Silk tree

[L Austin France]

Our tree this morning

[Oldblueraincoat]

Not a silk tree but our Mirabelle has taken a right old bashing in the recent storms - the abundant fruit weighs heavily on the boughs so much that some are touching the ground. It suffered more over the weekend when one of the thicker main branches cracked under the weight. I've trimmed it back as best l can but there are hundreds of mirabelle still attached to it and we are forlornly hoping they will still reach fruition

IMG_2545-01.jpeg

IMG_2657-01.jpeg

[Veem]

We have flowers on both trees! Not just one or two, but loads. I've hardly been out for a couple of days, so I must have missed the first few opening up. The leaves have all closed up for the night so the flowers are even more noticeable.

[Nomoss]

When we moved into this house in 2012 the small Albizia had been badly damaged by low branches from several pine trees hitting it in windy weather (of which we get a lot).
A branch near the top had broken and split the trunk, so I cut it off a metre or so from the ground.
We cut down the pine trees soon after this, as their needles had poisoned the ground below, and nothing would grow there, and they were full of processionary caterpillar nests which no-one around here seems bothered about.
The Albizia looked pretty awful for a while, and I thought of replacing it, but it eventually grew back into a pleasing shape and I hadn't the heart to remove it.
Pic taken today, 11 years later

IMG_3520.JPG

[Veem]

Gosh, it has done well even if it didn't manage to grow back to its normal umbrella shape. I rather like the way it has flowers so close to the ground. What are those spectacluar shrubs covered in pink and white flowers?

[Nomoss]

Gosh, it has done well even if it didn't manage to grow back to its normal umbrella shape. I rather like the way it has flowers so close to the ground. What are those spectacluar shrubs covered in pink and white flowers?

Yes, I was surprised it survived, and we like the asymmetrical "Japanese" shape.
The bushes are oleanders, laurier rose to the French. Those two are in the driest part of our very parched garden, at the top of a steep slope.
They were overgrown with other plants and weeds when we moved here in 2012. I cleared around them but never trimmed them as doing so makes them bolt.
There are two near the house which are rampant and are cut to the ground periodically. This is one in 2019, which was cut down completely in 2012 or 13.

IMG_2217.JPG

[ajm]

Ours has just started to flower