I would cut off the dead part. I lost my fringe tree completely after last year's brutal winter.

Wait a little while longer; mine just started leafing out on the upper branches, and it's about 8 years old. It did not at all like this past winter.

where in NY ... what zone??? ....... it ranges from z7 or 8.. to cold north 5 ... is it zone appropriate for whatever central NY is???

give it a month.. but it doesnt sound good ...

no clue what the root stock might be.. or if it was grafted ..

also ... the blacktop might be messing with it.. in winter ... causing it to go in and out of dormancy.. which is never good ...

i am also wondering why you bought it down there.. and brought it up here.. if there are different regional trees under that common name ...

ken

It's a Chinese Fringe tree and I'm in Zone 5... I bought it because I am a tropical plant enthusiast and I currently have 4 palm trees, 2 banana trees, a grapefruit tree, passion fruit vine, dragon fruit, pineapple plants, cactus's, aloe plants, yuccas, papaya trees, Sago Palm, etc. Those are in pots and I bring them in in the winter. I was going to do the same for the Fringe tree but the tag said "zone 4 - 7" so I planted it outside. It fared well the first winter as I stated. The black-top is 4 feet below the tree. The tree is in a garden bed above a retaining wall so I don't that is effecting it. This winter in February, it snowed every day about half a foot and I think the high was 11 and the low was -23. I don't think its going in and out of dormancy because it buds and blooms in May every year and the leaves drop in October. The picture doesn't show it well but the bottom of the tree is budding and blooming intensely. The top appears dead though.

Here is a better picture of one of the bottom branches of the tree.

Happens to two of my three Amer fringe trees -- they winterkill to the ground & resprout from the base most yrs. The third overwinters OK.

Nothing you can do, really. Seems a lack of cold hardiness...

Chinese fringetrees are variable in hardiness depending on provenance. I planted a small potted 'Tokyo Tower' last spring, and it survived -29F with only scattered tip dieback.

I guess I'll wait and see if the top ever starts to bud. If not I'll cut it off just above the highest budding.

Chionanthus virginicus....

Seems odd that its budding out and blooming already for how late a spring I've been told the Northeast is having.

Probably a good thing that it died back as the form is lacking and susceptible to splaying, as fringe trees do in general.

Might just started to bud last week. Its one of the last trees to bud out.

I didn't get any dieback on mine the winter of 2013 (40+ days below zero). Also didn't get any dieback this year. February was 6th coldest on record and there was maybe 1

2" of snowcover.

So they are quite variable.

Spring was a little late but it was 85 degrees the other day. Everything else has already bloomed so the fringe tree, which blooms late, is actually right on schedule. My magonolia tree is usually the first thing in my yard to bloom (mid-April)

whaas, I don't have any idea why mine (except one) winterkill to the ground. Maybe the provenance of the seeds....