Albizia julibrissin Evis Purple

Albizia julibrissin 'Evis's Purple' is a recently developed American variety. More resistant to cold (down to -12 °C) and more vigorous, it is also remarkable for its deep pink flowering, which occurs from July to August depending on the region. Its purple mimosa-like foliage spreads out like an umbrella to offer appreciated shade near a terrace. With its beautiful colours, it brings an undeniable exotic touch to your garden. Albizia julibrissin 'Evis's Purple' is drought-resistant.

Albizia julibrissin is a deciduous small tree of the Fabaceae family, whose original range extends from Iran (formerly called Persia) to eastern China. It is also called Acacia or Constantinople Mimosa.

The cultivar 'Evi's purple' was selected in the United States for its beautiful purple foliage that turns yellow in autumn, its abundant flowering, and its better cold resistance. Its growth is quite slow, favoured by moist soil. It usually reaches a height of 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) in European climates and has a crown-shaped canopy with a diameter equivalent to or slightly larger than its height. It blooms from June to August, during which new flowers open every day. The tree produces feathery and silky inflorescences, which have earned it the name "silk tree". They are actually made up of long stamens of a very deep pink colour, well visible, surpassing the rudimentary corollas grouped in heads. The scent of the flowers is mainly perceptible up close, and is powdery and sweet. The flowering gives way to a fruit, a flat pod 8 to 20 cm (3 to 8 in) long, initially green then brown, containing 5 to 15 fairly large oval seeds, which germinate easily. The leaves, deciduous, fall in autumn after turning yellow. Arranged alternately on the branches, they measure from 15 to 40 cm (6 to 16 in) and are divided into large leaflets, themselves subdivided into small leaflets. In the evening, the leaflets fold in on themselves. The bark is thin, grey-green then grey, almost smooth, with whitish lenticels. Finally, and this is a characteristic of plants of the Fabaceae family, the roots form nodules capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen through specific bacteria present in these organs. The taproot system of this small tree does not tolerate transplantations well. The lifespan of the Albizia is variable in European climates, usually reaching around thirty years.

Plant the remarkably colourful 'Evi's purple' Silk Tree, with its majestic and airy silhouette, as a standalone tree to provide light shade to the terrace, for example. It likes well-drained soils and needs a sunny site sheltered from the wind. Its blooms add to its exotic aspect. It becomes water-efficient once well rooted, adapts to a wide range of soils (pH from 4.1 to 7.9), requires very little maintenance, and withstands pruning well.