Franklinia alatamaha Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Franklin Tree

Franklinia alatamaha

£49.99
Hardy in the UKSun-lovingLoved by pollinators
Pot size
17cm / 2L £49.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Franklinia alatamaha, the Franklin tree, is the most storied plant we sell: discovered on a single Georgia riverbank, named for Benjamin Franklin, and never seen in the wild since 1803. Every Franklinia on Earth descends from seed the Bartram botanists saved in the 1770s. To plant one is to hold a chapter of botanical history in trust.

The plant honours the legend. In late summer and autumn it opens fragrant, cupped white flowers with golden stamens, like wild camellias, often against foliage already turning scarlet and burgundy. Rated H4, it is a slow, elegant, multi-stemmed small tree with fluted grey bark for a lifetime of interest.

How and where to grow

  • Position: full sun to light shade, warm and sheltered; sun ripens flowering wood.
  • Soil: acid, humus-rich, moist but sharply drained; no lime.
  • Size: slowly to 4-6 m over decades.
  • Hardiness: H4, around -10C established.

Give it specimen billing: a lawn position, the head of an exotic border, or a large ericaceous container while young. It converses across the seasons with the velvet hydrangea and the autumn-flowering rarities of our hardy exotics range.

Nursery-grown young trees of a plant rarely offered in the UK; we hold only a few. Care honesty in our seasonal expectations guide.

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 Franklin 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 Franklin Tree

Franklinia alatamaha needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

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

Rated H4, hardy to around -10C once established. It appreciates warm summers to ripen wood; a sunny sheltered spot repays it with better flowering and autumn colour. Read moreShow less

Rated H4, hardy to around -10C once established. It appreciates warm summers to ripen wood; a sunny sheltered spot repays it with better flowering and autumn colour.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeSouth-facingWest-facingSheltered
Full sun to light shade, sheltered; sun drives both flowers and crimson autumn tones. Read moreShow less

Full sun to light shade, sheltered; sun drives both flowers and crimson autumn tones.

Soil

LoamSandMoist but well-drainedAcid pH
Moist but very well-drained, acid, humus-rich soil; it hates lime, drought and waterlogging in equal measure. Read moreShow less

Moist but very well-drained, acid, humus-rich soil; it hates lime, drought and waterlogging in equal measure.

Watering

Water attentively for the first two summers; mulch with leaf mould and avoid root disturbance thereafter. Read moreShow less

Water attentively for the first two summers; mulch with leaf mould and avoid root disturbance thereafter.

Mature size

Height4-6 m
Spread3-4 m

Reaches full size in 20-50 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Aug-Oct · White

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Minimal: remove dead or crossing wood in late winter; otherwise let its natural multi-stemmed form develop.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets.

Native range

SE USA (extinct in the wild)

Family

Theaceae

Also known as

Franklinia alatamaha

Genus

Franklinia
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Franklinia really extinct in the wild?

Yes. The Franklin tree has not been seen wild since 1803, its only known home on Georgia's Altamaha River lost forever. Every plant alive today descends from seed the Bartram botanists collected in the 1770s. Growing one makes your garden part of a 250-year rescue.

What are the flowers like?

Fragrant, cupped white blooms with a boss of golden stamens, like a wild camellia, opening from late summer into autumn, often while the glossy leaves are already turning scarlet and burgundy around them. Flowers and fire together is Franklinia's party trick.

Is the Franklin tree hardy in the UK?

Yes, H4, to around -10C; American gardens grow it far colder. The British challenge is summer warmth, not winter cold: give it your sunniest sheltered spot so wood ripens. See our seasonal expectations guide.

What soil does Franklinia need?

Acid, humus-rich and moist yet sharply drained, camellia soil with better drainage. On alkaline ground grow it in a large pot of ericaceous compost. Once planted, leave the roots undisturbed; it resents moving.

How big does a Franklin tree grow?

Slowly to a multi-stemmed small tree of 4 to 6 m over decades, staying garden-scale for many years. Its unhurried pace and fluted grey bark make it a specimen to grow old with.

How good is the autumn colour?

Exceptional: the glossy leaves ignite scarlet, crimson and burgundy, often while the last white flowers are still open. Few small trees give both shows at once.

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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Franklinia alatamaha
£49.99