2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Silk acacia is a wonderful choice for decorating an alley in the garden. The flowering of this species can be second only to the cherry blossom in its beauty and tenderness. Silk acacia blooms with delicate pink umbrella flowers, enveloping passers-by with an unforgettable scent. This aroma cannot be defined by one definition: sweet, like honey, the aroma of silk envelops you, the notes of violets will accompany you for some time, and the light breeze from the garden will beckon again and again under the shade of silk acacia
Albizia Lankaran
Albizia Lankaran or Silk Acacia (lat. Albizia julibrissin) is a species of trees of the genus Albizia of the Legume family. The following Russian plant names are found: Lankaran acacia, silk acacia, silk bush, silk tree. The height of the tree is up to 10 m. The spreading umbrella-shaped crown reaches 7 m in width. Light green leaves resemble mimosa leaves, consisting of 20-30 pairs of leaves on secondary petioles (more than 10 per leaf).
Acacia leaves bloom later than other trees, in mid-May, but the duration of flowering, depending on the climate, can last from late June to September. The acacia color is light yellow with bright pink stamens, creating the image of either umbrellas or fluffy fans.
Acacia fruits are beans, multi-seeded pods up to 20 cm long. Ripe seeds are brown and relatively easy to store and germinate. Albitsia is a fairly fast-growing tree, in favorable conditions at the age of five it can reach four meters in height, the life expectancy is up to 100 years. The tree is thermophilic and young trees can die at a temperature of -15 without special wrapping.
Landscape design
Albizia looks gorgeous in any combination, like a lonely tree, and like an alley in a large garden. An adult tree with a trunk of 30-40 cm in diameter under its branches can cover a garden swing, a table for a family picnic, envelop in the aroma of tenderness, create an indescribable atmosphere of romance and comfort. However, it will not work to hide in its hallway from the midday heat: openwork leaves let in a lot of sunlight. Silk acacia is a good companion for sun-loving flowers and shrubs. Young trees planted on both sides of the path will quickly close into a dome, after 5 years forming a tunnel of greenery and flowers.
Reproduction
Reproduction of albicia is not difficult. It is grown from seeds, cuttings, root shoots and grafting. Seeds must be stratified before planting. Soak in warm water for 5-6 hours, mix with soil and place in a cold place (for example, a refrigerator or a deep basement) for a month or two. Cutting is carried out from one-year-old twigs. The middle of the shoot is taken, for 2-3 buds. Half of the cuttings are treated with root stimulants and planted directly in the open ground.
Acacia trees often give root shoots, in which case the shoots are easily separated and planted in open ground without special preparation. This tree is rarely propagated by grafting due to the laboriousness of the process and the simplicity and availability of other methods. But grafting is still permissible and possible.
Wintering
This type of acacia is thermophilic and can suffer in snowless frosts. Most mature trees easily survive frosts down to -15, but young trees can get sick or even die. If we are talking about a one-year-old sprout, it can be wrapped in cardboard, as if wearing it in a tube. Taller trees are wrapped up to the crown with foam rubber, or natural insulation (spruce branches, peat, leaves) wrapped in foil.
A small flat brown seed, surrounded by your care, will repay you in full, giving in the summer not a million scarlet roses, but a million fluffy, soft pink fragrant fabulous impressions and aromas!
