Golden Rain Tree

In driving along the Schuylkill Expressway a number of years ago, I noticed a tree in bloom with pretty yellow flowers.  Whenever I see a tree or flowering bush I've never noticed before, I can't rest until I discover what it is.  It was strikingly beautiful along the Schuylkill River - a welcome sight in the midst of all the congestion and traffic of the city.

In my investigation, I found out that it's a golden rain tree.  Details about the tree include:

 Goldenraintree (Koelreuteria paniculata)

• Fast-growing tree
• Tough and durable tree: tolerates air pollution and drought
• Adapts to many soil types
• Late-blooming yellow flowers
• Grows 30' to 40' with 35' spread

 

I just had to have one of these beautiful trees.  I sent to the National Arbor Foundation and bought 3 trees for $1.00.  Actually, what I bought were 3 tiny sticks.  I planted them with care and tenderly watched over them.  Andy was somewhat skeptical of what I saw in these sticks and was impatient with how slowly they were growing.  I admit, they were growing very slowly and over the years, we had to get rid of 2 of them because they were in the way of progress.  (We put in a sidewalk and garden and I adopted his impatient attitude.)  But I insisted that I had to keep this one tree because I had high hopes of future beauty.

The tree that was left was getting taller, but I confess I was beginning to wonder if it would ever bloom.  So imagine my delight when I recently looked out my kitchen window and saw glints of gold on the top of the tree!  I was so happy...my baby was in bloom.
  

An interesting twist to this saga is that in spite of Andy's making fun of me and my insistence on keeping this rain tree, he is the first one to notice that it was blooming this year and encouraged me to look out the window at the tree.

I admit my tree has a long way to go to look like a full grown rain tree.  But I now have hope that someday it will.