I believe they're fine in z6. The problem w/mine is they are related to ashes, and as such, are attacked by the Emerald ash borer, tho not to the killing-extent as the real ashes are. So mine end up w/alot of killed branches, but also alot of sprouts coming out of the base (they're good sprouters). And last couple years the damage has lessened a fair bit (almost all the ashes are dead/gone). One of my 3 seems much less attacked as the other 2, and has become a fairly handsome shrub at ~12 ft high. The biggest/best one is behind the one seen at right.

Thanks, ben and maackia! You each are an encouragement for me to get this tree.

maackia - your two are really lovely. I will hope to live long enough to have the one I get look half as good. Did you have to prune a lot to get the shape?

(Maybe being nearly 80 years old is not the optimum time to plant a tree, especially as the future owners of this place may not care for what I have done here over the past 25+ years of gardening, lol.. They might just scrape everything and make a parking lot. If so, I may just come back and haunt them!)

Maackia fringe tree sealed the deal for me getting some. I am in my third year. I got a male and female so I can get the drupes for the birds. Great tree

James - I forgot about getting a male & a female for the fruit. How far from each other do they need to/can be located?? And do you have a rough idea how much they grew from you planting them? Being an oldster, I would like to see a decent sized tree(s) while I still exist, lol.

The one (and nicest) tree has fruited lightly, while the other has not. I’m assuming I’ve got a male and female. Is there another way to tell? BTW, the fruit is god awful.

I have a nice one in my front yard here in PA a little north east of Phila. Its a female but there are no males nearby so no fruit. It is sooo lovely when it blooms! I just love it. My zone is between 6b and 7a now with climate change.

Fringe tree is native here and was growing here when we were still zone 5A 50 years ago. Now nearly zone 7 with much hotter, more humid summers and not much of a winter at all. This last winter, while still warmer than zone 5, was the coldest and snowiest in at least 10 years.

Growth rates been good. The one in full sun has brown much quicker.

Last year and two years prior. Found pics on an old post asking about flopping of my tree.

James, some will say it’s too close to the porch, but I say you’ll be able to sit on the porch in the evening and the fragrance will waft into your soul.

Maackia you got that right ! All the other sides of my porch have shades I can put down. The side doesn’t due to the steps. My closest neighbor is right there too. So this will eventually give me privacy and fragrance. I actually posted about fragrance in the garden at one point and how it can draw in non gardeners to ask questions and gain interest. Read through the post when looking for these pics. You were one of the few like minded individuals on the subject. Great minds think alike.

I work at a library and saw this in a great Philadelphia gardening book today. Took a pic for this post.

^^^Oh, James!! That is gorgeous, and just what I would like to do. I have a small pool similar to the one in the photo, and circular gardens around it. Now I may have to re-think my original idea of getting the pygmy version and go for the full sized one. lol

Decisions, decisions. So difficult for a Gemini to deal with...

Mines finein 6A. buy it now and get it soit will have a chance in our summer heat.