Summer is when my Indian Cigar Tree (Catalpa Tree) is in all its glory. Its gigantic leaves grow on long stems, starting as tiny leaves and bursting forth into the biggest leaves I’ve ever seen on a deciduous tree.
And then there’s a magical week in June when the thing blooms. All the other flowering trees bloomed months ago in April; you know the ones, the little pink, fluffy types that look pretty but make your eyes water and the back of your throat itch. How odd for a deciduous tree of this size and stature to bloom so beautifully and in June.
I missed capturing the blooms with my camera at their prime—I was probably off by only a day. But you can see how striking the white blooms are up close with their yellow and purple throats. They remind me of Foxglove blooms, another summertime favorite.
Soon I’ll have my Adirondack chairs beneath this tree to give you some perspective on the sheer size of my beloved Indian Cigar Tree. It’s an amazing behemoth, and beneath its leaves I feel like I’m in a shady room.
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| Gigantic Catalpa leaves in a quart-sized ball jar. |
My tree is so inspiring to me that I’m patterning my June socks after it. I’ll call them Catalpa.
That is one MAGNIFICENT tree. What a wonder it must be to play beneath her, shaded by that glorious canopy. And the blooms!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite time of the year is when the catalpas are blooming. So unexpected, and glorious.
ReplyDeleteYour cigar tree looks wonderful. Even the leaves can be made into something magnificent.
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