Empress Tree - Paulownia tomentosa - How to grow Royal Empress Tree
Visit http://www.gardenclips.com for more garden videos. This is the empress tree-Paulownia tomentosa. An important bridge, culturally and economically, between our culture and that of Japan. The empress tree is a native of Japan and far eastern China. But there is a pathogen effecting whole stands of this tree in its native range. The main horticultural interest for this tree for visual aspect is the Spring bloom. In May, the flowers emerge they start coming out before the foliage begins to emerge. The flowers are arranged in these foot-long candles. The flowers in Spring give way to the seed pods later in the growing season. This is last year's seed pod still on the tree. They're kind of a corky, somewhat woody dehiscent capsule that carried tens of thousands of seeds in each one. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, during the China trade between this country and the Far East, this was the preferred packing material in which they put the China in crates. So in many of the seaports of the United States, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New York, they unloaded the China and threw out the seed pods, creating many groves of Paulownia tomentosa. The wood of this tree is a very important part of Japanese culture. It's an iconic emblem of long life and prosperity. For instance, they make amulets for newborns, they make ceremonial rice bowls, they use it for coffins. The pathogen that is affecting this species in its native range has made it almost extinct, has made the groves in the United States very, very important for trade. Saw logs go for many tens of thousands of dollars of the right size. The fact that this tree is threatened and almost extinct in its home range opens up valuable opportunities for trade between our country and Japan. This species is very fast growing. It likes full sun to partial shade. It grows in any type of garden soil, average to heavy. Sandy is okay, as well. I planted this tree four years ago as a five foot sapling and you can see what it's done- very fast growing. I have to also say that it's on the Connecticut list of invasive species, so you want to be careful planting this plant -- not recommended for the home garden. It has lots of seedlings that sprout. It is also a very coarse looking plant for most of the year. It is a wonderful tree as a cultural bridge between Japan and America. Paulownia tomentosa, or the empress tree -- a native of Japan and the Far Eastern part of China. -Eric Larson (transcribed from video)
Comments
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god, if you live in the mid atlantic, don't plant these as they are highly invasive and a host plant of brown marmorated stink bugs.
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Thank you so much for this wonderful information =)!
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Very informative video. I have a guitar made from this wood, the flowers remind me of a lilac. I think I may try to grow on in my yard. I have a big yard.
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I started a G+ community if anyone is interested.
https://plus.google.com/106168721874024393741/posts/feyC9EdNNMo -
I am actively making new videos with my Royal Empress trees s well as organic methods of lawn and plant care.
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Leaves kind of resemble American Catalpa, thanks for the introduction to Japan's empress.
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Paulownia tomentosa is not originally a native of Japan but endemic to China, and was later introduced to the islands.
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If it's non native, kill the little bastards. I've cleared several acres of kudzu.
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My trees are getting a lot of rain here in north Texas, They look pretty happy. Some leaves are going yellow, but not too bad. I am thinking to try to grow a new one into shapes by gently bending them as they grow. But it may be tricky in the winds.
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I love my trees! Here is mine! https://youtu.be/RS_htkuDfnw I am waiting for the flowers to come.
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Great article, so much good advise. can the tree be toped if it gets too tall?
M.Muenchow -
Can you please do a video about Albizia Julibrissin? Hummingbirds love it.
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I read on a tree sales site, that if you cut it down while it's still fairly young it the growth rate will be explosive? any info on that?
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Seems to me that this tree can save the earth from deforestation, yet here in the states they says its invasive and crowds out native plants. Stopping deforestation with this tree is more important one can easily argue
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can you eat the sitcky gree pods
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Planting introduced species at large scale can surely affect negatively local communities. As he said it could become an invasive specie.
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Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you ! Do not know were this tree came from but discovered it while weeding one day. Took a shine to it and 6 years it is 15,16 feet tall! "my friends are a crazy bunch so it may have been planted for me to find" I always thought it was a mutant of some sort. I live in Florida near a canal that is a mix of sea water and four fresh water springs,or so I was told, Brackish water? Well any way, thank you again my friend " THUMB UP & SUBSCRIBED"!
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