Populus tremula Pendula - Aspen

Populus tremula 'Pendula' is a charming Weeping Aspen with a pendulous habit. Smaller than the species, called the Aspen, this graceful tree has a wide crown and trailing branches. Its foliage rustles and trembles in the slightest breeze, revealing the silver underside of its leaves. Like other male aspens, this cultivar produces reddish pendulous catkins on the bare branches in spring. Rarely planted in our gardens, it can be an alternative to the weeping forms of ash and elm, which are more susceptible to diseases.

Populus tremula 'Pendula' is a male clone known in England since 1787. The species, Aspen, from the Salicaceae family, is an extremely hardy tree native to Northern Europe. The 'Pendula' cultivar is usually grafted onto a trunk about 2m high. It does not grow very tall, up to 10m, but its crown can be wide in relation to the height of the tree, between 8 and 10m. This tree has fairly decorative deciduous foliage, which develops in spring and falls in autumn. This foliage is often a mix of elongated and ovoid juvenile leaves, with a small pointed tip, and classic aspen leaves, with a long petiole and an ovoid to round, toothed lamina, 3 to 8cm long. They are dark green on the upper side, with a silver underside. They turn yellow in autumn before falling. This aspen blooms in April-May, before the leaves appear. Its male flowers are 5 to 7cm long, grey catkins with red pollen. Its bark is smooth and greenish. It has a shallow, running, and powerful root system that should not be planted near buildings, although the aspen is a bit less running than other species of poplar (Italian Poplar, Balsam Poplar).

Populus tremula 'Pendula' grows in any rich, moist to wet, well-worked and well-drained soil, in a sunny location. Take into account its size before choosing it for the garden. Plant it as a specimen tree in the middle of a lawn. Spring bulbs can be planted at its base or perennial ground cover plants.