Tulip Tree Care Guide: How to Grow Tulip Trees

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is a deciduous tree native that features yellowish-green flowers that resemble tulips. It is endemic to eastern North America, growing widely in states like Kentucky and North Carolina. This large tree is a member of the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae), although it goes by the common names yellow poplar tree or tulip poplar tree.

The trunks of tulip trees are covered in thick bark with branches that grow in a conal habit. This tree’s bright green leaves transition to a golden yellow fall color after its growing season. It can reach heights of up to one hundred feet with a forty-five-foot spread, making it a popular shade tree and habitat for fauna like gray squirrels.

There are a few different types of tulip tree cultivars, each with its own unique characteristics. Here are some of the most popular tulip tree varieties.

1. 1. Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Fastigiatum’: This tall tulip tree maintains a narrow growing habit, reaching heights of around forty to fifty feet with a diameter between fifteen and twenty feet. It blooms in the late spring, with yellow flowers containing an orange center.
2. 2. Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Aureomarginatum’: This tulip tree grows yellow-green foliage with orange-banded yellow flowers. It reaches heights between sixty and eighty feet with a spread between thirty to fifty feet, making it a popular shade tree. Its trunk grows to widths between four and six feet, with minimal to no lower branching.
3. 3. Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Little Volunteer’: This miniature version of the tulip tree only grows to about a third of the size of a standard tulip tree, reaching heights of around twenty to thirty feet with a ten to fifteen-foot spread. This cultivar experiences slower growth in part shade.

Tulip trees can grow to heights between sixty and one hundred feet, with some mature trees growing over 150 feet tall. The tulip tree has a straight trunk that reaches around three feet in thickness, but with its leaves and branches, has a spread of about forty feet.

The best time to plant a tulip tree is in the early spring after all the danger of frost has passed. It is usually hardy in USDA hardiness zones four through nine. Avoid planting your tulip trees in areas where water often pools or that get too much hot, direct sunlight.

You can grow tulip trees in a variety of ways, including growing them from seeds, saplings, or cuttings. Seeds will take a long time to germinate, and buying a sapling from the garden center may be expensive. However, these specimens have a quick growth rate, growing up to twenty-five inches in a single year. Here is a quick guide to growing tulip trees from cuttings.

1. 1. Take your cutting. Use a pair of sterile clippers to take a cutting that is at least eighteen inches in length from a young tulip tree. Take your curing in the fall.
2. 2. Prepare your soil. Fill a lined burlap bag with loamy, acidic soil that has plenty of compost or organic matter.
3. 3. Choose a planting space. Choose a space for your burlap growing container that gets the right amount of light. Your cutting will need bright, indirect light to develop roots, but it will not grow well in extreme heat, so keep this in mind when choosing a planting location.
   
4. 4. Root your cutting. Remove all of the flowers and leaves from the cutting, and cut away about two inches of bark from the base. Dip the cut end in a rooting hormone, then place the bottom half into the burlap sack with the prepared potting mix. Tent the cutting with a plastic bag. Remove the bag every few days to eliminate condensation.
5. 5. Plant your tulip tree. When your cutting has developed roots, you can plant it in its final planting space. It may take a few months for your tulip tree cutting to develop a strong enough root system. Tulip trees need a lot of space, so choose a planting space that is away from the rest of your garden.

Tulip trees are low-maintenance trees that require very little care once they’re established, though they can take a few years to reach mature heights. Here are some basic tulip tree care steps, see below:

1. 1. Pruning: Prune your tulip trees regularly during their early stages when they grow rapidly. Prune any weak, dying, or dead growth from your tulip trees in the late fall or winter after the leaves have dropped. You can also do this in the early spring.
2. 2. Watering: Water your young trees at least once a week as they establish themselves. You can also mulch with wood chips to maintain moist soil.
3. 3. Pests: Tulip trees are susceptible to tulip tree aphids, scale, mealybugs, and yellow poplar weevils. Many pests are attracted to weak growth, infesting branches and causing cankers. Control these infestations by keeping your tulip tree healthy. You can also apply organic insecticidal soap to the tree. Introduce beneficial pests such as predatory wasps or ladybird beetles to keep harmful pests at bay.
4. 4. Fertilizing: Apply a granular or liquid fertilizer to your plant soil in its early stages of growth. Mature trees will need little to no fertilization.
5. 5. Sap: Tulip trees drop sticky sap, which can damage the paint on cars. Keep this in mind when planting and handling your tulip trees.

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