Catalpa bignonioides pulverule

Should crazy paving ever come back, here's a good tree to go with it!

I think that the heart shaped leaves and the way that they are held on the stem complement the crazy paving behind, and echo the pattern.

The leaves on this variety look like they've been splattered with white paint, which gives them a luminous quality, especially good in early evening light.

The tree itself isn't listed in Hilliers but I did see them for sale at Hampton Court this year, so they are available.

I've tried 'stooling' my one to get larger leaves but this seems to make it come into leaf even later - towards the end of May/early June, so it's only in leaf for about five months of the year.

Enjoyed the sketch design yesterday, but I must admit that I was (and still am) confused as to whether we were meant to be designing a garden for the target audience for the particular advert we were given, or that we were meant to designing a garden using the same principles as those used in the advert i.e viewpoints, eye levels, voids, ground planes etc.

One day it will all become clear........

Dickie