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Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Liné1

Photo by Liné1View Original Photo

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa fruit by Meneerke bloem

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower by Kenpei

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower, foliage by Kenpei

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa distinctive bark, foliage by Dancing Oaks Nursery

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Panayoti Kelaidis

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower, form by Annie's Annuals & Perennials

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower by J.G. in SF

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa foliage by Hoot Owl Hollow Nursery

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Danger Garden

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa trunk by Danger Garden

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa foliage by Danger Garden

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower by Karl Gercens III

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Karl Gercens III

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Kristine Paulus

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower, form by Petr Filippov

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa seedpod by Kenpei

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa fruit by Gerhard Elsner

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa seedpod by 4028mdk09

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Jean-Pol GRANDMONT

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa form by Fanghong

Photo of Paulownia tomentosa flower by 4028mdk09

Buy Paulownia tomentosa

Also Known As

Paulownia coreana
Paulownia glabrata
Paulownia tomentosa var. tsinlingensis
Empress Tree
Hairy Paulownia
Princess Tree
Royal Paulownia

Plant type

tree

size

H: 30'-60'
W: 20'-30'

planting zones

5a-10b

4 inch pot | $17

Ships USPS, based on weight/location

Fewer than 19 at Secret Garden Growers

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Paulownia tomentosa plant details

Paulownia tomentosa is a broadleaf deciduous tree with green foliage. In spring blue and purple flowers emerge. Attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds making it an excellent addition to pollinator gardens. Grows well with sun - mostly sun and regular - low water. Drought tolerant once established. Adapts to various soil conditions. Does well in average, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and humidity tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Paulownia tomentosa

Plant type: tree
Plant family: paulowniaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 20 FT - 30 FT - wide, 30 FT - 60 FT - tall
Flowers: blue and purple blooms in spring
Uses: big leaves, fragrant

GROWING CONDITIONS for Paulownia tomentosa

USDA Zones: 5a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly sun
Watering frequency: regular - low
Resistant to: heat and humidity
Soil needs: average, rich and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

"Amongst the grandest of ornamental flowering trees" (50-75')... fragrant purple foxglove-like flowers on 10" upright stalks provide a wonderful spring display. It is easily grown and gives excellent dense shade. S/M

By: Forestfarm

(EMPRESS TREE) FAST growing deciduous tree to 40’ with BIG leaves and upright stalks of foxglove-like lavender flowers in spring - Grows up to 10’ per year in full sun and most soils – not fussy! Some ‘mad gardeners’ cut this to nubbins each year which results in HUGE leaves on a shrubby plant that adds some significant BOLD to the garden (no flowers with this treatment). USDA Z7 4” pot

By: Secret Garden Growers

A tough species that is tolerant growing in poor soils and drought conditions, the Empress Tree produces thousands of large pink flowers in the spring before the leaves start to emerge. Once the flowering season is done the leaves emerge and grow from one to two feet long and almost as wide, creating an instant tropical appearance. Trees can be grown in either a shrub form by pruning the tops back or in tree form by removing all but one trunk in the winter, without pruning Empress Trees will typically form a 2-3 trunk tree with wide branches. They are popular in parks where they provide shade for a large area and are popular as they are one of the most colorful large trees in the spring. You need a fair amount of space in your landscape for this species to reach its full potential but gardeners with smaller yards have been very successful pruning these into smaller forms. They bloom on old wood so heavy winter pruning can reduce flowering the next spring, with Empress Trees any heavy pruning should be done in early summer.

Very cold winters can reduce flowering the next spring, this is mostly an issue in zone 5 but can also affect growers in zone 6 when planting in very exposed locations. For growers in very cold climates flowering is greatly improved by planting in areas protected from strong winter winds.

Empress Trees prefer full sun in well drained soil, they are typically intolerant of heavy clay soils in flat landscapes. If you have heavy clay soils you can still grow this tree by planting on a mound of well drained soil, for large trees like this the mound should be 4-5 feet in diameter and at least two feet tall. An easy and cheap method for creating landscape mounds is to dump a few cubic yards of conifer bark (not wood chips) such as pine, fir, spruce, or hemlock. Till or mix the bark in with some of your native soil and pile the material into a mound, you can plant the tree directly in the center of the mound. Bark chips and shreds take a very long time to break down compared to wood chips and provide excellent drainage and soil aeration with the coarse fibers.

Shipping

Unlike most trees, Empress Trees tend to re-sprout from the base each year while young while the leader from the previous year dies back. Trees are shipped pruned back to around six inches tall, plant with the top of the roots covered by about one inch of soil. The following year a new stem will grow from the crown of the roots. Once the roots are established the existing trunk will persist and form a permanent tree. Even as trees grow into a permanent form the growing tip will end with a flower in the summer so trees will typically produce a wide branched form starting low to the ground. If you wish you can prune the side branches each summer to force a straight trunk.

By: Red Panda Nursery

The empress tree or princess tree is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that is primarily grown for its profuse spring bloom of foxglove-like flowers.

By: Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants Ltd.

Dragon tree is highly prized for its wood in the orient, it can grow to 75' in just 15-18 years if left un-pruned but in the U.S. it is generally coppiced (cut to the ground each year), it will then produce a shoot with immense 3-4' wide leaves, reaching 20' in a single season. Planted near a house it is supposed to attract the phoenix and bring good luck (don't tempt fate plant one just to be on the safe side), it flowers young often in as few as three years if fertilized well, big clusters of lavender centered white foxglove flowers. The wood is highly prized in Japan and China, Empress Tree is traditionally planted when a daughter is born and cut to make a dowry box when she marries. It is probably the most asked about tree in our display gardens.

By: Arrowhead Alpines

Awards: Award of Merit & Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

By: Fantastic Plants

Flowers violet, fragrant in May before heart shaped leaves appear. Deciduous zones 6-9.

By: Lael's Moon Garden

This tree grows very fast up to 50' in height with nearly equal spread. When young, or if trimmed back annually, it will grow billowy foliage, with individual leaves up to 2' across. The flowers appear from brown buds which open to become stunning 6-8" tall spikes of trumpet-shaped blossoms. The vanilla scented flowers are lilac-blue with darker spotting and yellow stripes inside. Very beautiful and unusual, this tree always gains attention!

By: Greer Gardens Inc.

Fast growing deciduous tree with huge leaves. The well-known Empress Tree can be grown as a large tree for its lavender pseudo-tropical trumpets in the spring, or as a pollarded plant for its huge leaves. But did you know it can also grow enormous from a tiny seed in its first year? Lilac flowers spring. -25 °F.

By: The Desert Northwest

Looking like a tree from the pages of a Chinese fairy tale, the rare, easy & amazingly fast growing Empress tree stopped me in my tracks one Spring day at U.C. Botanical Garden. Large, fragrant, lavender-blue, foxglove-like flowers are borne in upright terminal clusters on this large, spreading tree before leaves emerge, presenting a picture of unreal beauty. Later, large apple-green, fuzzy, heart-shaped leaves appear, giving a tropical look. “Empress Tree” thrives in the Bay Area. Grows 10’ the first year & up to 40’. Happily - if you don’t want a huge tree - YOU CAN KEEP IT PRUNED SHORT AS A SHRUB - where you can enjoy its fabulous blooms & huge, very tropical leaves. VERY FROST HARDY! Fertile soil is best.

By: Annie's Annuals & Perennials

Humongous leaves on youthful plants and large sprays of tubular purple flowers on older trees to 40' tall. We coppice ours to the ground to produce large foliage.