Plants with heart-shaped leaves can not only help spread love, but they can also look beautiful in your garden or as houseplants in pots.
If you want heart-shaped leaves, this guide is for you. It lists twenty-five plants with different leaves that will all add a romantic touch to your home or garden.
As a gardener and nature lover, I’m always on the lookout for unique and beautiful plants to grow. Recently, I’ve become enchanted with trees that have heart-shaped leaves. Their whimsical foliage fills me with joy and reminds me of love and connection.
In this article, I’ll share 10 stunning trees with heart-shaped leaves that can be grown right here in the UK. From small ornamental trees to towering giants, these romantic plants are sure to capture your heart!
1. Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
One of the most beloved spring-flowering trees, redbud bursts into bloom in April, bearing a profusion of pink-purple, pea-like flowers. Just as charming are its heart-shaped leaves that emerge in a fresh green and turn buttery yellow in fall Redbud thrives in full sun and moderately fertile soil Grow it as a focal point in beds and borders or mass several together for a showstopping display.
2. Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)
Native to China and Japan, katsura is prized for its gorgeous fall foliage in shades of apricot, orange, pink and yellow. Its leaves are rounded and heart-shaped when young, then become more oval as they mature. Hardy in zones 5-9, katsura prefers acidic, well-drained soil and part shade. It can grow 40-60 feet tall and wide at maturity.
3. European Linden (Tilia x europea)
A classic park and avenue tree, linden dazzles in summer with its cascading branches of fragrant, nectar-rich flowers. Its large, heart-shaped leaves cast a deep green shade, making linden an ideal choice for sheltering lawns and gardens. It thrives in sun or part shade and medium moisture. There are many lovely cultivars to choose from including ‘Pallida’ and ‘Petiolaris’.
4. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Similar to the classic redbud, eastern redbud is a slightly smaller, multi-stemmed version. It bears pretty pink blooms in spring followed by rounded, heart-shaped leaves that emerge reddish-purple before turning green. The foliage often turns bright yellow in fall. Grows 15-20 feet tall and wide. Thrives in full sun to part shade.
5. Foxglove Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
Foxglove tree earns its name from the immense clusters of tubular, foxglove-like lavender flowers that bloom in spring. The huge heart-shaped leaves can grow up to 20 inches long, providing lush shade. Foxglove tree is fast growing when young but slows down as it ages. It prefers rich, moist soil and can reach 30-40 feet tall.
6. Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides)
Catalpa is prized for its tropical-looking foliage and showy spring flowers. Its enormous heart-shaped leaves can grow up to 12 inches wide! Fragrant white flowers bloom in late spring, followed by long, slender seed pods. Catalpa grows well in sun to part shade and tolerates pollution and poor soils. It matures at 40-60 feet tall.
7. Empress Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)
Closely related to foxglove tree, empress tree features similar foxglove-like flowers but slightly larger heart-shaped leaves. Fast growing when young, it can reach 60 feet tall at maturity. Empress tree does best in full sun and moist, fertile soil. Plant it where its graceful descending branches and majestic purple blooms can be admired up close.
8. Hardy Rubber Tree (Eucommia ulmoides)
Native to China, this unique tree produces waxy, spear-shaped leaves that are rounded at the base, resembling a heart. Small greenish flowers bloom in spring but are not showy. Extremely hardy and tolerant of pollution and poor soil, Eucommia can grow to around 60 feet tall. Male and female plants are required for seed production.
9. Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
In late spring, golden rain tree erupts with huge panicles of bright yellow flowers, followed by papery seed capsules. The emerging leaves are bronzy pink and heart-shaped, maturing to a fresh green. Reaching 30 feet tall and wide, golden rain tree thrives in full sun and tolerates drought, pollution, heat, and poor drainage once established.
10. Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica)
Persian ironwood is a medium-sized, four season performer. Clusters of tiny red flowers bloom in late winter, followed by new foliage that unfolds a stunning reddish-purple. The leaves are oval with a heart-shaped base and turn shades of orange and red in fall. Grows 20-40 feet tall. Thrives in sun to part shade.
With their playful, romantic foliage, trees with heart-shaped leaves add charm, beauty and elegant architecture to the garden. Choose one or more of these stunners to add new dimensions to your landscape!
Heart-Leaved Philodendron
- BOTANICAL NAME: Philodendron scandens
- HARDINESS RATING: H1B
- PLANT TYPE: shrub / climber / houseplant
- FOLIAGE: evergreen
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer
A popular houseplant, the heart-leaf philodendron is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 4m in height.
People mostly grow it for its big, heart-shaped leaves that are mostly green but can also have white and yellow spots on them.
You only need to water philodendrons when the soil is completely dry. They are very easy to take care of.
2 Hedge Bindweed
- BOTANICAL NAME: Calystegia sepium
- HARDINESS RATING: H4
- PLANT TYPE: climber / shrub
- FOLIAGE: deciduous
- FLOWERING SEASON(S): summer / autumn
Perhaps one plant with heart-shaped leaves that you don’t want to see is bindweed.
This shrub produces white, trumpet-shaped flowers that can spread prolifically and suffocate other plants with its twisting vines.
If you really want to grow this plant, you can put it in its own pot or even hang it from the ceiling near your house. Just don’t plant it in your garden because the roots are very deep and brittle, making them very hard to pull out.
Cercis The Rising Sun™(Redbud) // STUNNING Golden Heart Shaped Leaves & Bright Pink Flowers.
FAQ
What is the name of the tree with heart shaped leaves?
What British tree has heart-shaped leaves?
What European tree has heart shaped leaves?
What is an invasive tree with large heart-shaped leaves?
Are heart shaped trees evergreen?
The heart-shaped leaves are evergreen in tropical climates. This classic flowering tree of spring is easy to identify. Its branches are studded with small, rosey-pink flowers before the first leaves appear. Once the leaves take over, the tree remains attractive, as this heart-shaped foliage maintains a dark green color throughout summer.
What trees have heart shaped leaves?
Trees with heart-shaped leaves can be beautiful additions to a garden landscape. Attractive trees like redbuds, lindens, and catalpas have leafy foliage shaped like hearts. These ornamental trees are aesthetically pleasing, bloom with fragrant flowers, and provide shade in gardens.
What does a heart shaped tree look like?
Many trees have leafy foliage resembling the traditional shape of a heart. The leaves are triangularly shaped with a rounded base, indented at the center. The other end of the leaf tapers to an apex. Heart-shaped tree leaves can be cordate or obcordate, depending on which end has the petiole.
Are heart shaped trees cordate or obcordate?
Heart-shaped tree leaves can be cordate or obcordate, depending on which end has the petiole. Cordate leaves: The petiole is attached to the indentation at the rounded base. Obcordate leaves: The petiole is attached to the pointed end of the heart-shaped leaf. Identifying trees with heart-shaped leaves starts by observing the leaf’s overall shape.
What is a heart shaped leaf?
The heart-shaped leaves are simple leaves that grow alternately on brown to reddish-brown twigs. The leaf is egg-shaped with a tapering apex, finely-toothed margin, and cordate base. They have a dark green upper surface, lighter underside, and fine hairs along the vein axils.
How do you know if a tree has heart shaped leaves?
Many trees have leaves that are heart-shaped (cordate) in outline but differ when looked at closely. Colour, number and size of teeth and number and arrangement of veins may all be features which differentiate species. Tree ID by heart-shaped leaves – six photos – limes, hazels, italian alder, black mulberry, white mulberry and handkerchief tree.