How to prune catalpa bignonioides 'aurea'

Late winter to early spring, before buds break. Cut all previous season's growth back hard to the established pollard knuckles using a sharp pruning saw. This encourages a burst of vigorous stems bearing exceptionally large, golden leaves. Feed and mulch well after cutting to fuel the flush of new growth.

Annually for pollarded specimens; inspect in summer for any dead or diseased stems. Catalpa bignonioides 'Aurea' (golden Indian bean tree) is almost always hard-pollarded annually to maximise its spectacular large yellow leaves and maintain a manageable size. Without pruning it grows into a large spreading tree where the golden foliage is high and less visible. Annual late-winter pollarding is the standard horticultural approach for this cultivar.

Cut all previous season's growth back hard to the established pollard knuckles using a sharp pruning saw. This encourages a burst of vigorous stems bearing exceptionally large, golden leaves. Feed and mulch well after cutting to fuel the flush of new growth.