Styphnolobium japonica
Japanese pagoda tree
Also known as Sophora japonicum
- Height × spread
- 20m × 8m
- Position
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Flowers
- Summer
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
A handsome tree at any time, this is especially glorious when in flower. In July and August, it is covered with creamy flowering panicles up to 30cm (1ft) long that cover the entire crown of the tree. Unfortunately, it doesn't usually start flowering till it is thirty or forty years old, so, plant for the future or buy a big specimen. This makes an upright tree with a broad spreading crown and relishes hot summers. The pinnate foliage (leaves held in pairs on a slender stem), are a shiny bright green so it catches the light and glints. The long fruit pods split and shed their contents. The whole tree contains a purgative: water contaminated by its leaves may have a laxative effect. The tree can eventually reach 20m (66ft) in height.
- Flower colour
- Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Stem colour
- Brown, Grey
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Bell
- Height
- 20m
- Spread
- 8m
- Height in 10 years
- 8m
- Spread in 10 years
- 4m
- Season of interest
- Summer
- Flowers in
- Summer
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Mediterranean garden, Exotic garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam (normal), Sandy soil
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Hardiness
- Very cold to -20C (RHS H6)
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Architectural, Bee attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed young plants with slow release fertiliser
Spread a slow release fertiliser around the base of the plant to the edge of the foliage spread, so that it can feed the roots. It is helpful for this to be applied for several years.
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost until the plant becomes well established.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Planting & general
Outdoor planting · Planting
Add root growth stimulant to the planting hole
Mycorrhizal fungi helps roots establish quickly, so they absorb water and nutrients more efficiently. It comes as a powder, granule or gel. Add to the planting hole or container, and to the plant's rootball before planting in the hole. For "bareroot" plants use a gel.
Planting
Protect & support young trees
Attach a newly planted tree or tall shrub over 1m to a tree stake to give support and prevent windrock. Use a tree guard to stop tree bark being eaten by animals, especially in areas with deer - removing bark injures a tree and in worst case can kill it.