Paulownia tomentosa

Paulownia tomentosa, most commonly known as the empress tree, is a deciduous perennial shrub or tree native to central and western China.  Impressive, heart-shaped leaves that can grow up to 30 in / 76 cm wide, fill the empress tree's dense, shady canopy with a bright green splendor.  In the fall, the magnificent foliage is replaced by resplendent, crystalline-purple foxglove flowers that blanket their environment with a heavenly vanilla fragrance.  Following the beautiful blooms, are tiny ovoid fruits that carry approximately 2,000 seeds, which can be dispersed by wind or washed away by rain.  Though the empress tree has many desirable qualities, it has some severe drawbacks.  One empress tree can produce millions of seeds in a single year while potentially growing up to 20 ft / 6.1 m. This, paired with their tolerance for nearly any soil condition, enables them to devastatingly dominate their environment without extreme measures being taken to prevent their spread.  Even if every precaution is taken, their extensive networks of large, destructive roots can produce suckers that also must be destroyed to prevent the trees from spreading.  Collectively, these factors have made the empress tree a highly invasive species in many regions and led to its being widely outlawed.  

To encourage the greatest number of blooms, provide empress trees with a location that receives a minimum of six hours of sunlight daily, though they are capable of growing in shadier conditions.  Any fertile soil mixture should be adequate for growing empress trees as they are capable of growing in nearly any medium, including ash, sand, and leaf-litter.  Once established, empress trees are almost impossible to kill from neglect, though they require substantial watering to get to that point.  Heavy weekly waterings during the first growing season and a thick layer of mulch should quickly bring an empress tree to a self-sustainable state.  As a pioneer species, empress trees are capable of surviving in environments that are generally inhospitable to most plant life, so little precaution is needed in terms of winter or summer hardiness and no fertilizing is necessary.   Learn more in the Plant Story community!

3-6 hours of sun per day, with protection from intense mid-day sun

Water sparingly, allowing the mix to nearly dry out between watering.

Paulownia Tomentosa

Paulownia tomentosa

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Ornamental

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