Associate the Albizia

In a seaside garden

The Albizia julibrissin ‘Ombrella’ tolerates salt in both soil and air and will easily adapt to seaside gardens. Typically reaching between six and ten metres in height, it takes on a spreading umbrella shape with horizontal branches, allowing it to achieve a span of 5 to 6 metres.

It is covered in dark pink silky pom-poms in summer and happily enlivens coastal beds in mild climates alongside Ceanothus, also known as California Lilac, with its mauve flowering; with its groundcover habit, plant a Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Repens’ in the foreground. Add Mexican Oranges ‘Aztec Pearl’, whose pure white flowers will spread intoxicating scents. Finally, you can easily complete the picture with Japanese Spindles Euonymus japonicus ‘Bravo’ and their very bright variegated yellow foliage, along with Grevillea rosmarinifolia featuring long flowering clusters of bright pink.

Albizia julibrissin ‘Ombrella’, Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Choisya ternata ‘Aztec Pearl’, Euonymus japonicus ‘Bravo’ and Ceanothus thyrsiflorus ‘Repens’

In a bold purple border

The Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ stands out from other Silk Trees due to its finely divided foliage, which is bronze-green, darkening to almost black. Its feathery flowers are pink and bloom in summer. Moderately hardy (around -6 °C), in northern regions, it should be well sheltered and south-facing, for example, against a wall.

In a bed designed to showcase its purple foliage, pair it with a contrasting Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, which has a conical and narrow habit, reaching an average height of 4 m and a spread of 2.5 m at maturity. This hardy conifer is low-maintenance regarding soil type, thriving in well-drained soil and sunny exposure. The Canna ‘Durban’ will add a splash of vibrant colour with its orange flowers and stunning foliage, initially deep purple, later variegated with pink, green, and cream. It will bloom from July until the frosts. Be sure to dig up the stump before the first frosts to winter it in a sheltered spot. The Persicaria microcephala ‘Red Dragon’, a magnificent perennial grown for its striking brown-purple foliage, will form a bush about 80 cm tall within this composition. Easy to grow and very hardy, this Knotweed enjoys sun or partial shade and moisture.

Finally, add a touch of lightness with the Miscanthus sinensis ‘Red Chief’. This lovely grass with a bushy and compact habit will adorn itself with red plumes from August onwards.

‘Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’, Persicaria microcephala ‘Red Dragon’, Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’, Canna ‘Durban’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Red Chief’

In the background of a flower bed

The Silk TreeAlbizia julibrissin ‘Rosea’ will advantageously display its lovely silhouette at the back of a flowerbed, punctuating it with its delicate flowering. This small tree (6 to 8 m in height and 4 m in spread) is deciduous with fine, feathery foliage reminiscent of a mimosa. It offers a summer flowering in fragrant clusters of stamen in deep pink, grouped towards the top of its branches. It enjoys full sun, well-drained soil, and a sheltered position from cold winds.

For a spring flowering, you can accompany it with a White Japanese Quince ‘Jet Trail’ and a Flowering Currant. The autumn display will come from the late flowering of the Prunus subhirtella‘Autumnalis Rosea’, Japanese Anemones and Asters, as well as the vibrant foliage of a Japanese Cherry.

In summer, the Lagerstroemia indica ‘La Mousson’ will offer its exceptionally abundant, early, and repeat flowering in a vibrant pink, alongside the Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’, a new bushy variety for full sun, with opulent white flowers mixed with pink and red until October.

Albizia julibrissin ‘Rosea’, Lagerstroemia indica ‘La Mousson’ and Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanille Fraise’, Japanese Quince ‘Jet Trail’ and Japanese Anemone ‘Fantasy Pocahontas’

In a soft and soothing arrangement

Albizzia ‘Tropical Dream’ can be considered a moderately growing tree, its height not exceeding 5 to 6 m in our climates. It displays a crown with a spreading canopy, with a diameter slightly greater than its height. Flowering from July to mid-September, with new flowers opening each day, it produces fluffy and silky inflorescences that have earned it the name silk tree. Their powdery and sweet fragrance is noticeable up close.

It can thus be planted in a border, with the double flowering of a beautiful deep pink in May-June from the hawthorn Crataegus laevigata ‘Rosea Flore Pleno’. To create a prolifically flowering and easy-to-maintain border, it can be accompanied by a mass planting of low-maintenance perennials such as white Valerian Centranthus ruber ‘Albus’, Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’, and Alliums. Dot the border with powdery tones of old roses Rosa ‘Cuisse de Nymphe’ and wormwoods ‘Silver Queen’.

Albizzia ‘Tropical Dream’, Crataegus laevigata ‘Rosea Flore Pleno’, Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ and Rosa ‘Cuisse de Nymphe’

In a Mediterranean atmosphere

L’Albizia julibrissin ‘Rouge de Tuilière’ is a hardy variety of Silk Tree (-15 °C), which offers an abundant summer flowering of a deep pink, almost red. It forms a small deciduous tree with finely dissected foliage, whose crown takes the shape of a spreading parasol; it is therefore perfect for shading a Mediterranean terrace. Plant it in full sun and sheltered from strong winds, in well-drained soil, even dry in summer, as it is adapted to a lack of water. To include it in a low-maintenance landscape, choose to accompany it with an olive tree and a Callistemon citrinus ‘Mauve Mist’, notable for its mauve-pink bottlebrush flowers from June to August.

Enhance the display with a Yucca rostrata, with a thick, short trunk topped with long blue-green leaves, and a Yucca gloriosa‘Variegata’ with cream-marginate foliage. It will easily withstand negative temperatures of -10 °C and will be adorned with an impressive display of fragrant white bell-shaped flowers from May to July. To complete the flowering, plant the floriferous and magnificent Polygala myrtifolia. Covered in violet-pink flowers for almost the entire year, it is also drought-resistant. The Agapanthus ‘Purple Cloud’, flowering in July-August, will enliven the whole display with its large blue-violet umbels.

Albizia julibrissin ‘Rouge de Tuilière’, Agapanthus ‘Purple Cloud’, Yucca rostrata, and Polygala myrtifolia