Temple of Bloom is like the tree of life

T he Temple of Bloom is like the tree of life to everyone who gardens for pollinators. It is a more compact form of Seven- Sons Flower known botanically as Heptacodium micronioides. The Temple of Bloom’s native habitat is China where its wild populations are under threat of extinction. If you live in zones 5a to 9b however, and you are looking for butter_ies, bees and hummingbirds, then this is a must-have plant. I started out with a whip of a plant 3 or 4 years ago and this year it reached 10 feet tall with several blooming branches. I am developing mine as a multi-trunked small tree that I am expecting to be about the size of a redbud or medium-sized crape myrtle. Those grown as a wide deciduous shrub, though a little wild looking, certainly have an appeal.

I mentioned the tree of life at the start and this year’s bloom was a prime example. The butter_y year was pretty incredible March through May. Then once June arrived it was miserable, excessively hot and dry. Though I had an abundance of lantanas, agastache, salvia, zinnias and gomphrena, it just failed to live up to potential. I never even saw a single hairstreak butter_y.

The Temple of Bloom erupts with fragrant white _owers in August and September.

Wherever the butter_ies had been hiding, they suddenly appeared. Last year it was the White M hairstreak, a lifer for me that showed up with countless others. This year Red-banded hairstreaks, and two that I hadn’t seen in years, the Great Purple hairstreak and the Olive Juniper hairstreak. Then to make it really seem like a wildlife extravaganza, the little Green Anole lizards climbed the tree for their chance at a happy meal.

I am sure the neighbors thought I was a total plant nerd as I sat nearby everyday in the soaring heat armed with my Nikon telephoto lens. I admit I was stationed in the shade as much as possible. Yes, I get excited over hairstreaks; there have been ve species in the last two years. Each branch tipped in a huge white cluster of blooms will all have hairstreaks at the same time. But there are all sorts of bees, wasps and milkweed beetles. It is not just hairstreak butter_ies but swallowtails too.

It was still blooming at the end of September when Hurricane Helene made her trek north. Our area, though spared, did receive a lot of rain and some stiff winds, which pretty much ended the bloom season on my treasured tree. The magic continued however; as the petals fell to the ground they were soon replaced by vivid red bracts, making everyone think the tree switched blooms from white to red.

As winter approaches, the leaves will fall to reveal a tan exfoliating bark. This of course means it will be ever-so-picturesque during the dormant season. The question arises how such a trouble-free tree can do all of this; it certainly seems to be horticultural magic.

The Temple of Bloom is thankfully tolerant of a wide range of soils. I can tell you, this tree deserves fertile well-drained soil and irrigation during periods of drought. You will be rewarded with those fragrant white blooms and a wildlife show of bees butter_ies, hummingbirds and yes lizards too. It will seem over but then surprise you when you suddenly have vibrant red bracts.

Norman Winter, horticulturist, garden speaker and author of “Tough-as-Nails Flowers for the South” and “Captivating Combinations: Color and Style in the Garden.” Follow him on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy.

ABOVE: The Temple of Bloom tree forms large fragrant blooming clusters of white flowers from the tip of each branch. LEFT: The Eastern Tiger Swallowtails also find the Temple of Bloom to be a choice-nectaring opportunity.

Photos by Norman Winter / TNS

Norman Winter

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