Silverbell
Silverbell is an elegant shrub or small tree that that can bring interest to a shady corner of your North Florida garden.
This native tree provides year-round interest. Each spring, silverbell produces clusters of delicate, bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink or white, just as the leaves start to appear. In fall, the leaves change to a soft yellow and once they’ve dropped, the winged seed pods stay into the winter.
Silverbell trees typically grow no taller than 40 feet. They have scaly reddish brown bark and the leaves and small branches are covered with a light “fuzz.”
There are four species of silverbell (Halesia spp) native to the eastern United States, but the two found most often in Florida are Carolina silverbell (Halesia carolina) and two-winged silverbell (Halesia diptera). They are best suited for zones 5-8b.
Both prefer growing as understory trees in a well-drained, acidic soil. Plant your silverbell so that the root ball is just above the soil line, and water it on a regular basis until it’s established.