Also, my neighbors made a huge stink about a strip of land being THEIRS... they wanted me to stop taking care of it so that they could neglect it themselves, because it was THIERS to neglect, not mine to take care of... so in the future, the Jacaranda flowers will be falling on THEIR land.... Karma.... :oD

Jacarandas, seem to do very poorly in N. California, esp. the suburbs of S.F. In Fl they don't bloom as well at they do in So. Ca or Orlando because the nights don't get cold enough.

Frank, I don't know how you define doing poorly, but I've seen huge (20+ foot) trees in full bloom in Napa, Potrero Hill (SF), Concord, Walnut Creek, and all over downtown San Jose and in Fremont. They really aren't that hard to grow as long as they are in the right spot in the garden.

Jacaranda trees are now flowering in SoCal and will continue into June. This area/climate seems to be particularly well-suited for Jacaranda trees and are considered "the spring tree" in Los Angeles. I'm not exactly sure why jacaranda don't do as well in NoCal because even in the interior valleys of SoCal. [ie. San Bernardino/Riverside/Temecula] where winter night temps can easily fall into the 30's, jacaranda do quite well. If jacaranda's are in pots rather than in the ground they seem to not flower but put out abundance leafing, as they are doing now.

I have a Jacaranda tree that I wintered in my garage part of the winter and outside part of the winter. I love almost all of its leaves but is now quickly growing new ones. I bought it and it was quite tall at least 6feet for $17.00 at lowes. My sister on the other hand bought a much smaller one and planted it in the ground and it isn't getting any leaves. It was in the teens a few nights here so I'm seeing how well her tree fares. I know they are supposed to become hardier the older and bigger they become.

Tell her to be patient. I'm in southern CA and mine loses its leaves every winter, usually loosing them late in the winter to even into the early spring. Mine is just now starting to wake up, showing some new growth and starting to put out flowers.

my notes from the internet show: (it is from Australia)
Jacarandas should be grown in well-drained, sandy soils. They prefer lots of sun but can live with less. However, being a subtropical plant, Jacarandas thrive in heat and should be planted in a warm site for better bloom (i.e. with a Southern or Southwestern exposure and protected from cold winds.). Also, it is better to wait until the blooming peak is over before starting to water them (in this way we try to simulate their original dry-winter climate). Widely spaced deep waterings, which promote the healthy development of a deeper root system, from after bloom through the summer are recommended. Jacarandas tend to be relatively shallow-rooted trees, which may pose problems for under-planting. Taper off watering in late summer so as not to promote succulent and tender new growth, which can be damaged by a cold winter spell. Young Jacaranda trees are tender and should be protected from temperatures under 30°F but as the trees grow and develop some hard wood they become hardier, tolerating cold spells down to about 25°F.

They are blooming all over Riverside and Moreno Valley. But not ours. We got this time 3 yrs ago and it was in bloom big time. We planted in the early fall and it is growing well. BUT no blooms. any suggesting. Can not find that answer online unfortunately. June

They like sandy soil? They'd love it at my house then! Just gotta settle on a spot for one. The fact they are shallow rooted will make me want to plant it as far from the house as possible.

Shucks. I'm in zone 16, very sandy soil, sunny location, no real frost since the 1970s, and my jacaranda is tall and leafy but has never had a flower in the 3 or 4 years I've had it. Since I live out in the boonies a couple of miles from the flowering beauties in town, I'm wondering if it needs a mailorder bride. Does anyone know?

I'm in Oceanside,just north of San Diego,and mine is blooming beautifully.The ground below is beautiful also looks like a purple carpet.On another part of my yard i have a princess flower that is also blooming like crazy,another beautiful tree in my opinion.
Kathi

Here in our part of LA, our Jacarandas lose all of their leaves in winter, but most are now just finishing their spectacular flowering and are getting their leaves--but we have them in all stages around here right now. I suspect the insane amount of rain and other climactic weirdness this year is playing a role.

Velvet

Having germinated two seeds collected gfrom the Huntington Botanical Gardens' car park in one of L.A. suburbs and have grown 1 metre tall 'tree' they are losing their leaves. I have brought them indoors to keep them warm and not to have them frosted. Will they survive? Will all the leaves drop off? How warm shall I try to keep them?

I really like the Jacaranda tree and after searching the web, I found out that there are a number of different species. I am looking for anything but the mimosifolia species. Does anyone know where I can find pictures/seeds of the other species of this tree?

"Shucks. I'm in zone 16, very sandy soil, sunny location, no real frost since the 1970s, and my jacaranda is tall and leafy but has never had a flower in the 3 or 4 years I've had it. Since I live out in the boonies a couple of miles from the flowering beauties in town, I'm wondering if it needs a mailorder bride. Does anyone know?"

No it doesn't. No tree needs a companion to flower. Either your tree is too young, or you do not get enough heat units in your location for it to flower.

Wow, let's keep this thread up for a little while longer; we're close to a year and nowhere near 100 posts yet :-)

Here in Camarillo (about half-way between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara along the 101 freeway) seedlings are quite common. They are surprisingly tough for plants from a summer-wet tropical climate; One seedling made it through last summer without irrigation in the shade of a Eucalyptus sapling and is now about 8" tall (the Eucalyptus grew to 15 feet from seed in less than a year and the reduction of water stress from shade had to have been very nearly offset by the amount of water it pulled out from the soil).

Can anyone tell me where I might find a tree sales dealer that sells Jacaranda trees that are in 15 gallon or larger size containers? I live in Central California right in between Stockton and Modesto area. I am looking for at least two large size tree's. (6 to 12 feet in size). Please post or email me direct to: dkgingras@comcast.net
I would appreciate anyones suggestions.
David

David,

ALthough I'm not between Stockton and Modesto, there is a nursery in Brentwood (35 miles from Stockton) called Perez Nursery that supplied most of the plants for our garden, including the jacaranda. They did have box specimens, or at least they can order them. However, do not plant until danger of frost has passed, maybe after Mar 15 to be safe.

Jacaranda are still pretty naked around here (N Orange County) I love seeing them in bloom, in someone else's yard. I had one for years and had trouble keeping up with the mess. But they are so pretty in bloom. If it's alive, I'd say wait awhile until it warms up.

Jacaranda Tree
To see some pictures of Jacaranda trees go to google

Recorded live at Club Cafe in Pittsburgh PA. Click on the name to check out their site.

To download the song click here
If you need an mp3 player click here.

Your love to me is illusive as the color of a Jacaranda tree
bright bold and brilliant yet I can't find the words to describe it, name it
nor tame it
running wild and free
you color everything I can see
my crazy Jacaranda tree

how high will we go
only Jacaranda knows
so deep in me are the roots of your tree
can't shake it, break it, won't let nobody take it
my pretty Jacaranda tree

all of those days I spent in your shade
never quite seeing your beauty
standing beside I finally opened my eyes
to your technicolor dream come true

all of those days I spent in your shade
never quite seeing your beauty
standing beside I finally opened my eyes
to your technicolor dream come true

your love to me is still illusive as the color of a jacaranda tree
but I love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
my pretty Jacaranda tree

Jacaranda Tree

Your love to me is illusive as the color of a Jacaranda tree
bright bold and brilliant yet I can't find the words to describe it, name it
nor tame it
running wild and free
you color everything I can see
my crazy Jacaranda tree

how high will we go
only Jacaranda knows
so deep in me are the roots of your tree
can't shake it, break it, won't let nobody take it
my pretty Jacaranda tree

all of those days I spent in your shade
never quite seeing your beauty
standing beside I finally opened my eyes
to your technicolor dream come true

all of those days I spent in your shade
never quite seeing your beauty
standing beside I finally opened my eyes
to your technicolor dream come true

your love to me is still illusive as the color of a jacaranda tree
but I love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
love it, love you, love what it makes you to me
my pretty Jacaranda tree

We live in Riverside and have always planted Jacaranda Trees at every house we have owned. I have never had a single problem................until this year. I don't know if the Gardner's trimmed the trees too late, or the two back to back nights below freezing took its toile, but two of my Multi Trunk Jacaranda Trees look sick! They are still green under the bark and they have tried to sprout some new green leaves, but they look pretty bare (no flowers and not many leaves) and are starting to take on a burnt or blackish color on the branches. I have a couple more that were not affected. The trees are about 10 to 12 years old and are just starting to give some much-needed shade to the yard. Has anyone had this happen? Any ideas or suggestions?

Our whole street is lined with Jacarandas that are flowering now, and our soil is almost pure clay. The city will plant one for free if you want one on the right of way in front of your house.

I have recently had my second Jacaranda tree planted as I lost the first this past winter which was unusually cold for Arizona. This tree is only about 6 months old but is begining to look just like the first - long skinny trunk with very few leaves at top. When it grows taller it loses its bottom leaves. Neighboring trees has done very well - filling out with many leaves. What special care do these trees need? Can anyone offer what fertilizer (if any) they use, the required watering, etc. Thank you.

Who said they don't do well in the S.F. bay area?..here are some Hayward Jacaranda's..these trees took our all time lowest ever recorded temps in 1990- 22or23f

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Jacaranda's are very good heat registers. These bloom 4-6 after those in SouCal and 2-3 weeks after those in San Jose.That they grow and bloom is good enough. I have one growing as a ferny hedge(now) that took those frigid temps-in a container!..it still bloomed in a ten gallon pot also. I just might let it regrow into a tree..I had cut it down since i have more shade than i need. It's unkillable, why not?

I forgot to mention,These trees were substantially larger last year.They were city pruned to within a inch of their lives!..the bloom before was a solid curtain of blue.

Californian,

My city will plant one in your right of way for free whether you want it or not. My second one is in the process of dying right now. The first split in half in the torrential rains of '05 (those bipinnately divided leaves can hold a tremendous amount of water weight). The present one was evidently root bound before being potted on to the 15 gallon pot (probably when it was a one gallon) and it's heaving at the base. I expect the root ball to tip out of the soil this winter (it's only about eight feet tall, not a threat to life, limb or property).

I could call the city about the tree, but I didn't want it in the first place. It'll be another mess when they grind up the stump (and a substantial portion of the root barrier while they're at it) and of course they have to dig another hole for the new tree. I wouldn't mind so much, but they expect me to take care of the lousy things as well.

Ryan (a not very civic minded) citizen of the Peoples Republic of Camarillo.

I just moved into a home that has (as I was told) a Jacaranda tree (50+ yrs old) planted directly (thoughtlessly) in the middle of the backyard. It has several low-growing branches (duck your head to walk under) and is pretty widespread (reaches the entire span left to right of yard). I think the color is very pretty, but our yard is virtually useless. Currently there is pebble underneath which is a nightmare as the tree is not very tidy (Id like to lay sod under). The tree looks like a mushroom and I would like something more upright. Is it possible to cut back the multiple stems to create a taller tree? If so, how can this be done without harming the tree and who could I call with experience to have this done? Desparate, not having a useful yard with what we pay for land in bay area is killing our entire family. Thanks for any input!

Hi, I have a question about why my Jacarandas aren't growing here in north Phoenix...

We had our first one planted when we moved into this new-construction home, then that winter were the famed Phoenix frosts. The pitiful tree didn't survive. Hubby pulled it out and bought another for me from Lowe's or somewhere, but it hasn't really grown any taller or ever flowered, either. We get fernlike foliage, but it seems to fall out just as quickly as it grows, so there is no visible growth in size. It's possible the store's trees all suffered in the frost, too, I guess.

I notice that the posts mention full sun and well-drained soil, sparse watering before blooming season, and shallow roots. Could these be our problems? Our tree is in a side spot of the yard that only gets morning sun. Plus it's on an automatic watering system with the other trees (citrus and leafy sissoo), once a week deep watered. Though I put water on the jacaranda 3-4 times a week because I planted flowering groundcover underneath the tree.

Oh, and I was trying to encourage it to grow taller, so I lopped off a couple of little sprouts a week or two ago that were growing low on the trunk.

Am I treating the tree all wrong? Is there any hope for the tree? Hubby wants to throw it out and plant something else there unless there is progress. I just love the way they look in bloom...

Thanks in advance,
Savannah (please email me with advice, msrog@yahoo.com)

please help me find a jacaranda tree to plant in eastern nc I know it is a risk but i want to try one

A couple places in the link below might have plants for sale (didn't check the links to see if they have them in stock), and the rest have seeds.

Brenda

Here is a link that might be useful: Companies selling Jacaranda mimosifolia

My daughter moved from L.A. to San Jose (where I live) last year at this time. She brought lots of plants in containers that she had on her patio in Hollywood. One was a sickly looking Jacaranda in a small pot. Also Dracaena (Lucky Bamboo). In the process of moving the plants got left in a cold basement room here in SJ with no heat, no water, and very little light. They both looked dead. I discovered them in March, and brought the jacaranda upstairs and started taking care of it, and put the dracaena outside.
I never would have thought that Jacaranda and dracaena were so HEARTY! They both recovered and after I transplanted them into containers, they flourished all spring and summer. The Jac is now about two feel tall and is healthy and growing. I cut the dracaena way back and it also recovered and is also just beautiful. Just shows that one should never give up on a plant, as they can usually be nursed back to health - even when they have been neglected.

Hello. I know I am WAY late on this but .... my gardening helper (aka my 6 year old daughter) and I have germinated 8 jacaranda seeds. 2 are still on wet paper towel and 2 are in egg carton planters. The other 6 are in some sort of potting soil and very moist. 3 I moved outside and 3 remain in the kitchen where they germinated. Will they all do better outside? We want at least one to survive to bloom in one of my half wine casks.

Crys

Wondering if someone has more thought about the Shallow/Surface rooting issue. I live in San Diego in an area with very poor soil. I have only about 12 inches of what I call top soil. Everything below that is a rocky and compacted mess. Its very hard to dig. If the roots can not penetrate down will i have a greater problem with surface rooting? Will this also mean stability problems later on (because of too shallow roots)? Thanks in advance for your help. -DG

I have always wanted to give a Jacaranda a go at my place in west Sonoma County (USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 15 or 16). Come late Spring, Summer and early fall, we get lots of sun (I grow vinifera commercially at my place), but the winters are very wet and cool, with regular light frosts. The soil drains reasonably well, although subsoil chemistry can be less than ideal (e.g., low ph, low Ca/Mg ratio, etc.).

I haven't checked if Urban Tree Farm in Santa Rosa (Fulton, technically) carries any, but I know that the nursery closest to me never does (suggesting it's real bad bet in my locale).

Anyone in my boat had success with it? The only other ornamental trees I have planted and had success with are Crape Myrtle and Chitalpa. Does their success suggest that a Jacaranda has a fighting chance?

i just brought my 15-gallon jacaranda from santa clarita to our other property in west palmdale. do you think it will survive here? it started to bloom in santa clarita, but with the stronger wind here in palmdale the blossoms were blown off the tree.

I have one that was planted in the mid 1960s. They do not like pruning on the bigger limbs and will grow new branches that look straight and out of place on an older tree that has many graceful curving branches. My dad had some fools over to shorten some branches and now I am working to slowly remove the ugly new growth over time. Also I can say that if the smog is bad, the trees suffer. I try to hose off the leaves in summer.

Holy necrothread batman! :-)

arch555,

I would be very surprised if Jacaranda did well for you in even in West Palmdale. It really depends on the microclimate. How did your area fare during the '07 freeze? The official temperature for Palmdale proper was 10 degrees on January 14 of that year. An established tree will weather mid-20's without too much trouble and will survive with damage as low as 18 in a sheltered location. Much lower than that I would expect to kill it outright.

Ryan

I over fertilized and burnt my Jacaranda cause all the leaves turned brow and fell off
Under the bark is still green but the tree (2" by 7') is not blooming yet� How long do
You think I need to wait before pulling it out and replacing with a new one?

Hi Bradford,
Have you flushed the fertilizer through the soil with a good soaking? When did the leaves fall off? I would wait at least a year.
Renee

Thank you for responding Renee...
Yes I flushed the fertilizer(16.16.16)through. Leaves fell
off August 2010. I have been watering the tree as normal
hoping that I see some green. One younger tree came out of it but the older one still is leefless. I think wainting
until the end of this year will tell the truth. Thanks a lot...Bradford

I think you're right. If it doesn't snap out of it, I'd get a new one.
Renee

We have never fertilized our jacaranda and it's well over 15 years old.Blooms great every year.I even sent some seeds to sweet annie,and they have already sprouted for her.One of my friends started mine from seed as well at his house,then when it got to be a decent size he came over and planted it for me.I named it after him as he passed away very young,early 40's.So it's my remembrance of him.
Kathi

I know I posted that I wanted one back in 05 but since then I have had a chance to observe how they take the winds that roar through here in fall and winter. They are pretty brittle and break often enough that I decided against one as gorgeous as they are in spring.

Crape Myrtle is my choice for flowering tree. Too small to cause any damage if they blew over. One of my young ones with a trunk as thick as my thumb got blown over because the stick broke in the wind. I just straightened 'er up and restaked. Didn't hurt it at all. It's a nice darkish purple. I also have red, hot pink and lavender ones. They also have a bonus of coloring gorgeously in the fall.

For big shade I picked London Plane and Sycamore. I never got around to staking one of them. It grew so fast it didn't matter. Both kinds are very wind tolerant.

I burned my Jacaranda last summer (2011) with 16. 16. 16. I have flushed the soil with LOTS of water many times. I have not put any fertilizer on it sense. I just water it like the rest of the trees that I have (that are doing well). The one Jacaranda I burned still doesn�t have any green shoots at all yet the old branches still are green inside. I guess it is just a waiting game? Is there any fertilizer (or ?) I can put around the Jacaranda that will help the tree put out some green shoots at this time of year? It is just a 2" x 7� tall light brown figure of a tree sticking out of the ground that is still very pliable. What to do with it? Dig it back up and put the tree in a tub with fresh soil? Leave it lay till next summer?

Wow, this thread really has legs.

I got my first Jacaranda on 04/05/12. It has grown to 7 foot tall in less than 8 months. I have 80 more smaller saplings and I plan to tent them all, along with my Tribble Serama, when temps drop below 40 here in North Central Florida this year. I have only put one tree in the ground so far. You can see its progression in the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jacaranda tree progression

Here is the tree today

I'm in New Orleans, I have two Jacaranda trees that are about two years old. Well this past winter we had a bad freeze. Though under the bark of the tree it is green, on the tips of the branches it looks dead. Does anyone know for sure, what if anything i need to do, like cut the tips off or leave it alone and it will work it out itself ? please any replies would be appreciated . Michael

Doing nothing is always best :) when it comes to freeze damage. Wait till it starts to leaf out (if ever) to do any pruning for cosmetic reasons...

Thank you for your reply :)

I planted my Jacaranda last fall it seems to be growing fairly slow, it’s in a full sun and in a sandy soil location with very good drainage. I’m wondering how quickly will my tree grow? Presently it seems to stand at 7-8 feet tall. I’m located in the northern end of South Florida by the coast in a coastal town called Jensen Beach, we are 2 miles from the water does this have any effect on its growth rate and is there anything I can do to help it to grow faster?