light soil in full sun. The Summer Chocolate Silk Tree in Your Garden Exquisitely exotic and delicate-looking dark foliage forms a wide-spreading crown. Incredible purple-red-black feather-shaped leaves, dramatise its wispy pink and white flowers. Hardy in southern and coastal areas of the UK, it makes a vigorous and rewarding plant, reaching 4m tall and wide in 10 – 20 years. Its deciduous leaves look so tropical, it’s hard to believe this special variety is hardy. The hundreds of tiny leaflets borne on their intricate bi-pinnate stems close up at night. In Japan this has earned it the name ‘The Sleeping Tree’. Like African acacia trees in the savanna, their wide canopies are light and airy, casting dappled shade. Plant around maritime North Norfolk and Suffolk seating areas, where their dreamy intricacy can be enjoyed up close. Its sweetly scented clusters of thread-like, creamy-white, silky stamens are flushed pink at the base. Growing Tips for Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’, the Persian Silk Tree Soil and Sun: Grow in full sun in any light soil, tolerates poor soil and exposure. Planting: Set in spring or autumn; summer planting requires extra attention to watering. Plunge for 20 minutes to drench the root ball before planting. Do not add compost or improvers to the soil. Watering: Moderate; water regularly during its first summer. Tolerates dry spells once established. Pruning: Superficial shoot die-back can be caused by harsh winters, but thicker stems are unaffected. Albizia are late into leaf; wait until buds are forming in late April/early May and trim back any dried branch tips. Optional pruning is easy. Shaped to any desired form in early spring, mature specimens can even be pollarded. Forming a unique and sensational specimen, the Summer Chocolate Silk Tree’s drought tolerance and vigour make it highly desirable. Crucial for waterwise gardeners, bees also love its pollen-laden wispy flowers. Adaptable to planting in large pots, its architectural form makes it a rare, deciduous Urban Jungle recommendation for contemporary gardens. Planting Ideas for the Persian ‘Summer Chocolate’ Silk Tree Dare to delve into your dark side. Delight in the drama of dusky exotica, amassed in a rich and flamboyant composition. Let the airy crowns of Albizia ‘Summer Chocolate’ preside over lower-growing dark evergreen species, balancing its winter absence. Phormium ‘Black Velvet’, Libertia ‘Taupo Sunset’, Ophiopogon ‘Nigrescens’, and Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’ add a year-round dark accompaniment. Add larger shrubs to create a backdrop for sensational colours. Physocarpus ‘Diabolo’, Pseudopanax ferox, Sambucus ‘Black Tower’ and ‘Eva’ complete the brooding stage setting. Now ignite the touchpaper by adding Canna ‘Velvet Red’ and Hemerocallis ‘Dominic’ and ‘Chicago Apache’. Supercharge the colours of Crocosmia ‘Orange Pekoe’ and ‘Emily McKenzie’, Dahlia ‘Roxy’ and ‘Moonfire’ with darkness around them.
