Pleaching Laburnum Trees
Sunday August 27, 2006
"Pleaching creates an effect of a living arch or tunnel.
To achieve the effect a row of plants is grown up and their tops intertwined. A temporary wooden or bamboo framework is used to get the plants established." So says Don Burke, creator of a Web site on Australian landscape design. Don specifically discusses pleached walkways using Laburnum trees. As my picture of a Laburnum tree shows, the plant veritably drips with luxurious, golden racemes when in bloom (thus the common name of "golden chains" for Laburnum trees), making them an ideal candidate for such a project.
Photo ©2006 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)
To achieve the effect a row of plants is grown up and their tops intertwined. A temporary wooden or bamboo framework is used to get the plants established." So says Don Burke, creator of a Web site on Australian landscape design. Don specifically discusses pleached walkways using Laburnum trees. As my picture of a Laburnum tree shows, the plant veritably drips with luxurious, golden racemes when in bloom (thus the common name of "golden chains" for Laburnum trees), making them an ideal candidate for such a project.Photo ©2006 David Beaulieu (licensed to About, Inc.)


Comments
An archway out of laburnum sounds absolutely beautiful beyond belief. I have a daughter with a lovely laburnum in Ketchikan, Alaska. I am trying to find out if they would survive the south central Alaska climate (Anchorage, Palmer). Do you have any info on zones they thrive in? Thank you.
Golden chain trees (Laburnum) are listed for planting zones 5-11. I found out from experience in my own zone 5 garden that the racemes are susceptible to late frosts.