Blooming in NorCal: Dwarf Jacaranda and Bauhinia grevei

[Hillizard]

Here's what's blooming this week in my interior NorCal garden: dwarf Jacaranda mimosifolia 'Sakai01' (aka 'Bonsai Blue') and Bauhinia grevei (seed source: RPS). I really like the smaller scale of this Jacaranda cultivar, it takes pruning well,  and it retains its lush, fern-like leaves while in bloom despite the heat (and helps shade plants below it, incl. palms). I put four of the spindly Bauhinia shrubs in one pot and they bloom tirelessly for months during the summer.

[jimmyt]

Very nice and exotic in appearance......

[gilles06]

I didn't know this bauhinia. Thank you for the report.

Do you have a picture of the entire plant?

[Peter]

Very nice-where did you find those Bauhinias?

[Hillizard]

On 6/28/2019 at 8:01 AM, Peter said:

Very nice-where did you find those Bauhinias?

Peter: Sorry I missed your question last year. I grew that Bauhinia from seed via RPS. I overwinter it in my sunroom and put it outside in full sun when temps are over 50 deg. F at night. I think it looks best with several in one pot.

[Hillizard]

My 10ft+ "dwarf" Jacaranda in bloom this week. Retained most of its leaves through our mild winter here. I prune it back heavily each year.

[Hillizard]

On 6/28/2019 at 2:08 AM, gilles06 said:

I didn't know this bauhinia. Thank you for the report.

Do you have a picture of the entire plant?

RPS has a picture: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/bauhinia-grevei?search=bauhinia

I can post one later when mine has leafed-out.

[Peter]

Here's B madagascariensis growing at a friend's house in South Florida.  I've got a baby that I will plant out here in SoCal in a month or two.

[Hillizard]

3 hours ago, Peter said:

Here's B madagascariensis growing at a friend's house in South Florida.  I've got a baby that I will plant out here in SoCal in a month or two.

Stunning! And very similar in appearance to B. grevei. Thanks for sharing these pictures. I wish my local climate didn't force mine into dormancy each winter.

[Peter]

Any seed pods on your grevei?

[Hillizard]

4 hours ago, Peter said:

Any seed pods on your grevei?

Peter: At this stage of the growing season, here in interior NorCal, my B. grevei is just starting to leaf out. It won't be blooming for a couple more months and if any seed pods form, that would be in the fall. I don't remember if it formed any last year. We'll have to see how it does this year. The flowers do attract pollinators, incl. bees and hummingbirds. RPS does have this species in stock right now: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/bauhinia-grevei?search=bauhinia

[8B palms]

Hi JJ, so with regard to your dwarf Jacaranda mimosifolia 'Sakai01' (aka 'Bonsai Blue'), you have it planted in a pot or directly in the ground? So it really does staff "dwarfish" maxing out at 10 feet, if you didn't prune it do you think it would just look like a regular Jacaranda.   Also curious how low of a temp has it seen and did you observe any damage, and finally were did you purchase it, they seem tricky to find here in Florida. Flowers look stunning, such a distinct blue.

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, 8B palms said:

Hi JJ, so with regard to your dwarf Jacaranda mimosifolia 'Sakai01' (aka 'Bonsai Blue'), you have it planted in a pot or directly in the ground? So it really does staff "dwarfish" maxing out at 10 feet, if you didn't prune it do you think it would just look like a regular Jacaranda.   Also curious how low of a temp has it seen and did you observe any damage, and finally were did you purchase it, they seem tricky to find here in Florida. Flowers look stunning, such a distinct blue.

I've had it planted in the ground in my backyard since 2017. In that location it gets plenty of light and heat. This variety is a true dwarf, not grafted [ http://www.newplantsandflowers.com/dwarf-jacaranda-talk-of-the-town/ ], and seems to have short internodes on the branches/stems and develops dense foliage as a result, certainly more than a 'normal' Jacaranda does, at least in my limited experience. The trunk has thickened very quickly. Its maximum height may be around 10 ft, but yearly winter low temps (on a few night below freezing for a few hours) usu. cause branch tip die-back by several inches where I live, plus I prune it hard to shape it for the next growing season. I ordered it online somewhere but it was produced by Monrovia, who licensed the plant patent from the original grower. If you find a source for this tree, you might want to grow it in a big pot at first to test it in your location. It has been grown in Orlando. 

There's a thread here with some more info on it:

 

[Peter]

[Peter]

Above photo is my Bauhinia variegata 'rubra'.  Second year flowering, 3rd season in the ground from a tiny 1g.

[Hillizard]

6 hours ago, Peter said:

Above photo is my Bauhinia variegata 'rubra'.  Second year flowering, 3rd season in the ground from a tiny 1g.

Oh yes... I definitely would like one of those!

[Josue Diaz]

awesome bauhinia! looking forward to more pics as it wakes up. 

 

the color on the jacaranda is simply amazing. When it comes time to prune it, if you remember, I'd pay for scions to graft onto my standard jac

[Peter]

 

Here's a nice small Jacaranda-it's a Jac jasminoides hybrid, from a tree in South Florida.  The parent tree is jasminoides grafted onto mimosifolia, but it's mixing with something else when it produces seed, perhaps cuspidifolia.  Seeds no longer available unfortunately, and my tree does not set pods.  

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Peter

[Hillizard]

2 hours ago, Peter said:

Here's a nice small Jacaranda-it's a Jac jasminoides hybrid, from a tree in South Florida.  The parent tree is jasminoides grafted onto mimosifolia, but it's mixing with something else when it produces seed, perhaps cuspidifolia.  Seeds no longer available unfortunately, and my tree does not set pods.  

Peter: I agree with Josue, the flower color on your hybrid is stunning! A lucky find!

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, Peter said:

 

Here's a nice small Jacaranda-it's a Jac jasminoides hybrid, from a tree in South Florida.  The parent tree is jasminoides grafted onto mimosifolia, but it's mixing with something else when it produces seed, perhaps cuspidifolia.  Seeds no longer available unfortunately, and my tree does not set pods.  

 

Looks great Peter. Stinks seed isn't available any longer though.. Not sure what happened, but lost the one i'd picked up from you sometime ago. 

J. jasminoides itself has become somewhat of a " Holy Grail"  kind of plant to find lately too.