May Tree of the Month-Fringe tree

The redbuds are done, the dogwoods are fading, and the magnolias are long gone … time for one of the most underused trees to shine-the fringe tree, Chionanthus virginicus.

Fringe tree is a small tree, rarely growing over 20’ high or wide. It flowers best in full sun and tolerates a wide range of soils. It’s a dioicous tree, meaning separate male and female plants. Rumor has it that the males flower better than the females, but both are wonderfully fragrant. Birds and wildlife enjoy the dark blue fruits of the females in late summer. 

Native fringe trees are usually found at the edges of glades or along wooded slopes near creeks or bottomland woods.

The fall color is a decent yellow, and since it’s usually a multi-stemmed tree, it gives some excellent structure in the garden year-round.

What I love about this plant-The fragrant, fringy flowers. The rounded shape and smaller size. The multi-stemmed habit. The fall color. It’s a native.

What’s not so great-Fringe tree is hard to find in the trade and often overlooked and underappreciated.

Words and photos by Jo Batzer

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