The season closing in and still there are flowers to set off the burnished foliage of autumn.  

Raydon’s Favorite Asters are full of their lavender dreaminess.  This floral display is such a great reward for putting up with their somewhat weedy selves throughout the summer.

The tree with what looks like red flowers is the Seven Son Flower, Heptacodium miconoides, showing off it’s red phase of the flowers.  These are not really flowers at all, but, instead, calyces surrounding small fruits formed from the fragrant white flowers that lasted throughout the month of September.  

Seven Son Flower, Heptacodium miconioides

In full bloom now to the delight of seemingly millions of bees and the occasional butterfly!  Pleasantly fragrant flowers gently fall like snow carpeting the ground and plantings beneath it.  

Seven Son Flower

Heptacodium Miconioides

Botanical name: Heptacodium miconioides All Common Names: Seven-son flower Family (English): Honeysuckle Family (Botanic): Caprifoliaceae Tree or Plant Type: Shrub, Tree Foliage: Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves) Native Locale: Non-native Landscape Uses: Mixed border, Patio/sidewalk, Specimen, Utility Size Range: Small tree (15-25 feet), Compact tree (10-15 feet), Large shrub (more than 8 feet) Light Exposure: Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun/shade (4-6 hrs light daily) Hardiness Zones: Zone 5 (Chicago), Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8

This small tree, or maybe even large shrub is a lovely example that is native to China, but doesn’t have any qualms about growing strong here in New England.

The hardiness zone that this shrub/tree grows in zones 5-8, which we inhabit easily. This fast growing shrub can reach up to 20 feet high, and 15 feet across, when its in its fullest form. In the spring it produces beautiful small white flowers, for which the plant is named for. The bark is papery and flaky, almost birch like, which has great aesthetic qualities. 

It enjoys full sun to partial sun, while being rooted in acidic, moist, well drained soil. This tree loses its leaves late, almost into the early winter before it gives up the ghost. Being deciduous, this shrub does change a beautiful yellow in the fall. 

In relation to my topic of research, this plant surely is not suited well as a building material, although I’m sure the paper bark makes great kindling. I will give it a 2/10 for building

For beauty, this shrub shines as a zen garden addition, with brilliant deep green leaves and contrasting white flowers in the spring. The bark is also another great character of this plant, I will give it a 7/10 for aesthetics.

(Side note on the rating system, I will be tagging the entries as build# and beauty# based on their rating. This will make it easily searchable to find trees with 10/10 building characteristics. For example, this one would be tagged build2 and beauty7 respectively)

Bark: (1-3) 2

Leaves: (1-4) 3

Landscape uniqueness: (1-3) 2

Total: 7

Source:

1.  https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/seven-son-flower

Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Son Flower)

Native Region: China

Mature Size: Height 15′-20′   Spread 8′-10′

Habitat: Loves to grown in full sun; soil adaptable, but prefers a moist, well-drained fertile soil

Hardiness Zone: Zone 5-9

Wildlife Use: Good source for attracting butterflies

Duration: Perennial

Leaves: Simple, opposite, deciduous; color green but turn yellow-green in fall

Flower Color: White to pink

Fruit Color: Burgundy

Medicinal Use: Unknown

Sources: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=k450

http://hort.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=203

Heptacodium