🌳 Catalpa Tree
Catalpa speciosa
Tree
☀️ Sun
Full sun to partial shade
💧 Water
Moderate; adaptable; tolerates some flooding
🗺️ Zones
4–8
📏 Spacing
30–50 ft
📐 Height
40–70 ft
🧪 Soil pH
5.5–7.0
⏱️ Maturity
Ornamental value from first year; full canopy in 20–30 years
Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone
🤝 Companions (5)
🤝 Native wildflowers
Good companion — Catalpa Tree and Native wildflowers grow well together.
🤝 Ferns
Good companion — Catalpa Tree and Ferns grow well together.
🤝 Hostas
Good companion — Catalpa Tree and Hostas grow well together.
🤝 Wild Ginger
Good companion — Catalpa Tree and Wild Ginger grow well together.
Good companion — Catalpa Tree and Serviceberry grow well together.
⚠️ Keep Apart (2)
⚠️ Lawn grass
Keep apart — these plants do not grow well together.
⚠️ Competing large trees
Keep apart — these plants do not grow well together.
📝 Growing Notes
Northern catalpa is a bold ornamental tree with enormous tropical-looking leaves, showy white orchid-like flowers, and distinctive long bean-like seed pods. It serves as the exclusive host plant for catalpa sphinx moth caterpillars, which are prized by fishermen as bait. The large, soft leaves break down quickly to provide excellent organic matter for the woodland understory.