Platanus x hispanica (London Plane Tree)

Platanus x hispanica (London Plane Tree) is an enormous deciduous tree adorned with a massive trunk and a rounded crown of huge, crooked, horizontal branches. The foliage of large maple-shaped medium- to dark-green leaves, 4-10 in. wide (10-25 cm) turns yellow-brown in the fall. Small, inconspicuous flowers appear in rounded clusters in spring. The female flowers are followed by pairs of tiny, fuzzy, long-stalked, hanging balls that persist into early winter. One of the most striking features of the London Plane Tree is the gray bark, which flakes off in patches to reveal the creamy white inner bark. Widely planted as a street, park, or lawn tree, this majestic and noble tree is a hybrid cross between American sycamore (P. occidentalis) and Oriental planetree (P. orientalis).

• Recipient of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society.
• Grows up to 70-100 ft. tall (21-30 m) and 60-70 ft. wide (18-21 m). Withstand smog, soot, dust, and reflected heat.
• A full sun lover, this plant is easily grown in humus-rich, fertile, moist but well-drained soils.
• A fine choice for city gardens, and coastal gardens.
• Keep an eye out for canker, leaf spot, powdery mildew, borers, scale, Japanese beetles, caterpillars and mites. When grown as a lawn tree, litter from twigs, large leaves, bark, and fruiting balls can pose clean-up issues.
• Deer resistant.
• Propagate from hardwood cuttings in winter or suckers in autumn or late winter.