1. Planting: Empress Trees are nearly indestructible once they have become established, but do require some care in their early stages of growth. Full sun and well-draining soil are essential to the health of the tree. Ensure you plant your Empress well away from foundations, sidewalks and other structures.

Plant your tree after the last frost, or when surrounding plants begin to bud out. For best results, mix in potting soil or soil conditioner, especially if planting in clay or poor soil. Make your hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball, place the tree in the hole, and spread the roots out evenly. Water the area to moisten/settle the soil and then broadcast a good layer of mulch to preserve soil moisture and keep weeds and grasses back.

2. Watering: When the top 2 to 3 inches of the soil is dry, add water. As a rule, let the soil surrounding the tree dry out before watering. If your tree is wet upon arrival, skip the initial watering for two days.

3. Fertilizing: Empress Trees love organic fertilizer high in nitrogen. Check to make sure the first of the three numbers on your organic fertilizer is higher than the others, indicating an extra boost of nitrogen (example: 20-10-10). You can fertilize twice a month in the growing season, and stop fertilizing before the tree goes back into dormancy. Additional fertilizing should only be done after the first year.

4. Pruning: Let your tree grow for one entire year. If your Empress Tree did not grow at least 4 feet before winter dormancy, we recommend that you cut it to the ground at the very start of spring (a process called "coppicing"). This may seem odd, but it will grow a bunch of small sprouts. Select the “alpha” of the bunch and pinch the others off. This will focus all of the nutrients into that one growth and become a very straight, beautiful tree.