London Plane Bloodgood True Width?

11 years ago

Both my girlfriend and I have considered a London Plane Bloodgood for each of our properties and we've found conflicting information on the mature width of this tree. My local nursery claims a 40'width and a tree for sale in Lowes claims 30' - 35' wide. However, when I research the tree online I find drastic differences to claims as wide as 80'. The problem is, my yard is small, roughly 40' wide and she has 4 acres. The 30-35' claim is smaller than she needs and the 80' is obviously way too large for my needs. Can someone with a mature London Plane Bloodgood help settle the confusion about it's mature size? What should I expect?

The photo is the information listed for the London Plane Bloodgood from Lowes.

Thank you for any help, suggestions, tips offered.

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Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
hey..

most estimates.. are at ten years or so ...

most trees.. grow at an annual rate.. and they will continue at that rate.. just about forever ....

no tree mysteriously stops growing.. at a given height ...

the link below.. is going to blow your mind.. as to the potential for this tree ... the key is under DESCRIPTION.. where it says its a FAST grower.. which in my world.. means 3 to 5 feet per year.. once it gets 'established ... which would fit right in with the 10 year tag claims of 30 feet or so ...

if you insist on a sycamore [i have a personal hate for them] ... its sounds like your GF gold course will have to be where it goes ...

and you have little to complain about.. when you are relying on bigboxstore tags ... thank God you found us.. lol ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: pdf link
hortster
11 years ago
Since on "my page", we don't know where you are in the country...
A tree's width and height are dependent on a BUNCH of things; soil fertility, moisture availability, wind exposure and more. Here in SC KS the Preferred Species List says, "height 60-80', width 50-65'." Pretty windy here making exposed trees wider. From here sounds like you might consider a different tree...
hortster
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My list is for Southern California. I'm no tree expert but I chose my list for eye appeal. My list also features a lot of palms. They just do so well here. 1. London Plane. This is my favorite. I sat in a restaurant on a corner that had their parking lot shaded by very large planes. Looking out the window at them I was very impressed by how un-So Cal they looked. I had the illusion of being someplace greener and more northerly or mountainy. 2. Deodar Cedar. Stately, classy and tough in So Cal. 3. Mexican Fan Palm. These are stunning when a street is lined with 100 foot tall ones. 4. Canary Island Date Palm. This one is actually better planted in medians. Just so pretty with a beautiful form. I like them best when not over-trimmed so the fronds make a perfect sphere. 5. Jacaranda. Yeah they're messy but the purple clouds they turn into are stunning. 6. Crape Myrtle. Again stunning colors in flower, fall leaves and beautiful winter form -if they are not pruned in a ghastly manner. Crapes only need removal of root suckers or limiting number of trunks. 7. California Fan Palm. The trunks of these are like pillars wide with a gradual taper. They make a beautiful living colonnade. I like them alternated with something colorful like Crapes. 8. California Live Oak. Love the twisting branches and dark bark of this one. 9. California Sycamore. The leaning trunks and zig-zagging branches of this one are picturesque. I love the big hand shapes leaves. Sycamore also has this sweet spicy scent. Queen Palm. The feathery airy fronds of this one wave and whisper in the slightest breeze. There are other trees I like. I am fond of Sweetgum but here in so cal they topple in the wind a little too often for me and they're prone to a fatal die back. I also like tuliptree but they spit sticky stuff all over sidewalks and cars.
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Embothrium
11 years ago
Hybrid planes produce huge specimens that give off irritating hairs. Not a tree for a typical modern situation. Wonderful living landscape monuments, with their big, interesting trunks, but not for yards or even streets really, on account of the hairs.

A hybrid plane in Pennsylvania was determined to be 150' tall with a trunk more than 20' around during 1980. Bigger ones are known elsewhere.
aquilachrysaetos
11 years ago
There's a couple growing in wee little islands in the parking lot of an industrial building near me. Massive and handsome trees. I dubbed one of them 'the Lonely Mountain' because I can see it from 2 miles away and the top is shaped like a steep sided volcano -it's still vigorously growing.
greenthumbzdude
11 years ago
hybrids often become bigger than either of the parents due to genetic diversity. Its known as hybrid vigor, the same happens to animals such as ligers (Lionxtiger cross).
Embothrium
11 years ago
Records for both parent species are of quite large trees also, of the same order as the hybrid.
fmart322
11 years ago
I've seen them by streams and rivers by me where they get enormous.near a water supply they can really get big and live for hundreds of years. The tree is one of my favorites but they are messy with bark, leaves and seed balls......the usual stuff really.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
was back at mom and dads yesterday .. cul de sac.. mid 1950's .. every other house had a sycamore ... the rest.. silver maples ... now i know where my base hatred came from... lol ...

EVERY house with the 50 to 60 year old syc's.. had leaf litter .. dead branch litter ... and heaved sidewalks ...

the maples.. just heaved sidewalks ... lol ..

about 1/3 of the front lawns had been dug up in the last decade.. due to sewer line issues.. since back then.. they just used doped ceramic pipes.. and both types of trees.. invaded the lines from the house to the street ... ...

and i recall.. fall, when the seed fuzz balls.. were pulverized in the street for a month or so.. and you could barely play out there.. thru the dust ...

good times.. good times.. lol ..

hence.. distance lends enchantment.. and they are beautiful park/gold course trees... planted about 3.8 acres from the house.. lol ..

ken
botann
11 years ago
I have ten acres and I wouldn't even consider one. There are much nicer trees out there that will do any job you want better than a London Plane with all it's problems.
If you like them, then enjoy them in some other place rather than in your small yard....or in your girl friend's acreage.
Mike
farmeranne
11 years ago
In Paris, like in many French villages and along country roads, large plane trees line the streets. And you see no buckled pavement on Parisian sidewalks or streets. I cannot figure out where the roots are growing, since underneath Paris lie miles of metro lines and underground tunnels. Anyone have any insight into this?
Jack_of_all_Hobbies
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the info, links and advice offered. Definitely too large for my yard and my girlfriend is now considering 3. She lives in the arid zone 5, Owyhee County, Idaho. I'm an hour away in Boise, in what is considered a "semi arid" Zone 6.

Here is a link that might be useful: Owyhee County Idaho

London Plane Bloodgood True Width?

Comments (11)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

hortster

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London Plane Bloodgood True Width?

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