"A Tree Grows in Paola"

That could be a great title for a movie. My friend of over 24 years, Karen Blanck, planted a Royal Empress Tree on the 4th of July. It was from http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/ She has been sending me pictures of it all along. It is incredible.

Little did she realize how fast it would grow. This tree when mature will be 40 to 50 feet high and 30 to 40 feet wide. It will flower with purple blooms in the spring. It has a great fragrance between gardenia and jasmine.

It is one of the most environmentally beneficial trees in the world. It is like a giant air filter. This is great for the green movement. We all know we have to plant more trees to make up for those that are being taken down daily.

If you want to watch it grow, drive by 102 Waterworks Rd and Old Kansas City Rd in Paola. Karen has such a green thumb. She is the one who got me going on building my house, after seeing her delight in her new house.

I am going to have to plant some of these next year. Someone said it is just like watching Jack and the Bean Stalk.

Mike