Reviewed 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 eveyone.

Reviewed 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. We've never been disappointed.

Reviewed by Jimmy:

Seriously, I was very skeptical when these little trees (that look like Tomato plants) showed up, But, WOW.

Right now I have lost all my leaves for the winter but I know come spring it will be back bigger than ever.

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

Reviewed by Ruth in New Albany, MS:

The Royal 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.

Reviewed 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 "stick", but he can't believe what this "stick" has become!!

I have moved and today ordered two more for the new house and can't wait for them to come. I told my renters about the Empress trees and they called to let me know how much they have grown since they moved in and can't believe it. They were very happy I left them!! Thank you Fast Growing Trees Nursery for offering such an amazing tree!!

Reviewed by Bunny in Morrisville, PA:

When I planted this tree in May it was aproximately 8 inches tall. It is now standing 10 ft. This tree has been so much fun to watch this summer. At first my husband kidded me about it not growing, but when it started it never stopped. My grandaughter runs out to look at it everyday. It seems like it grows inches overnight. Love it's beautiful leaves and I can't wait until I see flowers. So happy I purchased this tree.

Reviewed by Stacy in San Jose, CA:

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.

Reviewed by Michelle & David in FL:

We love this tree. My husband bought this for me for Mother's Day this year, 2009. It came packaged so nice and looked better than most trees that I've 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

Reviewed 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 "stick" and thought to myself I'd be sending it back. I followed the simple directions and waited. Alas, my Empress tree began to rise. Within three months with unfavorable growing conditions this year in 2009, my tree is now 7 ft. tall! The comments are endless. The leaves are huge!

Reviewed 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 "fence" to put around it so the landscaper does not accidentally cut it when mowing the grass. We are very excited to sit back and watch what happens. I will check in again in another couple of months. Also, I loved the history page on the Royal Empress that was included in the package. Very interesting! We will be a repeat customer.

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed by Kevin in Nashville, TN:

I bought one of these last summer and it grew in a pot in the house the first season. I let it stay in the pot all winter in the house. In June we planted it outside and did very little to the soil, we basically just dug a hole and planted it. Now it is about 8 ft tall with leaves as big as Beach Balls. And the base of the stalk is about 10 inches in circumference. This thing is on STEROIDS in Tennessee......

Reviewed by Lucy in Jeffersonville, IN:

I planted this last year and was careful to follow all the instructions. Everything was going great untill 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.

Reviewed by Heather in Brockton, MA:

I received my empress tree last year in late summer, it didn't grow very well- only about 2 feet until it lost it's 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 can't believe how big they are and how fast this tree grows. Pretty soon we will have privacy from the neighbors out back!! I can't wait until it flowers. Happy growing!

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed 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 today's world) they are a blast to watch grow. All my neighbors laughed the day we planted those little gree 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.

Reviewed 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 haven't seen any blooms yet. Perhaps it is because the soil is so bad.. tough clay!

Reviewed by Swati in Chicago, IL:

I have never purchased trees online, but I thought I'd 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 tree's 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.)

Reviewed by Ms. Krissy in Killen, TX:

I got my 6" tree 2 years ago. It grew about a foot the first year, then I chopped it to the ground. The next season it came back as 2 trees, and a couple of little green leaves, so I chopped it down again. This season.. I have an 11 foot tree, filled with big leaves, and got purple flowers at the very beginning of the season, that lasted maybe a week. I'm hoping next season, I get more flowers, and they stay on for awhile. I get so many compliments on my tree, all my neighbors laughed at me, when I had my lil plant in the middle of my front lawn...but I'm the one laughing now. :) I love my tree!

Reviewed 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!

Reviewed by Diana in Luka, MS:

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

Reviewed 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 don't 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.

Reviewed 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!

Reviewed by Jennifer in Austin, TX:

We got our empress tree in the mail and planted it right away. Our Boston Terrier puppy chewed it to the ground three times and each time it came back. It started growing very fast and we decided it move it. I told my husband that we would transplant it in the fall. I came home one day in AUGUST and he had dug up the tree and moved it to the choice location. I just knew it was going to die this time. I've never had any tree that had been so abused! It survived the move. When spring came, purple blooms burst from pods on the top of the tree. It's about 15 feet tall now. We love our indestructible royal empress tree!!!!

Reviewed by Skylar in Olathe, KS:

On Earth Day this year, I was looking up a great tree to buy, one that would grow really fast. So I found the Empress Tree and loved it. We got it exactly one month later, May 22. It was packaged beautifully in its little pot. We now moved it into a bigger pot on our deck and it will stay there until I plant it on Independance Day.

Every few days there is a new set of leaves bigger than the last. I love my little tree, I saw a picture of one twice as tall as a human that was only two months old! The tree is surviving well in my windy Olathe Kansas Climate!

Reviewed by Jan in Central TX:

I bought a Royal Empress tree last March. Planted it, and my son stepped on it and broke it off at the ground. I thought it was a goner, so I dug it up and replaced it. I had only the roots and about 1/2 inch of stick left, but I replanted it in another area of my yard, if it didn't grow no big deal.... Well, in about 2 weeks it was already 6-8 inches again.... So now, 14 months later....I have a tree that is over 25 foot tall, 10 - 12 ft wide... It had purple flowers on it back in the spring... I do agree that this is the fastest growing tree!!! I love my tree!!!!!

Reviewed by Henny in Redding, CA:

Never have I had a tree like the Royal Empress. Six months later it's 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.

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed 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!!!!!

Reviewed by Lana in NW Missouri:

My trees arrived today and I'm very happy with how they look. I was expecting the little infamous sticks, but instead I got 2 tiny beanstalks. I am very happy with how well it was packaged - almost too well! The instructions seem pretty clear and easy to follow. After purchasing this tree, I tried to do a little research on the development stages of the tree with little luck.

Reviewed by Daniel:

I purchased a Royal Empress, 2 Hybrid Poplars, & an Autumn Ash last fall and must say they are growing fast and beautiful. As many, I was skeptical of buying trees online but figured I would give it a shot! To my amazement the trees flourished in their 1st season of growing, some growing taller than trees I had planted 2 years ago! I definitely recommend these flowering trees to anyone looking for quality specimens of trees and plants that really do grow as fast as they say!

Reviewed by Justin:

I used the Royal Empress Tree as a kind of climate control tree offering shade to the house in the summer, but allowing the sun to come through in the winter. It's grown an astounding 6 feet this season and that's beyond amazing for two reasons, first because my soil here is so poor and second because most people told me that these trees should not even survive up in the rocky mountains at all. The versatility and vigor of this Royal Empress Tree is incredible.

Reviewed by John from Hew Hope, PA:

Ok, my empress tree has gone from 12 inches to 12 feet in just one season. I bet my neighbor a case of my favorite beverage that it would be taller than him (6'5") in a year and I won. it didn't flower yet and the leaves are a bit awkward looking as it matures (elephant looking) but it generates a ton of discussion so far and for that I have enjoyed it. It is simply a marvel and young kids are amazed as it literally passes them in a few months. I look forward to the flowers soon. Nice product.

Reviewed by Trenda:

I’m desparate for some shade in the backyard–and you know how patient I am.

Well, our tree has been the source of lots of laughs and jokes this summer. It’s supposed to grow 8-15 feet in the first year I say (with some skepticism in my voice). When it arrived, it was a stick. Literally a stick about 6 inches tall with some roots in a bag–not really what I was expecting. But we enthusiastically followed the directions, watered and put a cage around it.

Now, it’s fall and it has lost it’s leaves and has returned to its “stick” status–only now the stick is about 5 feet tall!

Reviewed by Cheryl:

I went through hurricane Ike.  My Royal Empress Tree was 18 inches when I planted it.  I protected the best possible from the hurricane.  The flowering tree did wonderful, unfortuntely the saturated ground drowned it.  It literally drowned to nothing.  I dug it up, planted it in a pot, and cut it down to the ground.  I did this only a week ago.  The tree is growing back and is already about 6 inches!  It'd never have believed it if I hadn't have tried it myself.  This tree is truly indistructible!

Reviewed 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!

Reviewed by Travis:

I've seen this tree do wonders... I've gotten a Royal Empress Tree for each of my family members. I got one for my sister, one for my parents, two for my brother in Florida, and 6 for my oldest brother (to line his driveway with).

The oldest one is no more than 5 years old, and they're all easily over 25 feet tall. My brother lined his driveway with these trees... in the spring, when you walk around his yard, you're greeted with sweet fragrances from the flowers. A lot of people think these trees are invasive, but out of all the Empress Trees I bought from Fast Growing Trees, I haven't seen any invasive activity. No one in my family has had any problems with their trees.

Beautiful flowers, too! One of my favorite flowering trees.

Reviewed by Gary:

The Empress Tree is one ormamental 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 enviroments, both adding to a rather unexpeted 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 reccomend both, but the Empress Tree is a must have in itself.

Reviewed by Melissa:

This flowering tree has beautiful blooms that make my home stand out. An old couple was passing by and asked about them. My neighbors have been talking about these flowers for weeks.

Reviewed by Marie:

We live in Las Vegas, NV and wanted something that would give us some fast shade for our front yard. Our choice needed to be drought and sun tolerant as it often reaches 105 and hotter on most summer days.  We did some research and then ordered the Royal Empress (princess tree). We to received the much talked about 'stick'. We planted it in spring of 2007. It did not do much so we cut it to the ground in spring of 2008. It took 4 weeks to start growing again but seemed to grow at least an inch every day after that. It is now early September and our Royal Empress is every bit of 12 ft., maybe as tall as 15 ft. This tree is amazing. I hope we get flowers soon!!

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed by Mike:

My Royal Empress has grown about 6 feet since I planted it in June.

Reviewed by Cheryl:

I fell for the reviews and HAD to try it. Let me tell you, the reviews are all right!

This tree came in a box, looked dead, (enclosed info and instructions are awesome). I couldn't plant it right away.  Planted it in a pot and within weeks, this tree was 3 - 4 feet high!!  I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't try it on my own.  You GOTTA try it!

Reviewed 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.

Reviewed by Deborah:

I got three of these trees from a neighbor and It really grows as fast as they say.

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