This quick growing medium tree to 15metres or so is a great shade tree or lawn specimen if you are looking for an in your face feature plant. It has huge yellow-green leaves that hold their colour well throughout the seasons from spring till autumn and in late spring and early summer it produces spikes of exotic looking white flowers that are spotted purple, these are followed by bean like seed pods that give it its common name of Bean Tree.
If you think your garden is too small for one why not do as I have and each winter coppice it back to the same point and its foliage will be even larger and bolder the following growing season and the tree will only get to 2 to 3 metres tall. Admittedly it isn’t likely to flower if pruned in this way but the foliage will be at eye level and it looks fabulous in my blue and yellow border were it is part of the border instead of being above it.
A sunny well drained site seems all that you need and its large soft leaves are far more wind tolerant than they look like they should be. I have 3metre plants available at $69.50.
