Variegated Rosemary
The Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata 'September') is a deciduous ornamental tree prized for its luminous yellow flowers and papery seed pods that light up the summer landscape. This cultivar grows 30 to 40 feet tall and equally wide, creating an open-branching, irregularly shaped crown that brings an airy elegance to gardens in zones 5 through 9. Unlike the species, 'September' extends the bloom season into late summer and early fall, though it's slightly less winter hardy in zone 5 and benefits from a sheltered location there. Its feathery compound leaves emerge in striking pinkish bronze tones before maturing to bright green, then turning yellow in fall with variable intensity. Beyond its ornamental appeal, this tree thrives in challenging urban conditions, tolerates drought, and handles clay soil with ease, making it unexpectedly tough for such a graceful-looking specimen.
Full Sun
Moderate
5-9
480in H x 480in W
Perennial
Low
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Bright yellow flowers that appear in early summer create clouds of color across the open canopy, followed by equally showy papery seed capsules that persist into fall. Leaves emerge pinkish bronze and mature to vivid green before turning yellow in autumn. The 'September' cultivar extends blooming into late summer and early fall, prolonging the display well beyond the species type. This tree handles drought, urban pollution, and clay soil without complaint, yet maintains an elegant, refined silhouette that doesn't dominate a landscape.
The Golden Rain Tree serves as an ornamental flowering tree, shade tree, and street tree. Its relatively modest mature size (30 to 40 feet), combined with its resilience to urban stressors like air pollution and compacted soil, makes it valuable in cities where larger shade trees would overwhelm spaces. The extended bloom season of the 'September' cultivar provides ornamental interest from early summer through early fall, when bright yellow flowers and developing seed pods create visual interest together on the same tree.
No care instructions available yet for this variety.
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