Hardiness: Zone 4.
Size: Tree which can reach 40-60ft in size.
Planting: Adaptable to most soils but prefers loam or clay loam
Fruit: None
Pot: 1 gal, 1-2ft tree
Northern Catalpa is native to the midwestern US where it was cultivated starting in the 1750s due to its resistance to rotting. This made it useful as fence posts and, rather unsuccessfully, as railroad ties. This tree has since expanded far beyond its original range as a commonly planted ornamental tree.
Catalpas make lovely ornamental trees, featuring large, heart-shaped leaves and twisting trunks. To further the visual appeal, they bloom annually with large, white flowers which turn into dangling bean pods.
Takes seven years to flower. Flowers May to June. Inedible bean pods present from mid-summer to mid-winter.