Paulownia fortunei

Dragon tree

Location

The Dell

Description:

Hardy, deciduous tree 12-15 m (40-50 ft) tall, with large, heart-shaped leaves 15-40 cm across, arranged in opposite pairs on the stem. Large, showy, upright clusters, creamy white to pale lavender. Individual tube-like flowers are up to 5cm long, very fragrant, appearing in mid-spring. The fruit is a dry capsule, containing thousands of minute seeds. Native to much of China and Korea. Paulownia fortunei is an extremely fast-growing tree, often grown commercially for production of hardwood timber. Here at Hinton Ampner we cut them to the ground each spring after which they will produce up to 3m of growth during the season with large heart-shaped leaves.

Site and Care:

Grow in poor, well-drained soil of any type and full sun. Propagation from seed is easy but it needs frost protection in its early years.