Here we see branches of our Katsura Tree offering us its flowers in this morning’s rain. This wonderful tree has red flowers in the spring and lush blue-green leaves in the summer:
The tree gives off a “good woody fragrance,” which is what Katsura means for this tree in Japanese. In the fall, it turns bright yellow, then a combination of bronze and yellow:
In the winter, the Katsura is a many-veined fan that becomes the framework for intricate snow painting:
The Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum ) is a native of Japan and China, but it does very well in our cold zone and is a featured specimen in Maine’s famous Asticou garden, a garden that was inspired by the plans of Beatrix Farrand. The tree grows in the 40-to-60-foot range and its many oval-shaped (ovate) leaves range from a little more than an inch to a little more than three inches in size. (Brooklin, Maine)