Davidia involucrata Lady Sunshine - Dove Tree

The Davidia involucrata 'Lady Sunshine' is a very rare form of the dove tree. It stands out with its amazing variegated foliage in spring, green in the center of the lamina, widely bordered with cream yellow, then the variegation fades at the end of summer and the foliage turns green again before taking on golden hues in autumn. This variety, unlike any other, also blooms from a young age, in spring, in the form of decorative white bracts surrounding clusters of stamens that persist on the branches for a long time. Scattered throughout the branches like little pockets, this unusual flowering is the origin of the plant's vernacular name. This moisture-loving plant is fairly easy to grow in ordinary but deep, fertile, light, and moist soil. It is a collector's tree that deserves a prominent position, preferably in partial shade, in a sheltered location. 

The Davidia involucrata is a plant from the Nyssaceae family, just like the Nyssa sylvatica with its magnificent autumn colours. This fully hardy tree, the only representative of its genus, is native to the western Chinese province of Sichuan. It was discovered there in 1869 by a missionary botanist named Jean-Pierre Armand-David, who gave it its species name. In nature, this tree with a rounded habit can live for a hundred years and reach a height of 20 m (65 ft 7 in). In our gardens, it will rarely exceed 12 m (39 ft 5 in) in all directions.

The 'Lady Sunshine' cultivar is still relatively rare in the horticultural trade. It differs from the typical form with its variegated foliage and rapid flowering. It has a rounded spreading habit, and its dimensions will not exceed 12 m (39 ft 5 in) in height and 10 m (32 ft 10 in) in width. The growth is quite slow depending on the growing conditions. The foliage of this dove tree is deciduous. The heart-shaped leaves measure from 8 to 16 cm (3.1 to 6.3 in) in length, they have indented margins and resemble those of linden trees. In spring, the foliage colour is a bright light green, widely bordered with cream yellow on the upper surface, with a greyish, velvety, and downy underside. As the season progresses, the variegation gradually fades and the foliage turns green again in the middle of summer.

This tree provides remarkable flowering. From May to June, pendulous inflorescences composed of small flowers measuring 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 in) in diameter appear, surrounded by a pair of large bracts that are halfway between a leaf and a petal, of pure white and very decorative. The inflorescences measure 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. The globular flowers consist of red-purple anthers and numerous white stamens. After flowering, pendant fruits measuring 2-4 cm (0.8-1.6 in) in diameter appear, forming brown balls that remain on the tree throughout winter.

Place the Lady Sunshine Dove Tree in isolation in your garden, in a grove or in small groups with large white-flowering dogwoods such as the remarkable Cornus controversa with its horizontally layered habit. To accompany it in acidic soil, choose for example Rhododendrons, Pieris, Leucothoe, or Corylopsis. In limestone soil, opt for osmanthus, viburnums, Aronia, spireas, euonymus, or iteas. Plant shade-loving perennials at its base to cover the ground, such as foamflowers, pachysandra, fairy flowers, Christmas roses, lungworts, or hostas.