Catalpa bignonioides (Indian Bean Tree)

A deeply ornamental deciduous tree with a spreading, dome-shaped crown that broadens impressively with age. Reaches 12 metres or so in its native lands (Southeastern USA) but expect 6-8 metres here. The parasol-ish quality of its silhouette is amplified by great big leaves: almost cartoonish in scale and definition, being heart-shaped and a lush fresh succulent green. In spring great walloping panicles of white flowers emerge upwards to hover among the leaves in mid-summer. Orchid-like with shouty mouths and really pretty, these blooms are followed by long dangly seeds that remind me of vanilla pods. These remain on the tree right through winter which looks weirdly wonderful. A tremendous architectural specimen tree which retains quite a strict shape - lollipoppy umbrella - with little intervention. Dense of crown but lofty enough not to cast impossible shade beneath it, so a gathering of complementary bobbly shrubs or spiky masses to huddle around it is eminently achievable. Happy on all soils but fond of sheltered, well-drained sites away from chilly pockets.