Hybrid Poplar (Populus deltoides x nigra)

Hybrid Poplar

  • Seedless Variety Won’t Make a Mess
  • Super-Fast Growing
  • Beautiful Pyramidal Form
  • Tolerates Poor Soil
  • Gives Quick Cover for Screens, Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
  • Long Lived
  • Disease and Pest Resistant

If you need fast shade and screening, this improved tree is a serious contender. Hybrid Poplar (Populus deltoides x Populus nigra) is a really fast-growing shade tree.

Also called a Seedless or Cottonless Cottonwood, this naturally occurring hybrid is one of the fastest-growing trees that we sell. A best-seller, it produces no cottony seed to make a mess.

This elegant tree grows into a tall pyramidal form. It requires little – if any – pruning because it will mature naturally into a neat outline.

Hybrid Poplars are fantastic plants to include in shelterbelts and windbreak plantings. They quickly form the bones of the barrier you desire. These trees are widely adaptable and will tolerate nearly any kind of soil.

Once young plants are established, they can put on 6, 8, or even more feet of new growth in a single season. Luckily, they are not only fast-growing but are also strong-wooded and long-lived.

They will make a sophisticated choice for a windbreak or privacy screen. It is also perfect to line a driveway or use as a fast-growing shade tree for your yard.

From spring through summer, Hybrid Poplar will be beautiful cloaked in unique, shiny, dark green almost triangular leaves. In the fall you will be captivated by the stunning yellow leaves waving in the breeze.

The sound of the leaves in a gentle wind is an often overlooked attribute of the Poplar. Youll appreciate the lovely rustling sound, which helps mask the modern city sounds of nearby traffic.

If you’re looking for an attractive, fast-growing, carefree and large shade tree you can’t go wrong with the Hybrid Poplar. It’s a perfect choice anywhere you’d like to have a tree quickly.

Theyll even grow in poor soils. As you know, many times construction sites for commercial and residential areas do not always leave behind the best soils. Hybrid Poplar wont mind. They can perform quickly and beautifully in poor-quality fill dirt and soil that is rocky, stony, and sandy.

A favorite of homeowners and builders, the Hybrid Poplar is a great-looking, hardy tree. It can grow in almost any climate and will thrive just about anywhere.

How to Use Hybrid Poplar in the Landscape

The perfect tree for interplanting in shelterbelts and windbreaks for sure creating the fastest vertical barrier until the other trees have a chance to catch up. Dont forget to mix with some natural groups of Pines, Spruce, or evergreens that work well in your area.

Hybrid Poplar looks great when used in a natural informal grouping. Just vary the distance between plants and rows when planting.

A grouping of an odd number of trees on a large scape property will not only block the winds and snows but also help to create a nice microclimate. Use it as a backdrop for a lovely mixed shrub border.

Hybrid Poplars are fantastic fast-growing trees that will grow in almost any soil which opens lots of doors for tough sites. Commercial sites love to use them at highway interchanges. Where the soils have been disturbed or backfilled with poor soils for growing.

These are great trees for commercial use for new highways, golf courses, and new subdivisions in addition to creating fast-growing wind protection in wide open areas.

Golf courses like to use them for defining the fairways and creating some protection between holes from errant shots, and areas that are too dry or poor soils.

Tips for Care

Hybrid Poplar is adaptable to most soils. However, you will want to give it a moderate amount of supplemental water, if you dont get adequate rainfall. Protect your investment and screening with roughly an inch of water a week.

If you need to prune a branch, do so in early spring before it starts to grow for the season. Give the tree plenty of space to reach its full height and width. You wont want to prune for size control.

This is a great plant for an open area. Give at least 30 feet from drainage fields, driveways, and sidewalks to give room for the entire root system. Use it in the right spot, and youll fall in love.

This fast-growing, long-lived seedless version of the beloved native Cottonwood is a treasure.

Hybrid Poplar (Populus deltoides x nigra) Details

Common name Hybrid Poplar
Botanical name Populus deltoides x nigra
Hardiness zone 3-9
Growth rate Fast
Height 50 - 70 ft.
Width 50 - 60 ft.
Sunlight Full Sun, Partial Shade
Moisture Medium
Soil condition Widely Adaptable
Pollinator-friendly Yes
Leaf color Deciduous