Re: Paulownia tomentosa

At 09:40 AM 1/25/01 -0800, CooperTaggart wrote:
>I went to Great Dixter this year, where Christopher Lloyd treats Pawlonia
>just this way, cutting it to the ground each year in an area devoted to hot
>colored tropical plants. Luscious leaves. I don't know that we could stay
>that on top of it's growth where the winters are milder.
>Laura

This tree does grow very fast after being cut to the ground by man or fire, 
and is often used in this manner in colder climates for the 'tropical' 
effect of the huge leaves.  This type of annual treatment does not allow 
for flowering, which is, to my mind, a shame.

A few block from my office is a small-medium specimen of Paulownia 
tomentosa (the genus name honors Anna Paulowna, a princess of the 
Netherlands).  It currently has dropped its leaves and has bare branches 
tipped with showy clusters of round, tan, fuzzy, flower buds which are 
waiting for spring.  I find this one of the interesting and decorative 
characteristics of this tree.  The flowers are often a very pale lavender, 
which does not show well against the blue skies of spring, but against an 
appropriate colored high wall (of a multi-storied building) they can be 
very striking.  This tree, growing between two buildings in a waste area 
where nothing else is cultivated, shows no sign of its neglect.  It is very 
healthy, has good form, and provides a natural element in an urban setting 
(this is downtown Oakland).  The ability of this tree to grow easily in the 
poorest of soils, without any care or attention has made it useful for 
inner city plantings.  Remarkably, it is seldom seen in our area.  I think 
the specimen named above was planted by someone from the Asian population 
in this part of town, and perhaps forgotten about.

In mediterranean climates, this tree seems to seldom become the pest it is 
in summer rainfall areas (e.g. the Southeastern US).  If you know how 
amazing the wood is, this tree suddenly become very valuable.  As 
mentioned, it has an unusual resonate quality that makes it good for 
musical instruments.  But even more significant, is that when fresh, it is 
very easy to carve and work, but it later dries hard and durable, even 
waterproof.  For this reason, it has long been used for special decorative 
cabinets in Japan and China.

There is information about this tree on the Medit-Plants web site:
http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/plants/Paulownia.tomentosa.html

Regards,
Sean O.

h o r t u l u s   a p t u s     -    'a garden suited to its purpose'
Sean A. O'Hara        fax (707) 667-1173     sean.ohara@groupmail.com
710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
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