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!!!!!