Empress Tree

Paulownia tomentosa

“Fastest-growing tree on earth. Lavender flowers before the leaves. Controversial.”

A Paulownia can grow 15 feet in its first year. That's not a typo. In spring it's covered in lavender-purple foxglove flowers before a single leaf opens — spectacular from a quarter mile away. The wood is prized in Japan for furniture and musical instruments. It's also considered invasive in parts of the Southeast US, so know your state before you plant. In drier western climates it behaves. Spectacular either way.