Empress Tree Pruning: How to Prune a Royal Paulownia Empress
Paulownia spp., commonly known as royal empress trees, grow quickly and bloom profusely in the spring with lavender flowers. This Chinese native can grow up to 50 feet (15 meters) in height and width. Royal empress trees require early pruning in order to support the development of a robust branch structure. Continue reading to find out when to prune a royal paulownia and how to prune a paulownia.
How to Trim an Empress Tree
With its large, heart-shaped leaves and lavender flowers, the royal empress tree is striking and impressive. Blossoms are particularly spectacular and impressive because they appear before the leaves open. The royal empress tree can grow up to 15 feet (5 meters) a year. Weak wood that is prone to breaking is one outcome of that rapid development. Moreover, branches that have poor collar formation may be more prone to breaking off at the branch crotch. Appropriate royal paulownia empress pruning solves these issues.
How to Prune Royal Paulownia and When to Do It
How to prune a paulownia and when to prune a royal paulownia are closely related questions. The outcome you hope to attain will determine both the when and the how. Pruning the tree to become a shorter plant fit for a garden is one option. A paulownia such as this can be pruned by cutting it back to about 4 feet (1 m), leaving a few branches on the main trunk. Try this in the fall. This kind of pruning slows the tree’s explosive growth. Your tree’s signature heart-shaped leaves will be abundant on its branches come springtime.
The stunning blue flowers will also bloom, bringing with them the scent of honeysuckle throughout the garden. Cut back those gorgeous leaves hard in the winter if you want them to spread out to a yard or one meter across. Every spring, when an empress tree is severely pruned like this in the winter, new leaves emerge. Massive heart-shaped leaves adorn the green branches that sprout from the very short trunk. Trim dead wood in the early spring if your goal with royal paulownia empress pruning is just to fortify the flowering tree. Royal Empress shouldn’t be severely pruned at this time because doing so will remove the flowers. An empress tree can be pruned more severely after it flowers. Remove any overlapping or damaged branches. Eliminate branches that have a weak collar attachment. To make room beneath the tree, trim off lower branches. Cut the tree back to the ground and let it grow back if it looks spindly or crooked. When it does, cut everything back except the strongest branch. It will develop strongly and straight.
