Empress trees are stunning landscape additions and take well to pruning due to their fast growth. The Royal Empress tree originated in China and should be pruned soon after planting to establish shape and height. The purple flowers bloom in spring so tree shaping and maintenance should be performed before the blossoms set or after flowering is done. To shape the tree to an ornamental size, cutting back should be done in Fall and limit branches to a few on the main trunk to slow the growth. Winter pruning severely will produce larger leaves the following growing season.
Key Takeaways:
- When you prune the Royal Paulownia Empress tree will determine its size.
- The Royal Paulownia Empress tree is easily breakable, but proper pruning can help reduce breakage.
- Small or large, the tree will still produce beautiful flowers.
“If you want to expand those beautiful leaves to a yard (1 m.) across, cut it back very hard in the winter. Pruning an empress tree severely like this in winter causes new leaves to open every spring. The very short trunk puts out green branches with enormous heart-shaped leaves.”
Read more: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/royal-empress/pruning-empress-trees.htm