Paulownia fortunei, the Foxglove Tree, is an amazing tree which can be treated in two separate ways. Firstly, allow it to grow as a tree and it will turn into a perfectly symmetrical specimen producing its foxglove-like flowers on the branches before the large leaves appear. Alternatively, cut it back in March to a couple of buds and it will put all of its vigour into one or two buds and produce leaves up to one metre across! Coppicing in this way may be useful in the smaller garden as the tree will only reach 3 or 4 metres in one season - no flowers this way though! This variety 'Fast Blue' produces large numbers of blue and cream flowers often on trees only 3 or 4 years old.