How to Plant and Grow a Tulip Tree

One of the largest native trees in North America, the tulip tree got its name from tulip-shaped flowers that appear on the tree in the late spring. The yellow- to gold-color flowers sometimes have a greenish hue and always have an orange ring at the petal base. The flowers form a cup, much like a tulip blossom, with numerous pollen-bearing stamens surrounding a conelike structure. The flowers develop into fruiting structures, which birds and squirrels enjoy eating. Keep in mind that this plant will not flower until maturity, at about 15 years. Flowers typically concentrate at the top parts of the tree, often hidden among the leaves. 

If the leaves don’t drop prematurely, which may happen in dry summer weather, expect a gorgeous fall color when the foliage turns into an eye-catching yellow to yellow-golden in the fall.

Where to Plant a Tulip Tree

Unless you choose a smaller cultivar, the tulip tree is a large tree that is best planted in a naturalized area. Like other fast-growing trees, the wood is rather weak and prone to breakage, especially in stormy weather. Avoid planting the tree in areas exposed to strong winds. Also, keep in mind that breaking limbs causes a hazard if the tree is planted close to your home, other structures, a driveway, or a walkway.

Either plant a tulip tree as a specimen or clustered in a group if you have the space. Tulip trees make good overstory trees for native shrubs that thrive in partial shade.

How and When to Plant a Tulip Tree

The best time to plant a tulip tree is in the spring. Dig a hole that is at least twice as wide and has the same depth as the tree’s root ball. Position the tree in the the planting hole so the top of the root ball is level with the soil. Backfill with the original soil and water well. During the first growing season, keep the young tree well-watered in the absence of rain. To protect the young tree from deer damage, install a tree guard and leave it around the trunk for the first couple of growing seasons.

Space trees 35 to 40 feet apart.

Tulip Tree Care Tips

Light

While tulip poplar tolerates some shade, it prospers in full sun, receiving at least six hours of sunlight per day.

Soil and Water

The soil should be deep, moist, and well-drained soil. It is adaptable to a pH range between 4.5 to 7.5 but does better in slightly acidic soil below 6.8.

Due to their shallow root system, tulip poplars don't tolerate drought. During dry periods, the foliage tends to turn yellow and drop prematurely. In extended periods of dry weather, water the root zone slowly and deeply every couple of weeks.

Temperature and Humidity

Tulip trees are winter-hardy trees that withstand winter temperatures up to minus 30 degrees F (Zone 4). They thrive in a temperate climate with regular rainfalls and struggle in extreme heat, humidity, and aridity.

Fertilizer

Fertilizing a tulip tree is generally not required—the tree will grow just fine without it. In nutrient-poor soils, apply a fertilizer for flowering trees and shrubs once a year in the spring.

Pruning 

The pruning efforts are minimal and usually only involve removing dead, broken, or diseased wood. The tree naturally grows a column-like trunk without lower branches.

Pests and Problems 

Serious pests and diseases on the tulip tree are not common. The tree can get infested by aphids, which leads to sooty mold, a black fungal growth covering the sticky leaf surface that the aphid feeding leaves behind. The yellow poplar weevil and scale insects are other potential pests. Possible diseases include cankers.

How to Propagate a Tulip Tree

Tulip trees are propagated from semi-hardwood cuttings of healthy trees or from seeds. Using a cutting is the preferred method because it produces a plant that is true to the parent whereas the seed from cultivars won’t (cultivars may also be protected by plant patents and thus prohibited from propagation altogether).

In July cut a stem at the base, about ½ inch below a node (the small bump where new leaves or stems emerge). Because only about half of the cuttings will root, cut several stems. Dip the cut ends in rooting hormone powder and insert the cuttings in a 4-inch pot filled with damp potting mix. Put two or three together in the same pot. Keep the pot in a location with bright light but out of direct sunlight and water it regularly so the soil never dries out.

Once you see new growth and the cutting does not wiggle when you gently tug on it, it has rooted. If more than one cutting per pot has rooted, only keep the strongest one and cut all others at the soil level. Let the plant grow into a strong and vigorous sapling for at least another growing season before transplanting it into the landscape. To protect the roots from the winter cold, bury the pot in the ground and remove it in the spring.

Types of Tulip Tree

‘Arnold’

This popular tulip tree cultivar is as also known under the name ‘Fastigiatum’. The tree has a narrow, columnar shape with a flat top. It grows up to 60 feet high and 20 feet wide.

‘Little Volunteer’

This smaller variety has a rounded, pyramidal habit and attractive butter-yellow fall foliage. Growing no more than 30 to 35 feet tall and 18 to 20 feet wide, it works well in small gardens. The fall foliage is butter yellow.

‘Emerald City’

Liriodendron tulipifera 'JFS-Oz' has a straighter and more upright growth habit than the species. It has a dominant central leader and deep-green, slightly glossy foliage. It grows up to feet in height with a spread of 22 feet.

Tulip Tree Companion Plants

Black Gum

Nyssa sylvatica, also called sour gum or black tupelo, grows in full sun or part shade and average, medium to wet soil. This native tree grows up to 50 feet tall and 30 feet wide. Its summer foliage is dark green but the real show starts in the fall when the leaves turn into a superb red plus shades of yellow, orange, and purple. Its fall fruits attract migrating songbirds. songbirds. Zones 3–9

Mountain Laurel

In late spring and early summer, mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is covered in showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers. It is native to North America and grows in sun or shade and moist, well-drained, acidic soil. Its moderate size—up to 10 feet tall and wide—makes it an excellent understory shrub.

Common Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana is a North American witch hazel species that also grows in full sun or partial shade. It is the most attractive in the fall when it blooms yellow and develops brilliant golden fall foliage. The shrub grows 12 feet tall and wide. Zone 3-8