Handkerchief tree

Handkerchief tree: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 10–15 m with a broad, conical to rounded crown.

Leaf

Alternate, 8–15 cm, broadly oval to heart-shaped with a long pointed tip, coarsely and sharply toothed; underside often hairy.

Bark

Orange-brown to grey-brown, in small flakes.

Flower

A round head of purple stamens between two unequal, creamy-white bracts 10–20 cm long, in May.

Fruit

Hanging, green to purplish-brown drupes 3–4 cm long with a hard, ridged stone.

Difference from large-leaved lime

Large-leaved lime has a lopsided heart-shaped, more finely toothed leaf and fragrant yellow flower clusters on a narrow bract.

Difference from katsura tree

Katsura has a smaller, round leaf in opposite pairs.

Flowering: May · Pruning: November–March

Identify by feature: Heart-shaped leaves

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Large-leaved lime Tilia platyphyllos: lopsided heart-shaped, more finely toothed leaf and fragrant yellow flower clusters on a narrow bract. Difference from large-leaved lime
• Katsura tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum: smaller, round leaf in opposite pairs. Difference from katsura tree

Why grow it?

• A spectacular sight in May: hundreds of white ‘handkerchiefs’ beneath the branches.
• A remarkable tree with a great story: discovered in China and brought to Europe by plant hunters.
• Handsome, broad heart-shaped leaves, even in the years before it flowers.

Handkerchief tree: where does it grow best?

• Sun to partial shade, out of the wind: wind tears the bracts and dries out the leaves.
• Moist, fertile soil that does not dry out; no wet feet.
• Allow about 8 m width: a tree for a larger garden or a park.

Light

Sun or partial shade

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

12 m tall, 8 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Rhododendron: Flowers at about the same time in partial shade and also likes moist, humus-rich soil.
• Hydrangea: Takes over in summer, in the same sheltered partial shade.
• Japanese maple: A graceful small tree for the same sheltered spot, with autumn colour.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Handkerchief tree: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant from November to March, root-balled or container-grown.
2. Choose a sheltered spot, for example among other trees, out of cold north and east winds.
3. Mix compost or leaf mould into the planting soil and water well.
4. Put a stake on the windward side and mulch the base with leaf mould.

Care

Watering

Water in dry spells, especially in the first few years: dry soil gives limp leaves with brown edges.

Feeding

A little compost or leaf mould in spring.

Mulch

A layer of leaf mould or wood chips keeps the soil cool and moist.

Patience

A young tree often only flowers after 10 to 20 years; until then its leaves are its glory.

Tip: Buy a slightly older tree if you can: you will have less time to wait for the first ‘handkerchiefs’.

Handkerchief tree: when to prune it?

Pruning months: November–March.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. If pruning is needed, do it during winter dormancy (November–March).

How:

• Little pruning needed. Formative pruning of a young tree in winter.
• Only remove dead, crossing or low-hanging branches, so that the white bracts stay clearly visible.

Caution: Don’t prune it to keep it small: it only flowers once it is mature, and hard pruning just delays that.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

Sow the stone of a ripe fruit in a pot outdoors in autumn; it germinates slowly, often only after two winters, and the seedling takes many years to flower.

Handkerchief tree: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy; the tree itself withstands severe frost.
• Late night frost in April can damage the young leaves and flower buds: a sheltered spot helps.

Diseases and pests

• No flowers: A young tree often only flowers after 10 to 20 years. Patience is the only cure.
• Late frost: Night frost in April damages young leaves and flower buds. Choose a sheltered spot.
• Wind and drought: Wind tears the bracts and dry soil gives brown leaf edges: shelter, mulch and watering help.

Through the year

• January: Formative pruning while dormant.
• March: Last month for formative pruning and for planting; spread compost.
• April: The leaves unfurl; watch out for night frost.
• May: Flowering: white ‘handkerchiefs’ beneath the branches.
• July: Water in dry spells.
• October: The fruits ripen; sow the stones if you like.
• November: Planting season; formative pruning can begin.
• December: Formative pruning; remove dead wood.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

A showpiece for the larger garden, in a sheltered spot with moist, fertile soil.

Caution: Be patient: a young tree often only flowers after 10 to 20 years.

Did you know?

• Named after the French missionary Armand David, who found it in China in 1869. The plant hunter Ernest Wilson was later sent out specially to collect its seed.
• It is also called the dove tree or ghost tree: the white bracts look like fluttering doves or little ghosts.
• The white ‘petals’ are really bracts; the true flowers are in the purple ball between them.