Albizia Julibrissin Persian Silk Tree

Albizia Julibrissin (Persian Silk Tree) is a small deciduous tree with feathery leaves and late-summer pink flowerheads. It’s a superb specimen tree for compact urban spaces, exotic-style gardens, and mixed borders.

Commonly known as the Persian silk tree, or simply silk tree, Albizia is a small tree or shrub genus native to Middle Eastern and South American mild climates. They’re prized for feathery foliage and pretty pink flowerheads. Albizia Julibrissin is a native of Iran, China, and Taiwan. Introduced to the UK in 1745, it’s remained popular ever since for its exotic looks and graceful spreading branches.

Persian silk tree Julibrissin has wispy mimosa-like foliage with feathery pink flowerheads that emerge in late summer and early autumn. Its flowers mature into pea-like seed pods and as winter approaches, it sheds all its foliage to reveal a handsome set of spreading branches.

There are several varieties of Albizia Julibrissin, including the RHS AGM-winning Summer Chocolate with purple-brown foliage Chocolate Fountain Ombrella with chocolate-coloured extra weepy foliage, and Evy’s Pride with dark burgundy fern-like leaves and dark pink flowers.

Height and Spread of Albizia Julibrissin
Persian silk trees reach 4-8 metres tall with a 4-5-metre-wide canopy over 10-20 years.

How Hardy Is Albizia Julibrissin
Albizia Julibrissin is the hardiest of the Persian silk trees. It can cope with minus temperatures if its roots are well drained. It’s drought tolerant once established but needs shelter from cold, drying winds. 

How to Use Albizia Julibrissin
Silk trees suit mixed borders and make handsome ornamental display trees in both country cottage style and urban gardens. Their wispy foliage and pretty flowers look traditional, but their spreading habit and exotic looks appear modern. Tropical-style exotic gardens choose silk trees as a focal point if palms and bananas aren’t an option.
Compact Persian silk trees suit large well-watered and well-fed containers. They look superb on a patio, deck or a sheltered balcony.

How to Care For Albizia Julibrissin
Persian silk tree Albizia Julibrissin is easy to grow and care for. It prefers full sun to partial shade in most well drained fertile soil, but requires shelter to flower well. A south or west facing wall is the best spot, because cold winds can damage new foliage and discourage flowers.
Albizia Julibrissin needs barely any pruning, but it’s best to remove broken, crossed or damaged branches in early spring when you apply a thick layer of rotted organic mulch to its roots.
Water it well until established and regularly if its container grown. Be sure to prop the container up on feet to enable good drainage and feed it with a good quality tree fertiliser each week in the growing season.