I bought my house a year and half ago and never realized until later after being moved in that I had a tulip tree on the yard.
the tree is 85 years old and is about to bloom.........sometime soon I am hoping
there is a lot of interest since it does not produce viable seeds in the pod until it is 50 years old....
it is growing way out of zone here and the conservation society is coming to collect the seeds in the fall and plant them local.......
just thought I would do a general discussion about this tree

There are many hybrids of this tree out there............
but this is the real deal here.....

they are coming to take pics and so on this Monday but my guess is that it is not going to be in bloom yet although the buds are there......

they will make it a heritage tree since is growing as an Ontario species tree out of zone.......and also for the size of it and so on... Hope to have that status very shortly. that way it gives the tree some protection from being taken down in the future....

Congrats on having a tulip tree! There's an interesting story online about the tulip tree at the arboretum in Ottawa:

http://www.kwesthues.com/tulip...

Apparently there is a seedling from it growing in the wildlife garden nearby:
http://www.pbase.com/image/150...

Are you in Eastern Ontario? If yours is about to bloom maybe I'll make a trip into Ottawa to check out the one in the arboretum.

I am in Southwestern Ontario, in Bruce County. this tulip tree is pretty much out of zone here........
but yes it should be blooming shortly, there are lots of buds on it but no blooms yet
still keeping my eyes open

the ministry of natural resources and the conservation authority are coming to see it on Monday and it goes into the paper.........

it is pretty cool really

since all the seeds will be donated to conservation we are hoping to start some more of these..........in the county and surrounding areas........
they are well worth it to go and see

Definitely out of range in Ottawa, which would be USDA zone 4 (Canadian zone 5) I think. I'm a little west and certainly USDA zone 4 but I'm not sure if the city heat island effect is taken into consideration there. Apparently there are also a few tulip trees in Quebec.

I've seen the one in the Ottawa arboretum but not in flower. How does our phenology compare right now - the common golden leaved mock orange is in flower here, lilacs mostly finished, black locusts probably almost done?

The tulip poplar is so common in the Southeast that it's often overlooked as an ornamental around these parts. I think it's great that it's getting recognition and sparking interest in Canada.

Well they say it is hardy to zone 5 but likely I am closer to a zone 4 here.......
trying to get some more info before the conservation authority shows up tomorrow
still waiting for it to bloom and sounds like it could take up to month to be in full flower...

here where I am the peony are just starting to really bloom
the honeysuckle is done
I have a lot of plant reversion due to the tough winters 2 in a row here and has changed the color of most of my peony and put them back to species
a red maple here is also changing back to a Norway maple with the reversion
a hydrangea that is normally variegated and white is coming up all green so who knows the color of it......

our lilacs are now done

the tulip tree is full of buds and really wish it would open soon. apparently the hybrids are done and flowered in the area but they are interested in the species seeds not the hybrids....tomorrow

We have tulip trees here in zone 5 and they flourish easily, so I see no reason they wouldn't be able to live in zone 4. You should be aware that they have a very extensive invasive root system. Be aware that if your tree has the status of heritage tree and receives protection so that it cannot be taken down in the future that it may affect the value of your property depending on where it is located in relation to structures or to a desirable garden area. Some people may not be interested in purchasing the property knowing the tree cannot be taken down if they want to. I know I would not buy a property as such. First thing I did when we bought our home was cut down most of the large trees. I did not want them hanging over our buildings, did not want the pollen in the air, around my home and wanted to make room for a koi pond and vegetable and daylily gardens. Tulip trees grow easily from seed and spread all over the place around here. They are probably the hybrid kinds? I don't know, but they borderline on invasive and are not long lived trees as the oakes and other hardwoods.

and here they live to well over 200 years some of them.....
I am not sure I on the other hand would buy a heritage tree on a lot with a house.......
the shade trees are huge sellers around where I live.......
if someone does not like the tree they can find another house I guess.......... My hopes is to preserve and learn from the species...... if this was a hybrid I would not even be thinking this way at all..........but with the tree species......that is a big different.......
we hit -40F here last winter and the winter before at times.............a lot colder then most zone 4 and we are almost a zone 5 here
there are very few tulips around here and if they are there they are the hybrids.....

I have a few trees , this photo is from last fall.

They grow wild here , the state tree of Indiana.

I have one near my area, I live in zone 7 but last winter we reached -20F which is rare. I had tulip tree seeds in pots and this year got two seedlings to grow. Only other tulip tree around is preserved at a botanical garden at a college nearby these trees are very rare. I wonder if I should report the trees existence as its growing in a lot but is huge and old no hybrid that's for sure

I would report it myself and see what happens

Mine this year is just getting the bigger leafs now and should bloom towards the end of June possibly or maybe even a bit earlier....
this year has been really warm here and that is not the norm
peony are just opening now and it was blooming close to the end of the peony season last year
so keeping an eye out everyday
very easy to miss the flowers on the tree
they are still working on the heritage status of the tree here

The tulip tree is native to Ontario....and in Bruce County with zillions of trees all over and not tulips.........mostly sugar maples..........an recognition of a tree is considered special. The one on my lot has created a whole town to check out their own trees on their property and that says a lot about the tree

there are quite a few hybrids around here...........with the poplar on the bottom and the tulip grafted on top........results in blooms in not that long
mine took 50 years to the day almost to bloom the first year.....