I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

My garden is approx 52ft long x 25ft wide ad is 99% empty except for lawn and dug empty border.

any advice or help would be great, i do really want to fill my garden with at least small plants this year in the hope that the next few years i will see alot of change and growth.
I am a reasonably ok gardener, just not tree educated.

thankyou in advance
alison

In article ,
says...

I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't
enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears
to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown
or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am
hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from
the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

My garden is approx 52ft long x 25ft wide ad is 99% empty except for
lawn and dug empty border.

any advice or help would be great, i do really want to fill my garden
with at least small plants this year in the hope that the next few years
i will see alot of change and growth.
I am a reasonably ok gardener, just not tree educated.

thankyou in advance
alison




--
alison1971

I am assuming its Paulownia tomentosum, which is indeed a fast growing
tree and easily makes 6' in its first year from seed. However it makes a
poor screen as its deciduous (with very large leaves) and sparsly
branched so in winter there is hardly anything there. In summer it is
rather handsome but can get quite large allthough it responds well to
pollarding.
As a tree it seems hardy enough but unfortunately the flower buds form in
the Autumn and sit on the tree over winter, these are vunerable to frost
so the lovely lilac blue foxglove like flowers are not allways produced
(takes about 5 years from seed to first flowers)

Surface sow your seed (which is tiny and very unpromising to look at) it
germinates very easily
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

"alison1971" wrote in message
...

I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't
enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears
to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown
or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am
hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from
the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

I have a Paulownia tree here which is about 15 years old, but it really
doesn't like a cold winter. It is about 10 feet high but in a hard winter it
dies as much as it grows each summer. Still, the tree survives (and is
probably waiting for global warming), but you might well have more success
in Lancashire. It certainly grows fast, reaching a height of 10 feet in
around 5 years.

Phil
Northern Highlands of Scotland

"alison1971" wrote ...

I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't
enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears
to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown
or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am
hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from
the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

My garden is approx 52ft long x 25ft wide ad is 99% empty except for
lawn and dug empty border.

any advice or help would be great, i do really want to fill my garden
with at least small plants this year in the hope that the next few years
i will see alot of change and growth.
I am a reasonably ok gardener, just not tree educated.

thankyou in advance
alison

A fence would be less trouble and be instant as you require. Fast growing
plants don't stop growing when you want them to, which is the problem with
Leylandii etc

They grow into large trees and, as Charlie says, they have no leaves in the
winter so no screen at all then and you would need to have them constantly
dealt with to stop them taking over your 25ft wide garden and shading out
everything else.
If you really want trees, have you thought about fruit trees?
Apples, Plums, Pears, etc they would do a similar job, not grow too big
(depends on the root stock used) and would provide flowers in spring and
fruit in autumn.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Our local Paulownia is a good 35 feet high and at least 30 across - not one for small gardens!

Another advantage of fruit trees is that you could grow them as cordons, acting as part of your fence.

I am going to have a new fence popped between us and next door neighbours aswel as wanting trees in the garden.
I guess what i am wanting is a full, private garden fast, i have never had such a stark garden and also never had nosy neighbours either!

I have some seeds already and shall have a go at growing this tree and hopefully pop it down the bottom of the garden.

I do like landscaped gardens, but im a fond lover of full (sort of 'the secret garden') type of garden - so if anyone has any other ideas of fast growing trees, that may suit a moist/occasionally water logged soil (as the bottom of my garden does get wet in heavy rain) i would be really greatful for opinions and ideas.

Thanks for all your replies
alison

Bob Hobden wrote:


"alison1971" wrote ...

I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't
enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears
to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown
or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am
hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from
the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

My garden is approx 52ft long x 25ft wide ad is 99% empty except for
lawn and dug empty border.

any advice or help would be great, i do really want to fill my garden
with at least small plants this year in the hope that the next few years
i will see alot of change and growth.
I am a reasonably ok gardener, just not tree educated.

thankyou in advance
alison

A fence would be less trouble and be instant as you require. Fast
growing plants don't stop growing when you want them to, which is the
problem with Leylandii etc

In this instance it might since it would be prone to frost damage in
winter. Unless very close to the coast I doubt it will ever flower. I
think the OPs best interest would be served by a hedge of mostly fine
leaved moderately growing evergreen hedges. Mine is planted with
stretches of 6'-8' the same. Beech is nice too - the leaves stay on in
winter and are nice contrast.

They grow into large trees and, as Charlie says, they have no leaves in
the winter so no screen at all then and you would need to have them
constantly dealt with to stop them taking over your 25ft wide garden and
shading out everything else.
If you really want trees, have you thought about fruit trees?
Apples, Plums, Pears, etc they would do a similar job, not grow too big
(depends on the root stock used) and would provide flowers in spring and
fruit in autumn.

My neighbour has cordon planted fruit trees along my S boundary - that
works well in summer although there is very limited screening in
mid-winter. But do you really care in midwinter? Chatting to the
neighbours is an excuse to stop digging the heavy clay soil...

Regards,
Martin Brown

The Paulownia will only provide screening effect (and during the period it is in leaf only, even then) if you cut back very hard each winter. You will be growing it for the large leaves only.

Certain kinds of willows will like your soggy soil, and grow very fast there are some that grow in hedge-like ways.

Bamboos are good for screening, and so long as the soil isn't permanently waterlogged they will like the dampness. The safest ones are the Fargesia and Thamnocalamus spp, as they are true clumping bamboos and pretty much the only ones that will grow here. Don't believe garden centres when they tell you a bamboo is clumping, I've told you the only ones that really are.

In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from Charlie Pridham contains these words:

In article ,
says...

I am really desperate for some garden privacy, and a fence just isn't
enough!
After studying online i come up with the royal empress tree, it appears
to grow fast, but is ative to the U.S.
Does anyoe kow if this tree will grow well in the UK? Has anyone grown
or had any experience with this tree?
I have bought some seeds online and have them ready to sow asap, and am
hoping for some success.....
I have read may forums etc about this tree, but all the posts are from
the U.S and as i am in lancashire, england, it doesnt seem to apply.

My garden is approx 52ft long x 25ft wide ad is 99% empty except for
lawn and dug empty border.

any advice or help would be great, i do really want to fill my garden
with at least small plants this year in the hope that the next few years
i will see alot of change and growth.
I am a reasonably ok gardener, just not tree educated.

thankyou in advance
alison




--
alison1971

I am assuming its Paulownia tomentosum, which is indeed a fast growing
tree and easily makes 6' in its first year from seed. However it makes a
poor screen as its deciduous (with very large leaves) and sparsly
branched so in winter there is hardly anything there. In summer it is
rather handsome but can get quite large allthough it responds well to
pollarding.
As a tree it seems hardy enough but unfortunately the flower buds form in
the Autumn and sit on the tree over winter, these are vunerable to frost
so the lovely lilac blue foxglove like flowers are not allways produced
(takes about 5 years from seed to first flowers)

The OP is in Lancashire
and I doubt she would ever see the flowers. The furthest north (UK)
I've ever seen one in flower was London.

Janet

If my memory serves me correctly, it flowers at Powis Castle (NT) and
Ness Botanic Gardens.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley