Albizzia julibrissin Summer Chocolate

The Albizia julibrissin Summer Chocolate is a variety of Silk Tree appreciated for the beauty of its foliage which becomes extremely dark in summer. A colour almost chocolate in shade that contrasts wonderfully with its two-tone tufted flowers, pink and white. It boasts a nice umbrella-shaped habit and has low requirements in terms of soil and humidity. Well adapted to our mild climates, this deciduous tree provides light shade in summer and a touch of welcome exoticism near a terrace.

The Albizia julibrissin is a deciduous tree of the Fabaceae family. It originates from Iran (formerly called Persia) to eastern China. It is also called Acacia or Constantinople Mimosa.

The 'Summer Chocolate' cultivar was selected in Japan by Masato Yokoi in 1990. A mature specimen can withstand short frosts of around -12 °C. Its growth is moderately fast, and favours soil that retains moisture. It usually reaches 4 to 5 m (16 to 5 ft) in height (about 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in 10 years), and boasts a spreading crown on a diameter equivalent to or slightly smaller than its height. The bark is thin, almost smooth, with whitish lenticels. The 2-year-old wood has a pretty slightly bluish tint. The deciduous leaves, absent in winter, are alternate and very large, measuring 15 to 40 cm (15.7 in). They are divided into large leaflets, themselves subdivided into small leaflets. In the evening, the leaflets fold back on themselves. They are bronze green in spring, becoming darker, almost black in summer. This Albizia blooms from July to mid-September, during which new flowers open every day. The tree produces from the age of 5 to 6 years feathery and silky inflorescences which have earned it its name of silk tree. They are made up of long stamens of a tender pink with a white base, quite visible, surpassing the rudimentary corollas grouped in heads. The scent of the flowers is mainly perceptible up close, powdery and sweet. Flowering gives way to a fruit, a flat pod, 8 to 20 cm (7.9 in) long, initially green then brown, containing 5 to 15 fairly large oval seeds, which germinate easily. Finally, and this is a characteristic of plants in the Fabaceae family, the roots form nodules capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, through specific bacteria present in this plant. The taproot system of this small tree does not tolerate transplanting well. Albizia's lifespan is variable; in milder climates, it usually reaches around thirty years old before starting to fade.

The Summer Chocolate Silk Tree, with its dark, graceful, airy silhouette, can be planted as a stand-alone plant to provide light shade to the terrace. Its flowering accentuates its undeniably exotic side. It withstands summer drought very well, adapts to a wide range of soils (pH from 5 to 8), requires very little maintenance and tolerates pruning well. Moderately hardy, it is better suited to south- and west-facing gardens.  Ground cover plants look stunning when grown around its base, including silver baskets, lesser periwinkles, oregano and Naples cyclamen.