Actually Mike it is a lovely tree and always draws comments. I bought it as a small specimin, grown from seed, and was warned that it might not survive in my area. The lady who had grown it told me that there was/is a mature specimin in Rome (much further South than me) but, if I remember correctly, that she did not do so well with it (she is midway between Rome and me).This was quite a few years ago and it is very slow but managing to survive even with this year's heavy snow and low temperatures.
It is about 3m tall and the trunk still very slender but a lovely green apart from the very beginning. The leaves form a canopy at the top, they are held on the ends of quite long stems that arch downwards and are large - up to 35cm at their furthest point -giving an umbrella like appearance, I have it planted at the end of a narrow walkway and it really looks quite stunning.
I have never pampered it - just my normal practice of watering well for the first year after preparing the planting hole as well as possible. I would be sorry to lose it now and it is nice to know what it is after all this time - keeping labels/records of names is not my strongest point! Perhaps you should give it a go
Luckily the Gypsy Moth caterpillers are avoiding it (never encountered it before probably!) or else it would look a sorry mess - nothing left to droop!
