What flower is this?

Scandalously clad in color, gigantic flowers, found throughout Ohio...yet so seldom seen. Why?

A member of the Magnolia family, this native Ohioan is under-utilised as a landscape tree. Birds love the seed produced in the fruit -seen developing in the center of this magnificent flower- and the tasty pollinators the flowers attract. Add in the unusual tulip-shaped leaves, and you have a yard and garden winner in my book.

However, the short-lived flowers tend to be held above eye level on these towering trees. If one really desired a stockier specimen in his yard, some subtle pruning during the early years could certainly make a difference.

Tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera is a favorite tree in my yard, and I hope you'll consider one for yours as well. Often called a "Tulip Poplar" this name is misleading, as it is not a poplar at all. Whatever you call it, it is a disease resistant native plant that can be readily found at your local plant nursery.