[John J]

I know that I have already introduced this tree to the Forum under a different posting but I felt that it was so attractive in flower that maybe it deserved its own spot. (I'm sure Alisdair will correct me if I'm mistaken - John, I'm delighted that you've added this, thanks! says Alisdair - you can find John's original posting by clicking here).
The Empress Tree, Princess Tree or, more mundanely, Foxglove Tree comes from China where it was, apparently, the custom to plant one when a baby girl was born. Tree and child matured together and by the time she was eligable for marriage the tree could be cut down to make wooden articles for her dowry.

[ezeiza]

The story is charming but are we talking of rampant growth?

[John J]

I'm not sure that it could be described as rampant, just fairly fast. However. I do believe that in some countries it is considered to be invasive.
Another little story, it seems that before the advent of polystyrene the seeds were used as a packing material for china. They obviously escaped and wherever they landed that conditions were favourable they germinated and grew. This was particularly obvious along such transport routes as railway tracks. Apparently Japan and the USA were 'invaded' in this fashion.

[MikeHardman]

Interesting stories, John; thanks.

[ezeiza]

John, that was a joke. Paulownia requires certain conditions for growth, here trees are scarce and much appreciated.

[John J]

It's interesting that you say Paulownia are scarce and appreciated where you are when in other countries they are considered to be invasive and a menace. I grew mine from seed from Chiltern seeds in UK and don't recall having seen any others here in Cyprus. Maybe you can help in that, Mike? This is the first year that they have flowered so I'm waiting for seed set to see if the conditions here will be favourable for them to self-seed. Will it be safe or will I have imported an invasive alien?

[Umbrian]

Fascinating postings and I think ezeiza makes a very pertinent observation. In areas where subjects are rarely seen they are greatly admired. According to the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Paulownia tomentosa is well adapted to Mediterranean climates but I cannot remember ever seeing them in "invasive quantities"  It is well documented that it is man's activities that upsets the balance of  nature especially in the areas of travel and transportation, sometimes with dire results as would seem to be the case here with the infestation of areas along railroads due to using seeds as packing protection in the past! I love these kind of postings with stories and anecdotes that make one look at things and appreciate them in different ways - thanks

[MikeHardman]

In the UK, it is grown, but the ones I have seen generally don't thrive. They form leggy small trees, which usually flower poorly (occasional years are good, though), and rarely set seed. I suspect that in gales, the big weak leaves get tattered and branches get broken - making plants prone to getting dug-out by their owners. In my book, they are one of those plants that get pushed on the basis of unusual flowers, but really are not garden worthy.

Curiously, I think the ones I have seen in Geneva were the best specimens I have seen - better than the UK ones despite the winters in Geneva being colder. So maybe their poor performance in the UK is partly due to the soft climate there - summers not hot and sunny enough for good ripening, winters not cold enough for bud initiation. Just a thought.
I have not seen them in their native haunts or in comparable climates.

John: I don't think I have seen one here. But Desmond Meikle, Flora of Cyprus, 1985, Vol.2 p.1216: '...a popular ornamental tree in many countries adjacent to the Mediterranean, but fails to flower satisfactorily any further north, the developing inflorescences being frequently damaged during the winter. G. Frangos (1912) notes specimens in nursery gardens at Larnaca and Nicosia, and the tree, which grows quickly from seed, may now be well established on the island."

[John J]

The flower buds do form the previous year and so have to survive the winter before opening in the spring along with the leaves. Maybe the harsher winters further north affect their survival rate and consequent reduction in flowering.

[Alisdair]

There's a magnificent specimen in Eindhoven (Netherlands) - see here. The climate there is fairly mild, but temperature does fall below minus 7 Celsius one day in ten in December and January.
In the village in south-west France where we share a house with Helena's brother a smaller tree flowers well most years; temperatures rather lower than Eindhoven in winter, hot summers.

[John J]

Wow! That's amazing, Alisdair, makes my poor little tree look less like a Princess and more like a Cinderella.

[ritamax]

It is considered invasive at least in southeastern part of the USA and Spain. In Basel, Switzerland they can grow very, very tall. Here it is very mild, sunny and not much rainfall, Paulownias are quite drought-tolerant.

[David Bracey]

I have tried to grow both P tomentosa and Catalpa bignonioides without their success.  The Mistral shreds their large leaves and they fail to produce a decent tree.  They certainly need a lot of shelter.

[ritamax]

Both Catalpa and Paulownia thrive so well in Basel! But we don't have much wind and it is mild. Paulownia is on the watchlist of invasive plants in Switzerland, Germany and Italy, that's what I found out today. Here is a photo from a Paulownia growing wild through asphalt!