I am trying to find out exactly what kind of plant this is. It's stalks are bamboo like, and it grows very tall and fast from spring through the summer, then the large leaves fall off and the stalks dry up. Used to have a couple in a garden area, and it came back for years on it's own, but a few years ago it just stopped "blooming" I'd like to get more, but can't figure out what it was. Thanks!!!! This picture was from a post long ago from someone who was looking for the name as well. The ones we had were very thick stalked, and grouped together. Grew about 8 foot at least.
I can't help you with that. I don't recognize it at all. it must not be/grow around here. where are you at? north/ south?
Northeast. I new york. That's why it's baffling. I've never watched a plant grow so tall and so fast in such a short period. It's like bamboo but it isn't. Huge leaves. Some were about 2 feet in length and a foot wide. Gorgeous. Haven't seen another anywhere around either. Sucks, because i want to get a few of them. Lol
Couldn't tell ya what it is either, but I have seen it growing in a yard close to work. It had to be a good twelve foot tall growing on the north side of that persons yard. I always wanted to stop and ask what it was. I mean it was huge!
I think I found what it is. "Paulownia Elongata" Better known as 'Empress Tree' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/164940/#b
To get ours to produce huge leaves like that I cut it back to three buds, just about ground level in February. If left alone it makes a huge tree with Lupin like flowers.
Hi Roger you say the plant dies off in the winter? That is not a Paulownia tree, that is what we call in Ga. a Cotton rose bush. Ours made huge pink flowers late in summer and the trick with it was to prune it back to about 6" tall and cover with mulch and they come back the next year only with more stems. It needs a lot of space because it will eventually get 4' around at the base just from individual stems, they are an impressive bush. Per LIcenter's post the Paulownia is a very fast growing tree that is advertised to grow 15' a year, when young it looks like the Cotton Rose except you trim off the leaves on the Paulownia leaving only a crown because every leaf makes a limb on those. They are easy growers though, just start like tomatoes and you have it. Be aware though they can be invasive you get them started and you will have a yard full if not careful.
Hi & welcome, Curious Grandpa! It sounds like you are describing a plant also known as Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis). Pics of that here: http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/21634 In Z7- Paulownia species are deciduous to the ground. Paulownias are sometimes confused with Catalpas (AKA Catawba) but the pic above gives an excellent view of pairs of opposite leaves, which fits Paulownia, and negates Hibiscus and Catalpa, both of which have alternate foliage. I do not know Paulownias to species level but have never heard of the elongata species prior to this spring on this forum. For decades, P. tomentosa has been sold as "empress tree" to the point where it is a known invasive weed throughout SE US. That seems the most likely ID but the other species is not an impossibility.
The Catawba tree we also had, the Paulownia trees, I bought 3 and planted those and the leaves above indeed do look like it. Very interesting tree they are also known as Royal Paulownia's, Empress trees and they have another name that escapes me at the moment. I had purchased the plants and they were advertised as Royal Paulownia's and were the non invasive type. But they were not, those things came up everywhere after two years. What had me puzzled was he said it stopped "blooming" and yes they are deciduous however the leaves come back year after year. When I planted our Cotton rose or confederate rose bush I was under the impression it was the confederate rose but was corrected by several people in SW Ga. they have a rose bush they also call a confederate rose and my plant was not it according to the old guys. Mine were cotton rose bushes, LOL, so I guess it depends where in the country you are for the proper nomenclature of something, ha. Catawba trees are also very pretty trees and grow quickly, however mine also died out after a few years so that is a possibility. Here is a picture of those.
Agree, trying to sort plants by common names only leads to confusion. They are neither right or wrong, just more or less common. If you know which species of Catalpa you have, your excellent pic would make a great addition to its' database entry here, most of which do not have any pics: http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/search.php?q=catalpa
