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Chionanthus virginicus
Common Name: Grancy Graybeard / White Fringetree
Easy to grow
A small graceful tree
Delightful fragrance
Fruit attracts birds
Flowers attract butterflies
A carefree native, this small tree puts on a heck of a show in late spring with thousands of pendulous, delicately fragrant white flowers covering the tree before the leaves emerge. At the end of bloom season, the green leaf tips accent the snowy blooms for an impressive finale. It's no wonder the Fringetree has been a garden favorite and heritage plant for generations!
The Grancy Graybeard is dioecious, meaning that there are male and female trees. The males are typically showier in bloom due to their longer petals, however, it is the female plants that are bedecked with dark blue fruit in late summer. Birds relish the fleshy fruit and will find it easily, even though the foliage sometimes hides it from view. The best way enjoy the graybeard is to have at least one of each, and to be certain you get a male and female, purchase them in late summer or early fall when fruit will be present on the female plants.
Chionanthus virginicus is an wonderful specimen tree for residential and commercial landscapes. It can also be used in groups of three or more if adequate space is available, and it works well in a border with evergreen shrubs like azaleas. It is right at home in natural settings, surrounded by meadow or as part of a mixed grove. Better flowering occurs where the Graybeard can get a lot of sun, but it is still lovely in a slightly shadey spot, having a more open habit. It prefers well-drained, sandy loam soil of medium fertility, but is tolerant of a wide variety of soils, including red clay.
Unfortunately, the Grancy Graybeard is not a tree that is often seen in the marketplace because it is seed propagated and rather slow-growing in its early years. That's a shame because it is a beautiful tree and an enduring landscape plant.
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Height: 12-18 Feet
Spread: 12-20 Feet
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
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