Liriodendron tulipifera Snowbird - Tulip tree, American tulip tree, Tulip poplar, Yellow poplar.

The Liriodendron tulipifera 'Snowbird' is a variety of Tulip tree that combines a magnificent variegated foliage with a slender port. Less wide, it is better suited to smaller gardens. Otherwise, this deciduous tree offers autumn colors in golden tones, and the same surprising summer flowering as the type. An older specimen will produce tulip-shaped flowers in a pale green, orange at the base, discreet but beautiful. Planted in deep, fertile, and moist soil, this Tulip tree will unfold all its natural elegance, highlighted when planted individually.

The Tulip tree, from the magnolia family, is native to the central west of the United States, where it often grows near watercourses. This tree, which can live up to 300 years (in Europe), can reach a height of 40 m at maturity in its native lands. In our gardens, however, its adult size varies between 15 and 25m in height.

The 'Snowbird' variety is a horticultural selection credited to James Palmer Rumbal, a long-time researcher at the New Zealand nursery Duncan & Davies. Its very vertical branches are almost parallel to the trunk. Very narrow during the tree's early years, the crown will then widen, without reaching the usual span observed in this Tulip tree. Growing slightly slower than the type, this variety will reach an average height of 12 m with a span of 4 m. Its straight trunk is covered with a thick, crevassed, networked greyish bark, topped with a columnar and closed crown. The young branches are orangish-gray, then become dark gray. Its leaves of 10 to 15 cm are deciduous, divided into 4 lobes separated by distinct notches that form a tulip-like shape. Their blade, fairly dark green in the center, is broadly bordered in yellow turning creamy. The foliage turns yellow in autumn before falling. Flowering occurs from May to July. The flowers of this Liriodendron are solitary, with 9 tepals in a very light green to slightly yellowish-white, tinged with orange at the base, arranged in a wide cup resembling tulip shapes. They measure around 6 cm long by 10 cm wide, and are lightly fragrant, with a lemony scent. At the center of the cup sits a large cream-white central cone, surrounded by a crown of erect stamens measuring 4 to 5 cm. Forming on mature individuals, the Tulip tree's fruit resembles that of the magnolia: ovoid, dark brown, 5 cm long, persisting through winter. It releases winged achenes measuring 3 to 5 cm. The tree's pivot root is fleshy and deep-rooted, anchoring firmly in soil that should be deep, loose, and well-aerated.

The 'Snowbird' Tulip tree, cold-resistant, prefers sunny exposures. Less bulky than the type, it can be planted in medium to large gardens, placed individually on a lawn or near a large pond. At its base, ground cover plants that thrive in shade or filtered light could be planted, such as Pachysandra terminalis or Asarum europaeum (European wild ginger). To enhance the brightness of this tulip tree's foliage, shrubs with purple or dark red foliage could be planted nearby, such as Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' or Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea'.