For the most part, poplars (Populus species) are not used very much in the home landscape in the United States. They tend to be fast growing (some grow as much as 4 feet a year) and, thus, brittle wooded, messy and often short lived trees in the landscape.

Their leaves are simple and placed alternately along the stems.  The flowers and fruits lack any ornamental value and there is little or no fall color. Poplars generally have shallow roots and can lift portions of sidewalks or clog drain pipes if planted too near. Many of the species are dioecious, having a separate male and female plant.

Although its name does not tell you its genus, the Eastern cottonwood (P. deltoides) tree is probably the poplar species most known to people. If you have one in your yard, it was most likely there when you built the house. They are messy with their cottony seed discharges and their typical poplar messiness with weak wood.

Perhaps the most commonly planted poplars have been the Lombardy (P. nigra) and Carolina (P. x canadensis engenei) Poplars. These narrow, upright trees were valued for their rapid growth and they were often planted along each side of long driveways. Unfortunately, they are short lived trees and, just as they start looking good at full size, they get canker diseases and start to slowly die away. There are other species that will fit the bill but they grow slower and will last much longer.

The Trembling Aspen (P. tremuloides) is a North American native that enjoys a wide distribution on the continent. It gets its name from the flapping of the leaves in the wind. They are most often used as a forest tree that is harvested for the production of wood pulp for paper or other uses.