Library - Tulip Tree
Liriodendron tulipifera
This striking Tulip tree, a member of the magnolia family, was planted soon after the library was built in Back Lane in 2009 and flowered for the first time in 2025.
It provides a meeting point for friends, adds colour to the brick and concrete urban area and provides a view to people studying in the library and passers-by, increasing their wellbeing.
Its large four-lobed leaves have a tulip-shaped outline and smell of eucalyptus when crushed. Striking colours appear in autumn as the leaves turn to brilliant red, orange and yellowy-gold. Its greenish-yellow flowers resemble a tulip flower and only appear on trees over 10 years old.
The Tulip tree has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit, for plants of outstanding excellence in UK growing conditions. Although it originates from North America, it was probably introduced to Britain in the 17th century.