Paulownia – Remove It

Q: We have a twenty foot tall paulownia tree in our back yard. I’ve been told that they are a very invasive plant. It is growing twelve inches every week. Should we let it grow or cut it down?

A: The paulownia will eventually bloom and have massive clusters of seed pods. The seeds will sprout all over your neighborhood in unwanted places. As it gets older, the leaves and small limbs from your tree will fall and be messy to clean up. I recommend you cut the tree down and remove all root sprouts that emerge over the next couple of years.