Framing the entrance to the cycle park at Brookside, Albizia julibrissin ‘Rosea’ is a show-stopping plant.
Occurring in a band from Iran to Japan, Albizia julibrissin is a member of the pea family, Fabaceae, and is closely related to the mimosas. It has attractive spherical flower heads of multiple, individual, yellow-green flowers, and the selection ‘Rosea’, which is grown here, is more ornamental, bearing pink flowers. These comprise a dense head of flowers whose defining characteristic is the pink stamens, which give the appearance of a fine brush. These are set against a backdrop of attractive, deciduous, pinnate foliage. This species is susceptible to frost damage, but has survived in this sheltered position, where it was planted in 1973, and has grown to attain English champion status.