The pink trumpet tree, also known as "tab ipe" or "pink tab" is a magnificent flowering tree that attracts everyone's attention when in bloom. It is a small tree suitable for many urban and suburban uses include as a specimen, in parking lots, near patios, in containers and streetside. Chose the planting location with care; due to the numerous flowers that shed during and after blooming and the large number of subsequent seed pods, Pink Tabebuia is considered a messy tree by some folks.
Pink tab trees are showy, small trees that are briefly deciduous while flowering. The leaves are compound with 5–7 leaflets arranged like the palm of the hand. The trunk has grayish bark and shallow vertical furrows. The large, showy flowers are 2½ to 3 inches across held in terminal clusters. Individually the flowers are funnel-shaped, pink to purple with a yellow throat and appear mostly in the late winter to early spring however a few flowers appear throughout the spring and into fall. The fruit is a 4 to 6 inch long capsule that splits to reveal a multitude of winged seeds.
Pink tab trees will take lower temperatures than other Tabebuias and can be planted in USDA hardiness zones 9b through 11, they will take temperatures down to about 28 degrees F for a few hours. This garden lovely grows 15-20 feet tall by 10-15 feet wide in full sun. Tolerant of just about any well-drained soil, Tabebuia impetiginosa is very drought tolerant, though it should be watered regularly during establishment. The trees must have a dry period during winter to induce dormancy and stimulate the production of blooms.
Many Tabebuia species take a beating during high winds and/or hurricanes; they can be uprooted or broken. The wood tends to become brittle with age and the trees can be shallow rooted in wet or over-irrigated locations. To reduce the chance of failure during windstorms, stake Tabs briefly when planted, prune while young to produce strong branch connections and do not over-water.
Tropical Ranch Botanical Gardens opens this month on Jan. 21-22 and will start the year off with a seminar titled "Horticultural History of South Florida" at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21. The speaker will be Dr. George Rogers from the Palm Beach State College. The gardens will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days and are located at 1905 SW Ranch Trail, Stuart. More information may be found at www.trbg.us or by calling 772-283-5565.
"Other holidays repose on the past. Arbor Day proposes the future."
— J. Sterling Morton