Anyone know this tree?

It is a fast growing tree.
The leaves are huge.


http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=paulownia+tomentosa+leaf&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1536&bih=776&tbm=isch&tbnid=Oq56ONN_K9i5MM:&imgrefurl=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/pato4.htm&docid=6UyqGmEYx0HkDM&imgurl=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/images/pato45.jpg&w=590&h=388&ei=35d-UKOANIO-0QWdxYGACg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=812&vpy=211&dur=3166&hovh=183&hovw=277&tx=127&ty=92&sig=105050878957448920657&page=1&tbnh=148&tbnw=220&start=0&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0,i:111

Beautiful when in flowers.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=paulownia+tomentosa+leaf&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1536&bih=776&tbm=isch&tbnid=6zwSUfrtDb0PPM:&imgrefurl=http://lh2treeid.blogspot.com/2010/04/paulownia-tomentosa-empress-tree.html&docid=_KuT4J8r57IW0M&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8fdAjWGnOxY/S9YlkJXY2SI/AAAAAAAAApQ/ex1nmMkmFn4/s1600/Paulownia%252Btomentosa.jpg&w=1024&h=773&ei=35d-UKOANIO-0QWdxYGACg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=627&vpy=470&dur=544&hovh=196&hovw=259&tx=125&ty=97&sig=105050878957448920657&page=2&tbnh=137&tbnw=184&start=34&ndsp=41&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:20,i:181


Not the right tree for a small garden.

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1388


http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=paulownia+tomentosa+tree&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1536&bih=776&tbm=isch&tbnid=2qYT3zUyJdfYnM:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paulownia_tomentosa_JPG2a.jpg&docid=01tsVB3KkWYyoM&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/Paulownia_tomentosa_JPG2a.jpg&w=1728&h=1152&ei=_5Z-UL7tN6Ws0QW194E4&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=696&sig=105050878957448920657&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=233&start=0&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:87&tx=135&ty=56

 

Unless its grown for its tropical look with huge leaves, in that case you would be cutting it back to almost ground level each March..

Left to its own devices as you say not one for small gardens..