The Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree, otherwise known as the Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ or Silk Tree ‘Summer Chocolate’, Mimosa ‘Summer Chocolate’, PP13,822, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its high maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its dark green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
The basic care guidelines you need to remember for your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree are the following:
- Water: The Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
- Light: Keep your Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree in soil with well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, chalk, and loam.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree belongs to the Fabaceae family, the genus Albizia and the species Julibrissin, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ (al-BIZ-ee-uh ju-lee-BRI-sin).
The Fabaceae family also includes other plants like Ruby Falls Weeping Redbud, Blue False Indigo, Cercis Canadensis ‘Forest’, Cercis Chinensis ‘Avondale’, Cercis Canadensis, False Lupine ‘Cherries Jubilee’ and Wisteria floribunda ‘Shiro-Naga’.
As with other Albizia’s, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 9 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ can grow up to 15′ – 20′ (4.5m – 6m) in 15′ – 20′ (4.5m – 6m) and 18′ – 20′ (5.4m – 6m) in 18′ – 20′ (5.4m – 6m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful spreading shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Water
In terms of watering, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ prefers constant watering each week and more during the hot season.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
The Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree’s ideal soil potting mix is made out of sand, chalk, and loam.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (early, mid, late).
Flowers
You can expect your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree to flower around the summer months from July to September (summer).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its fragrant and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree produces some beautiful pink, or pink flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree have a beautiful dark green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a compound (pinnately, bipinnately, palmately) arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ to be around (> 6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree is well known for being able to attract butterflies and birds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for drought and animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ will be fine.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree will look best in it.
Most Albizia Julibrissin ‘Boubri’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most contemporary, asian/zen and tropical gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of coastal garden, city and courtyard, and in mediterranean garden styles.
In particular, the Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, others use it for landscaping in a firescaping/fire wise, coastal exposure, specimen, container, poolside, or a urban garden.
Companion Plants
Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Ceanothus, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Chamaecyparis will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Ombrella™ Mimosa Tree, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
