I am so excited that my Fringe Tree has finally produced “fringe!” I purchased this tree as a young plant six or seven years ago at the Carroll County Master Gardeners “Mother’s Day Plant Sale” as a specimen tree, and planted it in the front corner of my yard by my driveway.
I haven’t paid much attention to it except to make sure that it was healthy. This year as I pulled out of the driveway, I looked up and “surprise, surprise” it has produced clusters of thin, white, narrow flowers that look like shredded paper or fringe. If you are looking for your own specimen tree, this year’s Mother’s Day Plant sale is coming up on May 9th on Saturday morning.
The Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) is also known as the Snowflower Tree, Flowering Ash, Old Man’s Beard, or Grandfather Graybeard. There is also a Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus) with similar characteristics, but I will be talking about “virginicus” in this article. Fringe Trees are members of the ‘Oleaceae’ or Olive Family. They usually bloom in April, May, and June producing white, fringe-like, fragrant flowers that are composed of 4-6 strap-shaped petals 1 inch long by 1/16 inch wide. They hang in clusters that fall off in late spring
Fringe Trees are dioecious with separate male and female plants. You must have both a male and female specimen to get fruit. Male flowers are showier than female flowers but fertilized female flowers produce clusters of olive-like fruits which ripen to a dark, bluish black drupe in late summer. The fruits often get eaten by birds before they even fall. Fringe Trees are considered to be a native shrub or small tree in Zones 3-9 with a range spanning from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and west to Oklahoma and Texas, with a core range of VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, MS, LA.
These trees grow well in full to partial sun. They like well-drained, acidic to neutral soil. They prefer moist, fertile soil but are tolerant of clay. If you are planting more than one, space the trees about 10–20 feet apart to allow room for growth. Fringe Trees usually reach only
12–20 ft which make them ideal for patios, small gardens, or even under power lines. They require minimal pruning and tolerate pollution well, which makes them good for urban areas.
White Fringe trees have very few pests and can add quite a bit of interest to your landscape. However, they are a member of the “Oleaceae” family which makes them cousins to White Ash and therefore vulnerable to the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB).
Mother’s Day Plant Sale is coming up on May 9th from 9AM to 2PM. There is an area where you can find a perfect Mother’s Day gift in addition to the hydrangeas, succulents, herbs, vegetables, trees, ferns, perennials, and annuals available for sale. Come early and bring a cart.
If you have gardening questions, contact a Master Gardener Extension Volunteer at the UGA Cooperative Extension Carroll County office, located at the Carroll County Ag Center at 900 Newnan Road in Carrollton at 770-836-8546 or via email at ccmg@uga.edu.
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