In article ,
wrote:
There is also the Empress Tree (Which will also get huge, but seems
to be pretty slow about it). Look for the purple blooms along I85
and I40 near hillsborough in spring. Currenty they are the bare trees
with what look like clusters of fruit or nuts the size of walnuts.

The Empress Tree, also known as Princess Tree or Royal Paulownia
(Paulownia tomentosa) is not a small tree (60 to 70 feet), and is also
not slow growing (up to 15 feet in one season!). They are also weak
trees and are prone to dropping branches as they get larger.

But more importantly, the Royal Paulownia is considred an invasive
exotic (and is listed by the NC Botanical Garden as one of the most
troublesome exotics in the area). They are fast growing and outcompete
native species, and can produce up to *20 million* seeds per year
which end up everywhere. That's why they are so common along the
highways around here.

http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pato1.htm
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/si.../tomentosa.htm
http://www.ncbg.unc.edu/plants-to-avoid-Chapel-Hill.htm


How about a nice native deciduous holly, instead?

--
Steve