In article , "James"
wrote:

I'm wanting to start some Royal Empress trees from seed and plant a row of
them along my long driveway. ( PAULOWNIA tomentosa) Anyone had these trees
and am wondering about any drawbacks to the idea?

Nature Conservancy's Invasive Species Initiative requests that people
voluntarily stop planting these trees even in places where they are not
yet illegal. They sometimes sucker & invariably self-seed like weeds, to
the point of being invasive. They are illegal in about a dozen states, &
are on lists recommended for banning in several more regions. In
Connecticut for example (as of this past October) you can be fined a
hundred dollars for planting, transplanting, or selling paulownia. The
species has already proven itself a danger to native species in several
areas around the United States, being worst in the east, south &
southwest, but not yet too late to keep it from spreading throughout the
west.

They grow rapidly but have weak wood that easily rots from the inside
which is naturally hollow. They can snap at any point along the trunk in
storms, threatening nearby structures. They are not especially longlived
trees. It is recommended at the very least that they be planted only with
caution, & their use is strongly discouraged even where still legal. There
are so many finer safer choices that can be made.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com


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