Fast-Growing Trees for Landscaping

Royal Empress

• Royal empress (Paulownia) is a fast-growing tree that grows to a mature height of 40 to 50 feet with a 30- to 40-foot spread. The tree has a rapid growth rate, often growing more than 10 feet in a single year. Royal empress grows to form a dense and thick canopy and is ideal as a shade tree. The tree is covered with pea-sized, furry buds in the winter that give way to large, fragrant purple flowers at the start of spring. Royal empress grows well in areas of full or partial shade and adapts to most soil conditions. The tree has no major insect- or disease-related problems and is very tolerant of drought.

Leyland Cypress

• Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is a rapid-growing, compact, symmetrical, cone-shaped tree that creates a dense natural privacy fence when planted in rows. The tree grows up to 3 feet in a year to reach a mature height of up to 120 feet with a 15-foot spread. Its evergreen foliage is flat and scale-like, and the tree grows best in areas of full sun. The tree responds well to transplanting and comes in many varieties of foliage color and size. Naylor's blue is a Leyland cypress variety with distinct blue-green foliage.

Lombardy Poplar

• Lombardy poplar (Populus nigra Italica) is a fast-growing tree often used to create windscreens because of its dense growth. The tree grows up to 6 feet per year and reaches a mature height of 40 to 60 feet with a 10- to 15-foot spread. Lombardy poplar trees have unusual, upward-sloping branches and grow best in areas of full or partial shade. The tree is not evergreen; its foliage turns to a bright gold color in the fall. Flowers appear in the form of green or red catkins during early to mid spring.