The "Princess Tree"

has anyone heard of these trees?, Is it like a weed tree? This is on my experiment list for next summer. I bought me some seeds off EBay and am going to start them in the house and transplant in the spring. They say thses grow fast and are flowering., -But, I've read good things and bad things about them, and I don't want to plant a monster that will start eating up the back yard., Any thoughts?, -Thanks

 

Yes, It's a nice tree with fuzzy leaves. I saw one about 20 years ago in NY but didn't pick it up. Otherwise it would have been banished to a pot in the greenhouse for all these years.

Maybe after reading what toni says about it being
invasive, it's because the seeds grow easily. Maybe you'll have good luck growing them.....

 

well ummm, from what Ive been reading it's more of a threat to other things around it. It wants to take over, and after I posted the question about it I checked out Youtube and saw one., -That one looked like an old weed tree.

 

I've never heard of them. Their photos look like tall/lanky lily pads.
I'm beginning to learn to be leary of things that may become invasive.

 

A few years ago I dug up a little tree growing along the interstate. It was in a cluster of the same trees and it looked sooo pretty with the blooms on it and everything, (and it was free)! Well I got it home and planted it back in the test garden. A year later there were these things called, "suckers" poping up ALL OVER the place. Some were like 20 feet away from the now larger tree., -This thing was getting out of hand. I cut the tree down but the, "suckers" kept poping up. I literally had to rip all the roots out and put dirty motor oil on the stump to KILL it.

 

There are several older specimens of this tree in the area and I don't think they are attractive at all. Their structure is unique, yes, but jarring as it is so unusual. The lower branches go horizontally before turning upward, making a very wide, fat-at-the-bottom entity. Pics showing really pretty purple flowers must be doctored, or soil PH or something else in this area prevents the catalog-picture-colors. They look brown/dirty mauve to me. If you'd like a similar native, there's Catalpa tree though, like Paulownia, you'd be raking up leaves about the size of a dinner plate, a concern for some responsible for yard maintenance. OH has so many lovely native trees.

http://ohiodnr.com/tabid/5361/Default.aspx

Really fast-growing trees are generally inferior (for shade, in a yard, as construction or furniture wood) whether native or not. Wood can be very strong, or produced very quickly, it's one or the other. Fast-growing trees have weaker wood and are generally short-lived entities (in the realm of trees) because of this vulnerability. Good for making paper products but not usually desirable in a yard.

Regarding suckering... this is usually a survival response to injury. Take Syringa vulgaris (common lilac) for example. If left to its' own devices, trimmed only yearly, minimally for shape, it will make a tree, 15+ feet tall, and very few suckers occasionally straggling at its' base, not out in the yard. If trimmed into a hedge, sucker production will kick into high gear, producing a multi-trunk thicket. Injuring the roots by tilling within the drip line of a sucker-prone tree can cause the appearance of suckers also.

Of course you wouldn't be so dumb as to plant yours (or anything) so close to the house, but you can't beat a lilac if you want a beautiful flowering tree. Not native, but a fine non-invasive yard entity. Pink Magnolias are stunning too!

The past years' worth of suckers are visible in this old pic. After the blooms were finished, the suckers were cut at the soil surface, the limbs chased back away from the walls/roof.

Lilac in OH (Syringa vulgaris) ( photo / image / picture from purpleinopp's Garden )

 

yea I think after hearing comments about these I'm not going to start it. I think it would turn into a pain., -Thanks, purpleinopp!


well I guess I DID get taken in by a picture!, Bought these seeds off Ebay, (Princess Tree), and the photo looked SOOO beautiful, (purple flowers, sitting in a front yard), -and they grow SOOO fast ! -So I clicked and sent my $2.95, (FREE shipping) and got some seeds. -I think I got took., (But I'm still going to plant some in a pot to see what happens) !!

 

Over here, this tree grows really big, and when it starts to bloom, the flowers are too high for anyone to enjoy.
Funny thing, I haven't seen a cute small tree in bloom. Only the huge ones.
And I've realized this tree is not invasive to the owner, but to neighbors.
I don't see any seedlings under the trees, but I see lots where the seeds get carried away. Sewers, sidewalks, all the weird places where rain might carry the seeds.
This is just pure observation (speculation, too), of course.

 

I don't think you got taken if you got the seeds you purchased for such a small price. If you buy a garden magazine, you'll almost surely see an ad for princess tree seeds or baby plants. I'm sure lots of people buy them. The flowers may be purple in some places, IDK. I've never seen one of these trees until moving to AL a few years ago, though they are supposedly hardy much farther north. There's no reason not to sprout some in pots just for the novelty of it. Maybe you could turn one into a bonsai that could stay outside all year. Could provide a lot of fodder for a compost pile, something good could still come of them.

In its' native environment, I'm sure it's a valuable part of the ecosystem. Not everyone has the same taste or sees things the same way. Hopefully the people who have these in their yard already think they're pretty, and when you're hot, shade is shade. People can surely do what they want with their property no matter what I or anyone else thinks. Forums are just a place to offer opinions/info to consider.

Calin, right! Critters (and wind, flowing rain water) will scatter the seeds of any tree that makes them, so yeah, the seeds get spread around the area wherever there is a seed-producing tree growing. Since people pull most unknown plants in flower beds and mow lawns too often for trees to grow, the sprouts that come up in wild areas may go unnoticed, in nearby forests and along waterways.

 

yea I think I'll just put a couple in pots., It's a whole lot easier to control that way., Thanks-!

 

These trees were new to me when a neighbor planted a small one three years ago. It's now about 25' and blooms profusely.

They are reportedly invasive, but this one is way too large to remove the seeds before they scatter. Have watched for one to pop up in other yards...nothing yet.

If you like the display of flower spikes but are reluctant to chance the Princess Tree, another choice might be a Chaste Tree (vitex). The aromatic foliage is much smaller and slower in growth, but butterflies are drawn to the abundant flowers.

You did receive a good deal that might be sad to lose. Maybe consider trading the seeds with someone in a zone where it's not invasive? Hope this helps...

 

Thanks Maypop.