Name:  Chionanthus virginicus aka fringe tree or old man’s beard.

Type of Plant: A large shrub or small tree, native to the Eastern US, growing 15 to 30 feet tall and wide.

Why I Love this Plant: If you’ve been to Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich during the month of June, you’ve probably seen their amazing fringe tree. When this plant is in flower with fragrant, long panicles of white petals, it’s really impressive.

This makes a good specimen tree in sunny places, or it could be planted with other, later flowering native trees such as the Franklinia and Oxydendrum.

A Word to the Wise: Know that this plant is very late to break dormancy in the spring, so if you don’t see leaves until late May, do not assume that it’s dead!

This is not a usually a single trunk tree, or one that grows straight upright. Be willing to accept that it’s multi-stemmed and possibly leaning and asymmetrical…and perfect as it is.

This is the fringe tree at its peak bloom at Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, MA. 

The flowers against the blue sky take your breath away…and make you want to plant a fringe tree!