Re: tulip poplars

**C* E* <C*@CatrionaTudorErler.com>**

Thomas Jefferson called tulip poplars the Juno of the forest. Oaks were the Jupiters.  Tulip poplars are indeed grand when they have space to grow and you're not trying to grow anything underneath them.  Their canopies are very dense (large leaves and not generally a spreading form), so they provide plenty of dark, dry shade.

A few years ago an original tulip poplar planted by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello (200 years old or so) had to be cut down due to disease, etc.  The trunk was about 6 feet in diameter.  They commissioned a wood craftsman to make bowls from the wood.  These certified Jefferson tulip poplar, handcrafted wooden bowls sell for a pretty penny in their gift shop.

Catriona
On Dec 17, 2012, at 7:37 PM, Judy Lowe <hardbackwryter@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I'd like to second Amy's comments (see below) about avoiding tulip poplars. I didn't grow this tree during the years I lived in Massachusetts, but farther south, if August is a dry month, the leaves start turning brownish and falling off, way before you want them to. Who wants to be raking leaves in August?? Also, the trees have big, coarse leaves that are messy in the lawn and on the sidewalk as they fall over a period of several months. But the main point is that they detract from the rest of the late summer and fall garden.
> 
> Because they're native, tulip poplars are the state tree of at least a couple of states. I suspect that the legislators never had one in their yards! (Admittedly, they are pretty when they bloom, and I like the trunks.) 
> 
> They're used as a street tree, believe it or not, on the suburban street parallel to the one i live on. The developers did a great job with all the other tree choices, but i know that the residents who have them really regret these -- and the trees are less than 10 years old.
> 
> Judy Lowe
> 
> Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:04:58 -0500
> From: Amy Ziffer <amyziffer@earthlink.net>
> 
> I'd also avoid tulip poplars because they are messy trees and shed  
> lower branches a LOT as they grow.  They are also extremely prone to  
> powdery mildew and can act as mildew incubators for your whole  
> garden.  When they get very large they are a hazard to structures  
> because in high winds their entire top can snap off.  They are  
> definitely weak-wooded.  Long and short, they are lovely forest trees  
> and great nectar sources but not suitable for residential landscaping  
> on anything but estates where they can be situated far from any  
> structures.  I would never put one in the midst of other ornamental  
> plantings.
> 
> 
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Catriona Tudor Erler
965 Pintail Lane
Charlottesville, VA 22903
434 953-6780
Catriona@CatrionaTudorErler.com
www.CatrionaTudorErler.com

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