By Missymoo
Nottinghamshire,
United Kingdom 
i have come across a tree with variegated leaves and a strong scent of balsam. i believe it could be a populas candican aurora? I have been told that the strongest smellying variety is the balsamifera or taca trica? could you confim this for me please. Also is this available as a shrub as well as a tree and do you sell them.
thankyou. lesley.
27 Sep, 2010
Answers
I have an unknown Poplar which is variegated and smells strongly of Balsam. It is severely pollarded to keep it at shrub size. However it is a terrible sucker producer. I would not recommend it for a small garden.
27 Sep, 2010
Previous question
Populus balsamifera trichocarpa gets to be an extremely large tree - it is the buds which smell strongly of balsam. Populus candicans aurora reaches a height of 15 metres, and smells of balsam in spring and early summer, mostly. I am not aware of a shrub version of these, and we do not sell plants on this site.
27 Sep, 2010