FULLERTON JACARANDAS- 2008

Photos by BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER http://www.ocregister.com/slideshow/jacaranda-trees-tree-2067704-purple-flowers?pos=0

Friday, June 13, 2008

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jacaranda-trees-tree-2067704-purple-flowers

Jacarandas shower the landscape with captivating blooms
CINDY McNATT
I remember an e-mail from five years back. It was from a man in England who wanted to know what the purple trees were. He had been visiting Orange County and was taken by the trees.
Purple trees?
"Ahh, the jacaranda," I wrote back later, after trying to picture what he meant. Who could forget the jacaranda except us who are so used to seeing them paint the boulevards purple in so many cities. "You'll not likely find this beauty in a chilly English nursery," I wrote. "Better to look online in Spain, Portugal or France."
I never found out if he got his hands on a tree, but knowing the typical English gardener, he probably did. So many on that side of the pond love to grow what they call exotics, tropicals, succulents and other strange plants that don't occur naturally in their country.
But the jacaranda doesn't exactly belong to us, either. It is indigenous to the highlands in Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina – in rain forest habitats.
In fact, it likes a little bit more moisture than we typically give it. In wetter parts of South America, I hear, it is even more purple and floriferous.
The jacaranda has not only found a home in California and other southern states, it is also huge in other warm places like Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand.
Horticulturist Kate Sessions imported the tree to Balboa Park in San Diego in 1892 and it has since found its way as far north as the Bay Area. (They bloom later there, in July.)
Legend has it that if the flower falls on your head, you will be blessed with good fortune. Most of us love and loathe them depending on our proximity to the tree. The sticky flowers that hang on the tree for up to two months also float to the ground and cling to sidewalks, streets and cars.
The jacaranda sheds something almost all year long. At the end of fall, it is ferny leaves. In spring come the purple flowers for which the tree is famous. Then, the coinlike seed pods and small twigs drop through the summer.
The flowers are what residents in parts of Fullerton, Anaheim and Santa Ana – including Paul O'Sullivan, who lives on Jacaranda Place in Fullerton – joked about to Register photographer Bruce Chambers. They said it is a waste of time to sweep the flowers because the sidewalks will be littered again in minutes.
The most commonly planted jacaranda in Southern California is J. mimosifolia, although there are up to 40 species.
They tolerate a wide range of soils, although if they could pick, they would choose sand. Full sun is essential for blooms. The trees do not tolerate salt air or salty soils.
Jacarandas prefer sandy soil, but that doesn't mean they should be grown dry. They want moisture and lots of it – just not soggy soils.
Experts say to refrain from pruning the trees. Pruning cuts induce gangly and unsightly growth that spoils the trees' graceful form.
Other than sweeping up year-round, jacarandas need little or no extra care. They are readily available at most nurseries.
Contact the writer: cmcnatt@ocregister.com or 714-796-5023 or homebody.freedomblogging.com