Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Silk tree

Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream'

£25.49 £29.99 SAVE 15%
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £25.49

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Description

Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream' is a silk tree selection prized for flowers of a deeper, more vivid pink than the ordinary species and for better resilience in cooler gardens. It forms a multi-stemmed large shrub or small tree with a spreading, umbrella-shaped crown of delicate, ferny, bipinnate leaves. The foliage folds up as evening falls and opens again with the morning sun, a small daily ritual that never stops being charming.

Hardiness and seasons. The RHS rates it H4, hardy through most of the UK in a sheltered spot, and it is regarded as one of the hardier silk tree selections offered here. It is deciduous and comes into leaf late, usually well into late spring, then flowers from July to September, when the canopy is covered in fluffy, fragrant pink powder-puff blooms. Young plants are the most vulnerable, so give them winter protection in cold gardens for their first few years.

How and where to grow. Plant it in full sun in a warm, sheltered, south or west facing position. It thrives in any well-drained soil, including chalk, loam or sand at any pH, tolerates poor soil, and is notably drought tolerant once established. The RHS gives an ultimate size of 4 to 8m after ten to twenty years, but in most UK gardens it stays much smaller and is easily kept compact by pruning, and it does well in a large container.

Using it in the garden. Few hardy plants look more exotic: the layered, umbrella canopy and silky pink flowers bring an instant subtropical feel to an exotic border or a sunny gravel garden. The nectar-rich flowers are loved by bees. Use it as a centrepiece specimen, in a large patio pot, or trained informally against a warm wall where summers are cooler.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Silk tree

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Silk tree

Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream' needs full sun and well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H4): down to around −10°C. Hardy through an average UK winter.

H4, hardy through most of the UK in a warm, sheltered spot. Protect young plants from hard frost for their first few winters. Read moreShow less

H4, hardy through most of the UK in a warm, sheltered spot. Protect young plants from hard frost for their first few winters.

Position

Full sunSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Full sun in a sheltered, south or west facing position. Read moreShow less

Full sun in a sheltered, south or west facing position.

Soil

ChalkLoamSandWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH
Any well-drained soil, including poor or dry ground; chalk, loam or sand at any pH. Read moreShow less

Any well-drained soil, including poor or dry ground; chalk, loam or sand at any pH.

Watering

Water regularly through the first summer, then only in prolonged drought; established plants are notably drought tolerant. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first summer, then only in prolonged drought; established plants are notably drought tolerant.

Mature size

Height4 to 8m
Spread4 to 8m

Reaches full size in 10 to 20 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

July to September · Pink

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Prune in late winter or early spring if needed, removing crossing or frost-damaged wood and shortening stems to keep it compact. It responds well, so size is easy to manage; wall-trained plants can be tidied after flowering.

Toxicity

Foliage and flowers are not a known hazard, but do not eat the seeds or seed pods and keep them away from pets and livestock.

Native range

The species is native to Asia, from the Caucasus and Iran east to China, Korea and Japan; this is a garden selection.

Family

Fabaceae

Also known as

Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream'

Genus

Albizia
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Albizia 'Tropical Dream' hardy in the UK?

It is rated H4, hardy through most of the UK in a warm, sheltered spot, and is sold as one of the hardier silk tree selections. Young plants benefit from winter protection in cold gardens.

When does it flower?

From July to September, when the canopy carries masses of fluffy, fragrant, deep pink powder-puff flowers that bees love.

Why do the leaves close at night?

The ferny leaflets naturally fold up at dusk and in dull weather, then reopen in morning light. It is a normal habit of the silk tree, not a sign of stress.

Has my plant died? It has no leaves in spring.

Probably not. Silk trees are deciduous and come into leaf late, often not until late spring, so be patient before assuming the worst.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. It does well in a large container in full sun, which also lets you move young plants somewhere sheltered for winter, and it can be kept compact with pruning.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Albizia julibrissin 'Tropical Dream'
£25.49 £29.99