So, how are the Jacarandas doing? Any survive this past very cold winter?

Ahhh, the Jacaranda thread!

My tree got hit pretty hard. I was out of town when the freeze came, so it got no protection. Now the upper limbs are dark and seem lifeless. But half way down the trunk, I still see some color.

I'm inclined to think that when it really starts getting warm, the tree will shoot some new branches out.

I hope it does. I really believe that once established, this pretty tree will do ok here. It is very heat tolerant and will continue to grow while the other plants stop due to heat. Plus it has very pretty grren leaves.

I had about a 12 ft tree in the middle of the back yard, I bought it about 2 years ago at the Master Gardeners Plant sale in Rockport. It was unprotected and it got down to 26 degrees for about 5 or 6 hours, I did not think it would come back. I cut it back to where I could still see life, about 10 inches. This past weekend, I noticed that there were all kinds of shoots coming out the sides. Same thing with the Hong Kong Orchid tree. All,I need to figure out is how to support those little branches until they can stand on their own. They are both in Rockport. Barbra

I bought a neglected tree in a 5 gallon pot at a nursery in LA in '05. It looked to be about 3 to 5 years old already, and in full foliage. I sweated the return to Texas through checkpoints...it looked pretty bogus across the back seat of an '03 Cobra convertible.
First it went into a 40 gallon hole chipped into limestone out near Dripping Springs, right on a hill top. It seemed OK and got about 6 feet tall until temperatures in the teens killed it right back to the rootball. It re-emerged in Spring of '06 and I put it in a 40 gallon Vietnamese pot. Moved it around and keep it inside during the Austin Winters. It did well in a pot.
Finally moved to the NASA area down on the bay in Houston. Put it in the ground and it grew from pot size to 20 feet from May to present (11/10) in one season. Lots of plant food and water...looking to see how it will take the Winter, and I'm very impressed with this little trees' tenacity.

I bought a baby J from a nursery this past spring and planted it in the yard (I live in Houston). It was about 4' tall. It is now around 12', and still has healthy green fronds, but continues to be a main trunk with 2 branches growing vertically. From reading the posts, it sounds like I need to prune the two branches back to 2-4' in order for it to branch out.... and look like a "real" tree. Is this correct? Do I do this pruning in spring after freeze danger is over?

I spent past hour reading through all posts. I live in Austin and VERY interested in this tree. I can't find any place selling them. Would someone tell me if Jacaranda will survive here in Austin? and if you know of where sell them?
Thanks, E.

I've been trying to grow a "J" here in New Orleans for the longest time.. i have many 1 inch tall tress and one 4 inch tree thats about a year and a half old. Now i think i know the problem from reading these posts, i've been using potting soil. tomorrow i'm going to go out and pick up some peat moss pellet and compost, and general tree/shurb soil.. I am doing a tiny bit better with a few Royal Poinciana trees. but i'm also thinking maybe it's where i'm getting my seeds, could it be bad seeds?

They dont care about amended or acid soil. They make thier own nitrogen (a legume) they don't tolerate cold well.

I think I lost my jacaranda tree. I had 8 royal poinciana trees in 1 gallon pots, they were doing great, I covered them with a towel so they would not freeze, but they all froze. I guess they cannot take any cold. I am glad to know now, before I planted them in the yard. I have enough large frozen trees to dig up. I got mine in Key West Florida, they were in the cracks where the curb and the street meet. I put them in a cup, with dirt, they all made it. I am glad I waited before I planted them in the yard. I never expected them to freeze. I cut the jacaranda tree down to the ground, but still no signs of life. Barbra

barbara, they might have survived in the ground. I'd go for it in Houston and even true zone 8b in a protected spot. Plants roots, even with a towel, are very prone to freeze damage in a pot. A pot is up to 2 zones colder than in the ground. If you were to mulch them and throw a sheet over while small, I'll bet they make it. I know for a fact you can grow them in zone 9 in CA.(Jacarandas too)

Will jacarandas bloom in a container? There's no way they'd survive the last two winters here in Fort Worth without being taken in.

If anyone in the San Antonio area hasn't given up on the idea of trying to grow jacarandas here after the last two unusually brutal winters, I saw that Rainbow Gardens nursery (the Thousand Oaks Dr. location) had about 10 small ones for sale when I visited two days ago.

I bought my jacarandas on ebay and at Milberger's nursery a couple of years ago, and of my original three, two have survived the last two winters, with careful protection. The two that lived were frosted way back. One, at the edge of live oak canopy, was burned back to hard wood, and the other, out in the open and weakened by trunk damage from deer antlers, was killed to within a couple of inches from the ground. They are now about 5 or 6 ft. tall. The one that died had previously come back from the roots after a 12 degree F absolute low in the winter of 2009/10 but was finally killed after a 15 degree F low in the winter of 2010/11, which was accompanied by frost and even overnight snow(!) I'll sure be glad when we get back to our normal mild zone 9 winters, I think the jacarandas will really take off.

A month ago I was downtown and decided to swing by the Schultze House to try to find the much-vaunted jacaranda there, which one website said was at least 25 ft. tall. What I found left me greatly underwhelmed. The little specimen that I saw out behind the Schutlze House may have been a replacement sapling or perhaps a larger tree was killed by the winter cold and was coming back from the roots?

Anyway, to honebunny2, I would try those royal poincianas (and jacarandas) in the ground at the edge of evergreen canopy, like live oak. My royal poinciana planted with such overhead protection has come back vigorously from the mulched roots even after the above unusually low winter temperatures. If you have zone 9 winters and Texas spring/summer heat, they will bounce back quickly, even if damaged by occasional freezes.

Hello,

I bought a Jacaranda and am having it planted next to the street. I was hoping for an update on the Jacaranda planted in the zone 8. I've read the posts but since my jacaranda will be next to the street I don't believe I can put christmas lights on it to help it get through the winter, although the burlap wrap seems like an option. Did your tree's survive?

Mustangboy, zone 8 is too cold there or here. I've lived in both places in that zone. San Antonio is like the San Fernando Valley in stuff you can grow. If you're zone 8 up north I can't tell you but I'm thinking it would be too cool for flowers anyway.

I lost both the jacaranda, and the royal ponicana trees in this last freeze. I have given up on them! I also lost palm trees I have had since 1996. The only plant that really survived the freeze were the tropical hibiscus. I had all my plants covered, they still froze. I have learned my lesson, and will not try again! I have planted my new plumeria, brugmansia, and iochroma in pots, so I can move themn inside in the winter. No freezes for the past 15 years, and then two in a role, I cannot afford to take the chance. Barbra

That sucks honeybunny. I thought zone 9 would work too. I'm sorry you lost your trees.

I just bought a house in zone 9a, and we've had several frosts up here in Ramona,CA (NE of San Diego in SD County). I have 3 Jacaranda trees in the front yard, on the NE side of house with no protection, on the street edge of front yard. I can see some dark discoloration on upper branches, am wondering how bad the damage is. I found this thread while investigating the trees and frost damage. I'm sad to think they might not make it, but happy to read that some have pulled through frosts ok. We're due for another frost tonight.

I moved here from CA. My DH is from that area. Zone 9 in CA is much different than zone 9 TX. Your trees will be OK.

Jacarandas are deciduous. They flower in the Spring (March/April in Santa Barbara, CA - Zone 10/Sunset 24), flowers come first, then they leaf out.

I don't know know if anyone knows where I can get some here in Austin, but I want them badly. I used to drive down a street on my way to work everyday when I lived in CA that was always so beautiful in the spring.

I got some tiny seedlings on April 5th. I put one in the ground on July 3rd and it is now 7 foot tall.

I have a 20x40 tarp and I am erecting a pop-up tent that I can use to cover the tree this Winter. I will put a tiny heater inside. I will also fill the space with 80 small Jacaranda and put my Tribble Serama in there when temps drop into the 30's.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jacaranda progress from seedling to 7 footer

Your pictures are fascinating. That's a fast growing tree alright, and gracefully beautiful already.

I think this must be the longest running thread on the Texas forum. Lots of people love Jacaranda trees and I can see why.

Having lived in SD until 4 years ago(now in Austin)I remember many of the Jacs up and down boulevards, especially toward the downtown area. I Used to take a particular street when going to the airport and the Jacs were in a center island. Although they are quite messy, I see that as quite forgiving in relationship to the beauty they provide.

Welcomsite, a seven footer in only 6 months~~amazing!!! You must have quite the green 'hand'. LOL

Thanks pattcakes & roselee.
The tree is actually 8 months old, assuming the seedling was no older than 6 weeks when it arrived?

I looked at my 5 day forecast this morning & it showed 37 degrees for Monday night! Scared me into building the swing arms for my pop-up Arctic Survival Tube. It will be 8' x 22'. I'll post pics of this thing when it's all done.

Welcome, I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures.

Patty cakes, when I saw SD I thought 'South Dakota' ... uh uh, no way. Of course -- SD also stands for San Diego :-)

I already had the timbers, tarp, pvc fittings and the bamboo, along with 1" pvc for the uprights. All I needed to go buy was 1/2" pvc and glue.

In addition to the tiny heater, the 17 small chickens will also be adding their body heat to the enclosure.

Well things looked good back in October. I managed to break the tip off the tree a number of times but the tree and 50 more Jacaranda in bags all made it through November, December, January & February just fine. By March 28th, I never suspected the surprise freeze that stripped all growth from everything.

By April, things were resprouting though. The main tree only sprouted from the base of the trunk. I chose 1 sprout, 5 inches from the ground & pruned the rest. This 2nd year tree is now almost 9 foot tall & growing.

Look how quickly the wound is healing.

hey there, i know this is an old post, so i was curious as to how your jacarandas are holding up? i am carefully considering the pros and cons of which trees i want to put on my new property, and this is pretty much at the top of the list next to mexican plum trees... both of which prefer a hotter zone than the one we're in here in austin.

Me, too. Me, too. Count me along with all the others that want to see how your tree grows. I'm in Temple, an hour north of Austin. What do you think my chances are for growing one?

Yours are absolutely beautiful and I loved seeing your propagation, too

Xtal

I live in San Miguel de Allende, central high altitude Mexico. My question is whether the dropping flower petals are in anyway poisonous? A few months ago I planted a garden of organic greens in our limited garden space. The greens and the jacaranda are all doing well. We are eating the greens but rinsing them well!

The first photo below is the top of the tree yesterday, the second photo shows the greens and you'll see the jacaranda trunk at the left. The shrubbier tree is a pomegranate in need of pruning.

For you jacarandaphiles, this tree was severely neglected for most of its life. It was on hardtack and never watered (by man). We lived over the wall and I pitied it for years. I ended up buying the property when it came available and have built around it. This year is only the second time I've seen it bloom. I love this tree!

Unfortunately jtrevino disappeared. :( Maybe somebody else can help me. I live in Central Europe and the winters here are so cold that the Jacaranda can not bear. I have a 2,5 years old tree in pot (I have replanted it to a much bigger pot than in the photo) and it's 6,5 ft high. The photo was taken in Sept, 2014 when it was only 5 ft. But it has no branches just the main trunk as you see in the photo below. Because of the cold winter I have to keep it in the living room from mid november to late march due to the freezing night temperatures. But as soon as it reaches 9 ft I won't be able to keep it in the living room because of the ceiling. So I must prune it, but as I said it has only a main trunk, no branches. Can I prune the main trunk without killing the tree?

I was astounded while out walking with friends this afternoon to spot a mature, towering jacaranda tree in a yard near campus in Lawrence, KS. This is NE Kansas--zone 6! The tree is in full glorious bloom--we picked up several flowers that had fallen on the ground and carried them back to our work desks. They smelled heavenly. I just could not believe finding this tree in this part of the country. I had no idea they could survive this far north. We get some mighty cold winters. I will try to go back and get a few photos tomorrow. I wonder if this is a cultivar that was bred for cold tolerance, but so far I have found no signs of such varieties for sale online. I had seen lots of pictures and had read about this tree, but had never seen one up close. It was unmistakable, though--just a gorgeous, huge, fragrant miracle in an area that gets very chilly.

Cjkrisz, it won't kill the tree to cut back the main trunk so it can fit into your living room. It will probably cause it to branch out. The tree is beautiful just for its foliage.

Mary Lee, I'm fascinated that one is growing in zone 6. It would be interesting to know its history; how it came to be planted, the variety, etc.. I'm looking forward to some photos.

Thank you roselee! But first my tree has to be regenerated. I exposed it to direct sunlight too quickly (I did not give time for hardening off) and dropped all its leaves.

Ah, Mary Lee!! You are now officially on a mission... to get seeds!! Please share if you get some! :D

Omar

Can you upload a picture of the tree now?

WOW - This thread is awesome!!! Just what I was looking for, and even in Texas. Hello all! I currently live in Dallas-Fort Worth and started growing Jacaranda trees last year from some seed pods I took from San Diego in 2013. My trees aren't yet a year old but doing great so far. I'm afraid I may not ultimately be able to plant any trees in my Dallas yard because of the zone we are in. I'm hoping to learn some new things from the thread. I plan to be active in updates as long as I have the trees growing (hopefully years to come) I can at least keep this thread alive by posting progress photos for people and notes. This evening I just found 2 more pods I decided not to open last year, so i'll have some more to mess around with.

The photo from the right is from July 2016 - hope to update once Winter recedes - seeds were planted in March/April 2016

Hi everyone,

So excited to find this thread! I live in Melbourne, Australia but I think it’s quite a similar climate to Texas and it would be great to compare notes. Some of the things here are quite different to what I was expecting.

I planted some Jacaranda seeds that I collected off a street tree in Sydney just over 2 years ago and I now have 7 in pots and 1 that I planted out in front of the house in January.

A few items I’d welcome any comments on:

What happens when the top freezes?

We had a cold winter this year and a few mornings that were just below freezing. I had no idea that young Jacas were sensitive to the cold and the one in the ground out the front was completely exposed to the cold winds. The ones in pots were sheltered in the back yard and come spring they didn’t have many leaves left (normal) but started shooting from the middle again.

The one in the ground had lots of buds at the top but they died off as soon as they started to shoot. About the top inch or two of the main stem appears to be dead now and there are lots more side shoots as a result. It looks more like a bush at the moment. It was also stunted, definitely a few weeks later than the ones in the backyard to start growing this season.

But I see examples in this thread where Jacas have been cut right back following a freeze and they seem to have done OK the next summer - and not ended up looking like a bushy shrub?

Growth rates

The ones in pots are about 2.5 feet tall now, but pretty spindly. One of them (the least sheltered over winter) also lost the top inch of main stem but a side stem has become the new leader. That one is only about 2 feet tall. The one in the ground is about three feet tall (not much taller than it reached at the end of last summer but it’s starting to hit its stride now).

But on this thread there seem to be stories of trees growing 6 feet in a year?! Is that with a lot of watering / feeding? The one in the ground faces west and gets full sun from about 9am - I’d love it to grow 6 feet this year! Any tips?

Fertiliser

What fertilisers is anyone using? I tried an organic fish/seaweed based one called Powerfeed last year but some of the new leaves became distorted. Perhaps I overdid it. Here we’re advised not to feed Jacas too much else they end up with a lot of leaves but take longer to flower.

Pruning

Another thing some people here seem to feel strongly about is NEVER pruning your Jacaranda, else it will spoil the natural branching habit. Jacas here tend to grow at least as wide as they are tall. There are numerous streets where Jacas are growing under power lines and have to be pruned back so they don’t grow into the lines and they end up sending out vertical suckers that look ugly. Does anyone have any comments on that?

As my one in the ground is a street tree I want it to have a single trunk up to 5-6 foot or so, but right now there are two side branches that seem to be joint leaders. I was wondering if it would be safe to prune one off now, or perhaps I can leave it until the winter.

Winds and staking

The only other thing I noticed was a lot of talk about winds and staking. I am not a fan of staking in general but the wind out the front (it’s very flat and windy in Melbourne) did wonders for that Jacaranda. When I planted it out in January the trunk was probably only 1/4 inch thick and in the strong winds it would bend over 90 degrees until it the top of the stem was horizontal! But it’s thickened up a treat now (about 1 inch thick) and hardly bends in the winds.

Would love to hear anyone's comments or see photos!

I'm back checking in! I see there's only been one new comment. If anyone happens upon this thread and wants to connect. Please message me https://www.facebook.com/chantelleprejean or email me at cprejeanathotmailcom- I'd love to connect about Jacarada Trees and share my updates. I'm going to share an update on my trees to compare my post I shared from January 2017, 3 years later.

I early this season purchased two Jacaranda trees to grow in decorative containers. I live in Rochester NY and fear leaving them out as our weather is getting colder. I have many other perennials as well as Plumeria, all of which come indoors about this time. Should I put my Jacaranda with my other plants in my basement to sleep for winter or keep them in my plant room with all my tropical plants? I also am having issues with both trees but am not able to forward photos of what is afflicting my plants.

I live in Hungary and I have and old Jacaranda tree (over 40 years old!) in a container and also have a young, 4-5 years old Plumeria.

The Plumeria is more sensitive, I usually bring it inside when the temperature drops below 6 Celsius in the mornings.

The Jacaranda is tougher. I usually bring it inside in mid november, when the temperature drops around -2 Celsius in the mornings. But it's an old tree! The young Jacaranda plants are more sensitive. I wouldn't leave them outside under 5-6 Celsius.

Unfortunately I don't have a basement, so both are inside in my living room during the winter. The Jacaranda drops almost all its leaves after 2 weeks. The Plumeria drops its leaves after Christmas.

I planted a Jacaranda tree last October and over the winter it died back to only a few inches above ground. In the spring it sprouted from what was left of it's trunk and now it is quite bushy. Winter is coming and I'm not sure how to winterize it. I'm thinking about building a little shelter for it. Top photo is what the tree looks like now. Bottom photo is what it looked like in May after it's first winter. Should I prune it? Any suggestions for keeping this little guy alive and thriving? I live in Zone 9b-a few frosts over the winter but mostly not below 40F.

I don't have any suggestions. Perhaps someone with experience above will reply, but I wish you well; sounds like it's doing pretty good where you live. They are beautiful trees. I saw some for sale a couple of years ago at Walmart in San Antonio. I was tempted!

@ Sari Swede

I guess it's good as is where You live. You can make a little shelter for the plant for the unusual cold winter days, but maybe it's not necessary. The roots are at least 10-12 inches (or more) below the ground and they will never be under 45F. Even if the leaves frost, the roots will be fine.

Anyway it's not a bad idea to pour some wood chips around the trunk as a thermal insulation.

Jacarandas drop almost 90-95% of their leaves in the winter. Just a few remain.

As for the pruning: the best time to prune the Jacaranda is late winter. I usually prune mine in January. Make sure that the tool is clean you prune the Jacaranda with! Jacarandas are sensible to infections. Wherever you cut, it will branch out 2, sometimes 3 ways!

Jacarandas usually bloom first when they reach 3-4 or so years of age. The tiny buds will appear in september-october and they will "sleep" during the winter. In spring the Jacaranda blooms even it has no leaves! Beautiful sight and very good smell! So You have to be careful with the pruning, because you can cut the tiny buds off when prune your plant and it will not bloom in the spring. But it's a bit far away now, you have to wait for the first buds 2-3 more years.

Good luck!

Thank you! I have some leftover chips from setting up some veggie beds and will cover the trunk with them. I'll have to save all this great info!

Hows your jacatanda doing? i live in austin and just got a jacaranda tree

I agree, they are just too tropical even for me in Houston. I've given up on plants like that.

Jacaranda can be found in New Orleans. I know of a few large blooming trees in the city. They are still there, surviving the 2017/2018 freeze which the city dipped into low 20s/high teens with a little branch damage. I know someone who grows them as die back shrubs in zone 8.

Im from Sydney, Australia. i now live in NorCal. My husband bought me a Jacarada tree (my absolute favor tree) for our anniversary 2 yrs ago.

it is in a large pot and has grown well.

weve had unususually warm temps and my tree started to bud. then we had a freeze and the buds died off. should i prune a little, or wait and see? Below pic was last summer, before it lost it’s leaves for winter.

This is a great thread. I have jac seeds I have not tried yet. I live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon which is marginally Zone 8 some winters. I would have to really baby a jac along carefully. I have a potted Brunfelsia that I bring in all winter and early spring and a lemon that gets pulled into the garage when it gets around freezing. This area is boderline for some plants. People are starting to plant olives and potted citrus is getting more common.