Jacaranda Tree by Samia Zeiton
A stroll down Maadi streets during April and May holds a special treat for Nature lovers. This is the season when the Jacaranda blooms! It bursts with color whilst carpeting the ground around it with the heavenly lavender trumpet-like blossoms.
It is said that if you walk beneath the Jacaranda and one of its flowers lands on your head you will have good fortune for the coming year. The Jacaranda tree has always inspired landscape artists to plant it. Here in Maadi, many young couples can be seen taking photographs beneath its purple canopy.
The name Jacaranda derives from the Brazilian name for the tree where it grows in abundance as it does in most tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is well-suited to Egypt’s climate. This tree gives a glow to the bleakest street and enhances the whole neighborhood with its splash of color. Once the flowering is over the light green fern-like leaves appear and remain there until autumn when they turn into a deep yellow before shedding. The seeds can be easily recognizable as brown and woody with two valves.
The Jacaranda is shallow-rooted, so is an excellent ornamental tree for medium- to large-sized gardens. It is also popular as a street tree requiring full sun and enough space to grow as they can reach 15 meters and just as wide. Be careful to plant it away from drains, pipes and water lines since they have a strong root system.
Care for the Jacaranda almost always includes proper pruning. This keeps the shape of the tree and prevents the weight of the tree from splitting the trunk. The branches are quite brittle so seasonal pruning is advised to keep branches from breaking. Average life span is about 50 years. Recently new varieties have appeared in smaller sizes ...they can be seen at the Festival City complex. Planted in rows they are truly breathtaking!!!
Pretoria in South Africa is known as Jacaranda City with over 70,000 trees lining their streets blooming from September to November. In Nelson Mandela,s biography The Long Walk to Freedom he writes,”those moments under the shade of the Jacaranda trees on the Vicarage lawn were the most pleasant.”
Next time you happen to be at a nursery look out for a Jacaranda and plant it with care so it can continue giving pleasure to many generations to come
A stroll down Maadi streets during April and May holds a special treat for Nature lovers. This is the season when the Jacaranda blooms! It bursts with color whilst carpeting the ground around it with the heavenly lavender trumpet-like blossoms.
It is said that if you walk beneath the Jacaranda and one of its flowers lands on your head you will have good fortune for the coming year. The Jacaranda tree has always inspired landscape artists to plant it. Here in Maadi, many young couples can be seen taking photographs beneath its purple canopy.
The name Jacaranda derives from the Brazilian name for the tree where it grows in abundance as it does in most tropical and sub-tropical regions. It is well-suited to Egypt’s climate. This tree gives a glow to the bleakest street and enhances the whole neighborhood with its splash of color. Once the flowering is over the light green fern-like leaves appear and remain there until autumn when they turn into a deep yellow before shedding. The seeds can be easily recognizable as brown and woody with two valves.
The Jacaranda is shallow-rooted, so is an excellent ornamental tree for medium- to large-sized gardens. It is also popular as a street tree requiring full sun and enough space to grow as they can reach 15 meters and just as wide. Be careful to plant it away from drains, pipes and water lines since they have a strong root system.
Care for the Jacaranda almost always includes proper pruning. This keeps the shape of the tree and prevents the weight of the tree from splitting the trunk. The branches are quite brittle so seasonal pruning is advised to keep branches from breaking. Average life span is about 50 years. Recently new varieties have appeared in smaller sizes ...they can be seen at the Festival City complex. Planted in rows they are truly breathtaking!!!
Pretoria in South Africa is known as Jacaranda City with over 70,000 trees lining their streets blooming from September to November. In Nelson Mandela,s biography The Long Walk to Freedom he writes,”those moments under the shade of the Jacaranda trees on the Vicarage lawn were the most pleasant.”
Next time you happen to be at a nursery look out for a Jacaranda and plant it with care so it can continue giving pleasure to many generations to come
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