Royal Empress Trees on Fast Growing Trees Nursery

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*Height Includes Root System

Mature Height:	40-50 ft.
Mature Width:	30-40 ft.
Growth/Year:	15 ft.
Sunlight:	Full - Partial
Soil Conditions:	Adaptable
Drought Tolerance:	Good
Botanical Name:	Paulownia

We've seen our empress trees grow as much as 18 ft. in just one year. They're great for homes that need a mature shade tree...quick! Huge leaves give you dense shade, and lavender flowers give you sweet-smelling blooms for weeks in the spring.

"It grew 18 feet the first season!"

I wouldn’t have believed it, had I not seen my father-in-law plant the Empress Tree months earlier.

My in-laws are farmers and definitely know what they’re doing… but I still had to grow one in my yard.

We had a spot where I wanted to block the afternoon sun and provide a little privacy between us and our neighbor.

I planted our Royal Empress Tree late in the season, so I knew it wouldn’t grow much before going dormant. Still, it reached about 6 feet.

My Father-in-law wasn’t impressed. He said “cut it down and you’ll really see a show”. “But I’ll lose all this growth”, I replied. “No you won’t” he said, “you’ll get it back in a few weeks, just watch”. He took a saw and cut it flat to the ground.

He was right… this tree is indestructible… it shot out of the ground in spring and grew 15 feet that year, then reached 25 feet the next year. It was like watching Jack and the Beanstalk.

You could measure its growth daily. My 6 year old was out there almost every day staring at it. Two of my neighbors thought it was so beautiful that they each planted an Empress Tree of their own. I've even had professional landscapers stop and ask me where they can find them.

It’s an entertaining tree year-round. In the winter its branches are covered with furry, pea sized buds, just waiting to burst into huge flowers. At the first sign of spring, the tree explodes with purple blooms. Cars slow down to look at it. The fragrance is incredible… it’s like a cross between gardenia and jasmine.

When summer comes, the tree forms a dense canopy that can drastically cut your power bills. The leaves are huge, measuring about a foot wide. They’re almost tropical looking. When they drop in the fall, it’s an easy clean up... not like my Oaks that scatter tens of thousands of tiny leaves.

Plus, bigger leaves mean fewer branches, so you get more sunlight and natural heat coming through in the winter when you need it most.

Best of all, this is a flowering tree you don’t have to baby. It grows almost everywhere, from Mexico to Canada, preferring zones 5-11. It has no significant insect or disease problems… tolerates drought…and grows in almost any kind of soil, even toxic ones. It's a hardwood tree that lives to an old age.

You can also feel good that you’re planting one of the most environmentally beneficial trees in the world. Your Empress Tree will have large leaves that act as giant air filters, pulling pollution out of the air at a remarkable rate… turning it into wood, then releasing high amounts of beneficial oxygen.

This year’s Empress Trees are in short supply. Recent publicity and recommendations from TV shows like Oprah have fueled demand.

Just beware that not all Empress Trees are the same. Some nurseries use wild seed that doesn't grow as quickly. Others use growth inhibitors to keep their trees smaller for shipping. This can stay in the tree for several months, giving you disappointing results.

Fast Growing Trees Nursery uses proven stock that's faster growing, hardier and better formed... ready for explosive growth.

Your Royal Empress Trees can be planted any time of year!

We try to avoid plants being in transit over the weekend. Packages are typically shipped within 2-3 weeks. You will receive a tracking email from FedEx when your order goes into their system.

Most products are shipped throughout the year unless specified as “Spring” or “Fall” Delivery. On rare occasions, we will delay shipping if we see severe weather forecasts for your area or ours or if we encounter other unusual issues. If you do have a delayed item, we would be happy to send your other items sooner at your request.

If you would like to postpone or reschedule your ship date, just call us and we can send your plants out at a more convenient time for you.

If you are sending plants as a gift or need them quicker than normal, we encourage you to place your order by phone at 888-504-2001.

Amount of Order	Shipping Charge
Less than $15	$5.95
$15.00-$23.99	$8.95
$24.00-$39.99	$11.95
$40.00-$59.99	$13.95
$60.00-$79.99	$18.95
$80.00-$98.99	$21.95
$99+	Apx. 17%

It's Easy to Plant your Royal Empress Trees
	Step 1 - Dig Your Hole Select a site with full to partial sun and moist or well drained soil for your Royal Empress Trees. If you're planting a hedge, mark out a visual guide by placing stakes five to six feet apart and looping string around them. Plant the trees where the stakes are and they'll grow together to make a dense privacy screen. First, dig each hole so that it is just shallower than the root ball and at least twice the width. Then loosen the soil in the planting hole so the roots can easily break through. Use your shovel or try dragging the points of a pitch fork along the sides and bottom of the hole.
	Step 2 - Place Your Tree Next, separate the roots of your Royal Empress Trees gently with your fingers and position them downward in the hole. The top of the root flare, where the roots end and the trunk begins, should be about an inch above the surrounding soil. Then make sure the tree is exactly vertical in the hole. To make it just right, use a level.
	Step 3 - Backfill Your Hole As you backfill the hole, apply water to remove air pockets. Remove debris like stones and grass and completely break up any dirt clumps. Water your Royal Empress Trees again after the transplant is complete. To help retain some of that moisture, it's recommended that you place mulch around each tree to a depth of 2"-3" up to but not touching the trunk. Organic mulches such as wood chips or pine needles also help to better soil structure as they decompose.

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Most useful customer reviews (Royal Empress Trees Reviews):

By: Bunny in Morrisville, PA

We have a 55 year old Empress tree in our backyard. It was the main feature of the house and one of the main reasons we bought it. It is really awesome and provides tons of shade.

By: Jen in Dripping Springs, TX

I received my package this morning. I want to tell you how impressed I am by your company. We opened the box containing our five empress trees. Your packaging was PERFECT!!! The trees are so healthy that when I showed my husband from across the room, he thought that they were fake trees. The way you guys secure and package them shows that you really care. I appreciate it and cannot wait to get them in the ground. Thanks a million!!!! I am going to tell everyone how pleased I am! Expect to get a bunch of orders from this little town.

By: Betsy in Boston, MA

The Royal Empress Tree arrived Friday and we just put her into the ground today. The packaging was beautiful, and she looks very healthy. I did purchase a small

By: Jimmy

I live in a rural area so not many people can see them, However there have been a few people ask me what the heck they are. Amazing over 20 feet. Thanks

By: Ms. Krissy in Killen, TX

I got my 6

By: Rebecca in Jensen Beach, FL

Our three empress trees were a gift to my husband for his birthday in April. We planted our plants on Easter Sunday 2009. It has been 12 weeks and 2 days since we planted and they are 53 inches tall as of this morning. They have grown 4 inches the last 5 days! They have branches coming out on them now and the green stem is beginning to turn to wood. These trees are amazing!!!! My 8 year old Grandson gets the biggest kick out of measuring them every day and today they are taller than he is by an inch. We recommend these trees to everyone who asks. Besides the fact that what you say about these trees is true ,a rare quality in todays world, they are a blast to watch grow. All my neighbors laughed the day we planted those little green plants, but who is laughing now? Everyone around us is amazed and wants to know how to get these trees for themselves. We are looking forward to seeing what the next 12 weeks brings. Thanks again for an amazing product! These trees are really what you say they are.

By: Ruth in New Albany, MS

The Royal Empress Tree is awesome, it created a shade for my swing the first season. The leaves are huge, just beginning to fall off now in October, so I will soon see how well I like it after picking up leaves if they all fall off.

By: Michelle & David in FL

We love this tree. My husband bought this for me for Mothers Day this year, 2009. It came packaged so nice and looked better than most trees that Ive seen in the stores. We planted her immediately and she is growing like crazy. Now she is in the stage where she is all green with branches even at ground level. My husband actually thinks that she was genetically spliced with a weed by the way she grows so quick. LOL

By: Heather in Brockton, MA

I received my empress tree last year in late summer, it didnt grow very well- only about 2 feet until it lost its leaves and was a stick in the fall. So this spring came and I cut it down like everyone said they did to about 2 inches, this was the end of March. Well now it is July and it is almost taller than me, it is about 5 feet 3 inches tall. I measure it about once a week and I will tell you it grows about 4-5 inches a week! I am so happy that I cut it back! Its awesome! The leaves on it are literally 5 times the size of my hand! I even took some pictures. My husband cant believe how big they are and how fast this tree grows. Pretty soon we will have privacy from the neighbors out back!! I cant wait until it flowers. Happy growing!

By: Swati in Chicago, IL

I have never purchased trees online, but I thought Id give Fast Growing Trees Nursery a shot because I fell in love with the empress tree. My tree arrived quickly, and was superbly packaged ,WOW!!!!,. I was very impressed by the quality of the tree, and planted it according to the instructions they included right away. My tree was not the stick some people received, but a small trunk with a half dozen leaves. Because of my success with this tree and this company, I will be placing more orders with them this year. I really enjoyed doing business with them and would recommend them highly. ,I cannot comment on the trees growth, as I just received it a week or so ago. However I can tell you it has adapted nicely to the sucky clay soil and hot then cold and sometimes windy Chicago weather we have here.,

By: Skylar in Olathe, KS

I just had a storm at my house a few days ago with winds in excess of 90-110 MPH! Lots of large trees were damaged and houses were blown apart. But miraculously though our empress tree is going strong! This is a tree that survived hurricane conditions without a problem. I love the tree, it is FABULOUS!

By: Diana in Luka, MS

Bought my tree in february, and it is now June and over 5 ft 8 in tall!

By: Kory in Lees Summit, MO

We saw this online and we thought... yeah right. We got our empress tree and it grew maybe to 3 feet. Then my dog decided it was the best stick to chew in the winter and chewed it to the ground. We bought one of the larger ones thinking of replacing the one we had. Before the new tree got here the other one had come out of the ground and grew a foot. It is already 6 feet now and about the same size as the one we bought. Amazing tree.

By: Kevin in Nashville, TN

I planted this last year and was careful to follow all the instructions. Everything was going great until my dog dug it up and ate it. A little while later, I planted what was left of it. It grew about three feet after that, I was stunned. I cut it down to ground level for it to grow better this year ,2009,. It started growing out in three stems, so i had to cut off the other two and left the straightest strongest one. Since I did that in June it has grown at least 8 more feet! My neighbors laughed at me and now they are all coming by to ask what it is. My sons love the huge leaves, and my dog stays away.

By: Annie in Allentown, PA

I love our empress trees. I bought two and like the rest of the reviews they have sprung up like weeds. I love how you can control the growth. I have even grown a third from a single leaf. Both trees are two years old now and about 20 feet high. I love the big leaves and the shape.

By: Dick in Nampa, Idaho

The empress tree grows fast! When winter came, all leaves dropped off. Then spring came and it started growing again. We are now in the third year, and the tree is about 20 feet tall, but we havent seen any blooms yet. Perhaps it is because the soil is so bad.. tough clay!

By: Tom in Wellington, FL

I planted my Royal Empress a year ago. This tree is everything they said it was. It is now over 17 feet and thriving! It produced many beautiful, aromatic flowers this spring and amazed everyone.

By: Cynthia in Troy, MI

We wanted to plant a tree that would block the neighbors garage door and basketball hoop from our bedroom window view. We wanted to plant something that would grow fast and also be beautiful for both us and our neighbors. We were shocked that the tree which was the size of a pencil when we received it grew about an inch daily...literally you could watch it grow, even after I stepped on it and broke it off to the ground. My neighbors continually commented on its growth, it sparked intense curiosity from everyone that walked by ....at the end of season one it had grown 12 feet. We call it the magic bean tree! the leaves were about 3 feet in diameter!! Right now it is in the middle of winter and it lost all of its leaves/branches and we are anxious to see it come to life again in the spring. Everything we have purchased from you comes well packed and healthy. We have several more landscaping projects this season coming up and will be ordering again for the third season from you. Weve never been disappointed.

By: Sharon in Myrtle Beach, SC

I bought two of the Royal Empress trees because I had to see for myself if this tree was as amazing as the reviews say... and it was!! When I opened up the box my husband laughed at my

By: Betsy in Boston, MA

I needed a fast growing tree to replace a Mimosa I had for years. I searched FGT and found the Royal Empress Tree. I received the tree as a small

By: Henny in Redding, CA

Never have I had a tree like the Royal Empress. Six months later its over 8 feet tall and growing by the day, we can actually see it grow. Our neighbors really do ask us about it. It is truly an amazing tree. One I will have to order again.

By: Michael

I have read the reviews posted on this page I have one thing to say... there is no way these trees grow just a little bit. I planted my tree in first of may and it is 10 feet tall it has had fertilize once a month. When I water this tree it grows over night.

By: Steve in NY

The Royal Empress is quite the Tree, the first year she grew nicely to almost 10 feet, but we cut her to the ground . Well, this spring she sent up 4 new shoots, so we cut out the weakest of the lot and low and behold, the tree is growing at a phenomenal rate, in six weeks she is now 4 feet and beautiful again. One odd thing, the stick we cut down was thrown in back of the barn and left there as waste, but when I went to the back to throw it in the trash I notices buds growing out of the dead wood!!! Or so I thought it was dead. Anyway, I cut up pieces and planted them, YES, I now have three more trees in the making, The Empress is one super survivor, and fun to grow! I get many oohs and ahhhs!

By: Shane in Panama City, FL

I bought these late in the growing season last year. I had heard to plant trees in the colder months. It was bitter cold last winter and the trees died...or so I thought. At the first sign of spring I had brand new tree stalks right beside the old ones. They grew taller than when the old ones in just a week. I have two. One is in bad soil and one is in good soil. You can almost tell no difference between them. Best money I have ever spent.

By: Lana in NW Missouri

What a fantastic tree. I bought my royal empress tree about a year ago. I put it in a pot first for a few weeks then planted it in the front yard. Within weeks it was over 4 feet tall. My tree was about 8 feet tall when my husband used a stump killing product on a stump that was about 5 feet away from the new tree, and the tree died. I cut it down, but then decided to throw some plant food on it. Well, that tree started to produce new leaves within a few weeks and is now almost 12 feet tall! The neighbors are amazed at how fast the tree grows and the leaves are huge, and soft. Wonderful!!!!!

By: Louis

I bought 4 royal empress trees and planted them in my backyard in 2006. Let me tell you last year we had a hard freeze and I thought the tree was dead. I cut it down to the ground but this past spring it grew so fast and its now almost 20 feet tall, wow!

By: Gary

The Empress Tree is one ornamental tree that I am hoping will be a real show-stopper beginning what will be its 4th year of growth next spring. This summer it grew from a height of 6 ft. to 25 ft. so next spring so I am crossing my fingers for tons of blooms. What I have admired from the start was its large fanning, palm-like leaves which give a rather tropical look ,which I love, accenting my evergreen windmill palm trees that are rather slow growing but also hearty in non-tropical environments, both adding to a rather unexpected mystial tropical charm to my Washington, DC home. ,I find people slowing down to admire the show as they drive by, and some even taking pictures., I cant help but to recommend both, but the Empress Tree is a must have in itself

By: Mike

I maintain a softball complex that was built over an old landfill. I purchased 5 of your Empress trees 2 1/2 years ago to plant because of lack of shade. The soil is bad to say the least but as of today the trees are about 14 feet tall with huge leaves. No flowers yet but keeping my fingers crossed. I am sure the poor soil is hindering the growth but I am still very happy with the progress of the trees. Planning on buying 5 more.

By: Mike

My maple in my front yard died. so i surfed for a fast growing tree that would provide lots of shade quickly. I found the fast growing tree site and ordered the empress. It came and I was the laughing stock and took a big ribbing. Everyone called it the stick for the first two years. It did not bud out the second year so I cut it to the ground.The tree amazed me it grew a good thirteen feet the second year and is now in the middle of our growing season here in NY and stands a good twenty feet tall and growing faster than any tree i have ever seen.

By: VJ in Bossier City, LA

I live in Bossier City, Louisiana, and the sun is unbearable in the summer. I needed shade in my back yard so I planted two empress trees. This was two years ago. Now they are both 20 feet tall and about 15 feet wide and provide plenty of shade. I dont have to rake thousands of leaves like my neighbors do for their shade trees. The leaves are so big that I just pick them up by hand as they drop in the fall. The other plants in my yard benefit front the shade also and grow much better. I am dreading the day I get military orders to another base and have to leave my trees behind, but I will definitely remember to purchase them for my next home, wherever it may be.

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