Liriodendron tulipifera tulip trees have beautiful fall leaves. Their name comes from the fact that their flowers look like the classic tulip flower. Deciduous tulip trees, also known as yellow poplars, are native to eastern North America and are the state trees of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana.
They grow very tall and straight, with narrow tops that spread out with age, making them great shade trees. These trees are easy to care for and grow quickly. Their spring flowers and interesting leaf shapes make them easy to spot.
People like to plant this tree in their yards because it has beautiful fall colors and draws pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies, and more.
The flowers on the tulip tree are yellow-green with a bit of orange on the outside. The smooth, green leaves have large lobes that turn a bright golden yellow in the fall. It is best to put the trees in early spring, after the last frost has gone away.
Trees will grow quickly at first (more than 25 inches a year), but as they get older, they will slow down. In the spring, the tulip tree’s flowers have juice that hummingbirds and bees like to visit. Other animals, like bobwhites, rabbits, squirrels, and others, like to eat the seed. The fruit that the blooms leave behind, which looks like a cone, is also pretty.
Planting a Tulip Tree
You can buy tulip tree saplings at a nearby farm and plant them at any time from spring to early fall. They do best in a sunny spot with soil that is wet, well-drained, and mixed with compost.
Use bark mulch or wood chips to protect their small roots and keep the soil wet. Remember that young trees need a lot of water.
Where you put your tulip tree depends on its size: Their height can reach 90 feet or more, and when they’re fully grown, their width is just under half their height.
Tulip Tree Care
You can buy tulip tree saplings at a nearby farm and plant them at any time from spring to early fall. They do best in a sunny spot with soil that is wet, well-drained, and mixed with compost.
Use bark mulch or wood chips to protect their small roots and keep the soil wet. Remember that young trees need a lot of water.
Where you put your tulip tree depends on its size: Their height can reach 90 feet or more, and when they’re fully grown, their width is just under half their height.
Light
These trees enjoy slightly acidic, well-drained, deep soil amended with plenty of compost. They can thrive, though, within a pH range of 5.0 to 8.0. Tulip trees can handle clay, sandy, or loamy soils as long as the soil doesn’t hold water too long.
Water
For the first few weeks or so, water your tree often when it’s dry and hot, and keep an eye on its leaves. Should the leaves fall off before they usually do (early fall is normal), it could mean the tree isn’t getting enough water.
Temperature and Humidity
Because tulip trees like mild weather, most of them can be found in the eastern United States. Normal amounts of moisture are best for it, but it can survive dry conditions in places with high humidity.
Fertilizer
It is best to feed tulip trees with granular, liquid, or stake-type fertilizers. Follow the directions on the box to find out how much to use. When you fertilize new trees, they do well, but older trees usually don’t need it.
But nitrogen fertilizers shouldn’t be used on trees that have just been grown.
Types of Tulip Tree
The names “tulip poplar” and “yellow poplar” are sometimes used for tulip trees. This might be because their leaves move in the wind like poplar leaves do. They are not poplars, though; they are in the Magnoliaceae family. Some cultivars of tulip trees are:
- ‘Emerald City’: Darker green foliage, upright, oval growth reaching 55 feet high and 25 feet wide
- ‘Little Volunteer’: A dwarf cultivar, growing just 30 to 35 feet high and 18 to 20 feet wide; features smaller leaves
- ‘Arnold’: Narrow form with columnar crown, early to flower
- ‘Fastigiatum’: Upright, narrow form growing to 40 feet high and 15 feet wide
Pruning Tulip Trees
Because tulip trees grow so quickly, they need to be pruned all the time to keep them in shape. The big branches of these trees aren’t very strong and can be dangerous. In late winter and early spring, cut off any weak or dead growth. Every few years, do a full weeding.
Common Problems With Tulip Trees
This tree is relatively low-maintenance. But they do present a few problems. Keep an eye out for some of these common issues:
Breakage
The wood of the tulip tree is very soft and the twigs, limbs, and branches are prone to breakage, especially in a windy location.
Litter and Sap
It can be messy around tulip trees because their flower petals fall to the ground as soon as they bloom, which is not good for places like roads and streets. Additionally, tulip trees are known to drop sticky sap. If you want to avoid having to clean the sap off of your car windshield, don’t put a tulip tree near a parking lot.
Not Flowering
If your tulip tree is still young, it might not flower. It’s possible that a mature tree older than 15 years old isn’t flowering because the weather is too hot and dry, the earth is too packed down and the roots aren’t getting enough water, or the tree is planted too deeply, which buryes the root collar and stops it from blooming.