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4.7
based on 229 reviews

Parrotia persica

Parrotia persica, Persian Ironwood, offers spectacular autumn colour and a unique, often multi-stemmed silhouette. Its dense, rounded crown features glossy green leaves turning fiery red-purple. In winter, the bark peels to reveal camouflage patterns. A striking specimen tree, perfect for adding year-round visual interest.
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Available
£138.00

Product information

Are you looking to introduce reliable seasonal drama and structure to your garden, particularly when many other plants are still dormant? Consider the Parrotia persica, a fascinating specimen celebrated for its flaking bark texture and truly vibrant early blooms.

This species truly excels through the changing seasons, offering masses of vibrant red flowers appearing in February and March, providing crucial early pollen for bees and other emerging pollinators. Throughout the year, it maintains a broadly spreading, often multi-stemmed and irregular outline, transforming into a spectacular display of yellow, red, purple, and orange foliage before settling with its distinctive flaking bark for winter interest, making it a wonderful choice for autumn interest plantings.

For best results in your UK garden, this tree thrives happily in moist but well-drained soils, whether your soil is acid, neutral and it performs well in both full sun and partial shade across exposed or sheltered spots. It makes an excellent architectural specimen or solitary statement, perfect for bringing year-round structure to your borders or lawn.

Product Details

Common Name
Persian ironwood
Growth Rate
Slow to moderate
Max height
12 M
Bloom Time
Late winter to early spring, before leaf emergence
Flower Colour
Red
Leaf Colour
Green in summer, reddish-purple in spring
Autumn Colour
Orange, red, yellow, sometimes with purple; very showy
Sunlight
Full sun to part shade
Pruning
Needs little pruning to develop a strong structure
Seasonal Spring
Reddish-purple or purple young foliage; red, showy (but small) flowers before leaves emerge
Seasonal Summer
Lustrous, medium to dark green foliage
Seasonal Autumn
Orange, red, and yellow foliage; highly showy autumn color
Seasonal Winter
Exfoliating bark with patches of green, white, tan; persistent fruits; interesting trunk and silhouette
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