Which tree is best to combat diesel pollution?

I bought a Blue Motion VW Golf about 6 years ago on the environmental ticket and feel cheated like everyone else that I have probably been contributing more pollution than I thought. However help is at hand! Recent studies in Japan and America have identified the tree most suited to gobble up diesel particulates from traffic pollution in urban areas and it is beginning to catch on in London.

Magnolia Kobus is a great pollution eater and it so happens to be a very pretty tree as well. As it matures it throws out a good number of pure white flowers in the spring and its lush green foliage turns a clear yellow in the autumn before leaf fall. Magnolia is an ancient genus of tree and this is the parent of a lot of clonal selections. Magnolia kobus isn’t as free flowering as the more commonly planted Magnolia soulangeana but it provides a great public service and can be trusted more than some dodgy car manufacturers.

We grow this tree in large numbers now as a standard tree suited for cities and gardens. So if your home has some planted nearby, you can enjoy some lovely white flower in the spring and be very pleased to have the best pollutant eater on your doorstep!