London Plane Tree
Platanus X acerifolia (PLATANACEAE)
Planting and Growing London Plane Trees
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow London plane trees in the accompanying table’s tabs:
-
- Flowers, foliage, and seed clusters of London plane trees
- Growing conditions for London plane trees
- When to plant London plane trees
- How to plant London plane trees
- How to prune London plane trees
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of London plane trees
- Landscape uses of London plane trees
- Pest and disease control for London plane trees
Growing London Plane Trees
Hybrids and cultivars of fast-growing, upright, branching or round-crowned, open to dense, deciduous trees, to 120 ft. (37 m) tall, with textured, maplelike, green, toothed, 3–5-lobed, veined leaves, to 8 in. (20 cm) long and wide, turning brown, yellow in autumn, and with patchy, brown, older bark, flaking to reveal irregular, light gray, younger bark.
London Plane Tree Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Seeds
Insignificant hairy flowers in spring form dangling, round, brown seed clusters, to 1-1/2 in. (38 mm) wide, in autumn, persisting through winter.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 5–9. Best with winter chill.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist to damp, well-drained soil. Fertility: Rich–average. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun. Space 20–30 ft. (6–9 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Allow soil surface to dry between waterings until established. Fertilize annually in spring until established. Prune in autumn to shape, pollard. Propagate by cuttings, grafting, layering, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, allées, backgrounds, canopies, paths, screens, walls in open landscapes, lawns, roadside plantings. Drops fruit, leaves, twigs, and messy seed pods, requiring maintenance. Oak root fungus resistant. Sycamore lace bug, scale and anthracnose susceptible.