Flowering Trees Darwin ( The 2020 'Build Up' to the 'Wet' )

[greysrigging]

Some flowering trees here in our Northern Suburbs. ( of Darwin ) We have had an outstanding start to the 2020-2021 Wet Season with well above average early season rains in Sept and Oct.
The last two 'Wets' have been well below average, but all the signs ( La Nina ) are pointing towards an above average season up North, as well as in  Eastern and South Eastern Australia.
Our flowering trees are starting to bloom, spurred on by the early rains.
The old school Darwin favourite, Delonix regia, have commenced flowering.....they will be at their best in November.
There is a concerted push on by the enviro plant Nazis in Darwin to have them Declared as weeds..... apparently they have a tendency to 'escape' into the bush out along creek lines and watercourses inland of Darwin. Hard to convince old set in their ways Darwin gardeners ( ie me ! ) of their 'weediness'. We remember Darwin as a barren colourless wasteland post Cyclone Tracy. The humble Poincianna gave us ( still does ) spectacular flowers and some shade in the hot streets and suburbs.
This one in a park near my house

Same tree a few years ago and a bit later in the season

The Tabebuia argenta are just about finished in Darwin, although I spied these ones recently.

This one up town in Stuart Park, and before the recent rains as you can see by the lack of greenery

The 'Yellow Flame Tree', ( Peltophorum pterocarpum ) a Top End native, just starting to put on a display. They also look better in about a months time.





And another old school Darwin favourite, the Cascara Tree  ( Cassia Fistula ) Oh and see previous mentions of the enviro plant Nazis, they don't like these either.....lol !
I would put up a pic of my own one, but mine gets dry season water and never really puts on a decent display. neglect is their friend ( for flowers that is ! )
The pink Cassia Javensis do well in my suburb.



The 'Pride of India' ( Lagerstroemia speciosa ) are a common street tree in Darwin, and are just starting to flower....again, they will be looking better in 4 to 6 weeks time.




And last but not least, the most common street and garden tree in Darwin, the humble Frangipani ( Plumeria ) has come alive after the long dry dormancy. 



 

[Chester B]

Awesome stuff.  Thanks for the photos.

[chinandega81]

What a cool thread, thanks! Do you have a lot of Spathodea campanulata African Tulip Trees there? What about Ceiba species? Any tabebuia rosea? They would all do well there despite an intense, long dry period!

[greysrigging]

2 hours ago, chinandega81 said:

What a cool thread, thanks! Do you have a lot of Spathodea campanulata African Tulip Trees there? What about Ceiba species? Any tabebuia rosea? They would all do well there despite an intense, long dry period!

Whoa ! African Tulip Trees ? I have to be careful because our local plant Gestapo really loath them ( I'm not particularly a fan of them either. ) They are a Declared weed species in South East Queensland and Northern NSW, but not as yet in Darwin and the Top End.
In Darwin they are reasonably common in the older suburbs and were extensively planted out after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.  They seem to be attacked by every insect pest known to man, and on our shallow laterite and nutrient poor soils, look a bit ratty mostly, despite the pretty red/orange flowers. They're prone to dropping limbs without warning too.... And have a propensity to sucker everywhere, often popping up 20 or 30 yards away from the parent tree.
The worst feature, though, is the poisonous nectar in the flower blooms, which kills off Australian native bees ( our pollinators ), and for that reason alone they are not a recommended street tree in Darwin.
https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/52846/african-tulip-tree.pdf


The Tabebuia varieties all grow well here.....the local Council plants them out as street trees. As usual they look a bit non descript until the flowering season.


As for the Silk Floss Tree, there are a few around the suburbs, but I can't recall them myself. Pretty flowers.
 

[chinandega81]

Your description of the African Tulip Tree sounds like the same as in Florida. They are gorgeous trees when grown in good soil...otherwise they have the issues you mentioned. However in good soil with plenty of moisture they become very invasive and weedy.

 

Is Ylang Ylang popular there? What are the most common street trees planted there? Like in public swales? What about at local businesses? 

[greysrigging]

13 minutes ago, chinandega81 said:

Is Ylang Ylang popular there? What are the most common street trees planted there? Like in public swales? What about at local businesses? 

There's a few Ylang Ylangs out there in suburbia and the rural districts, ( and in the Botanical Gardens ) but wouldn't say it is a commonly grown species. Anecdotally the ones native to the Queensland coast don't really want to flower in Darwin, so those who want to grow it source the seed stock from South East Asia. 
Lovely perfumed flowers.
https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/sites/default/files/uploads/files/preferred_trees_list_for_darwin_web.pdf
https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/live/parking-roads/streets-roads/trees
http://www.growmeinstead.com.au/public/GMI-brochure-Northern-Territory.pdf

 

[greysrigging]

The Flame trees really starting to put on a good display at East Point, Darwin.

 

[greysrigging]

Walking up to the shops....a bit of street colour......
Bougainvillea.



Some red and yellow flame trees in the park across the road from the shops.
A young Peltophorum pterocarpum

And these ones, not flowering, but nevertheless still decorative with last years seed pods.



An under utilized native tree ( Golden Penda ) that should be more widely grown in and around Darwin. There were 3 or 4 nice trees here opposite the Hibiscus Tavern....sadly they succumbed to Cyclone Marcus 2 years ago. The one remaining specimen in full bloom atm.  Xanthostemon chrysanthus is a native of tropical Queensland. There is also a Territory native out in Kakadu in the escarpment country.
Our native Lorikeets go mad for the nectar in the flowers.





Some more random street pics... Frangipani



Golden shower and Flame tree



Impressive Travelers....Ravenala madagascariensis

[chinandega81]

What beautiful pics. Thank you for sharing. Everything looks gorgeous and happy. It seems like a lovely place to visit someday!

[tropicbreeze]

21 hours ago, greysrigging said:

An under utilized native tree ( Golden Penda ) that should be more widely grown in and around Darwin. There were 3 or 4 nice trees here opposite the Hibiscus Tavern....sadly they succumbed to Cyclone Marcus 2 years ago. The one remaining specimen in full bloom atm.  Xanthostemon chrysanthus is a native of tropical Queensland. There is also a Territory native out in Kakadu in the escarpment country.
Our native Lorikeets go mad for the nectar in the flowers.





 

I think that's Xanthostemon paradoxus in the photo, not X. chrysanthus which has slightly narrower leaves. There's a few other species here that are more in monsoon forests or along creeks in the sandstone country. Paradoxus is all over the place in the lowlands, including around Darwin. It likes open woodland and grows in drier soils. The other species here have more creamy coloured flowers, or a little greenish.

[greysrigging]

A nice Delonix regia in a shady park not far from my house.

These Acacias planted on the verge of a major 4 lane arterial road.....certainly brightens the view on my drive home.

[greysrigging]

Two very attractive specimens in my suburb....
The Pride of India, Lagerstroemia speciosa ( giant crepe-myrtle )




And the yellow flame tree ( Peltophorum pterocarpum )

[Peter]

Nice thread!  Any Cassia brewsteri going off?

 

[greysrigging]

3 hours ago, Peter said:

Nice thread!  Any Cassia brewsteri going off?

 

That's the Queensland Leichhardt Bean Tree. Can't think of any growing in Darwin, but there likely is....
https://www.australianplants.com/plants.aspx?id=1074

Edited October 29, 2020 by greysrigging

[greysrigging]

Palmerston ( satellite city of Darwin, pop of about 45,000 ) has a terrific street tree planting scheme, much better than Darwin's. 











Some more colour up at the East Point Historical Military Precinct. This was the most heavily fortified site in Darwin during WW2, include two 9.2" Naval Guns ( that did not fire a shot in anger, completed after the last Jap raid in Nov 1943 ).











The Delonix regia, suffers a bit of negative publicity from the local Green Garden Gestapo, with lobbying to have them removed due to them being an exotic species with a propensity for weediness. Can't say I've seen it personally, but supposedly the species has got away out along creek lines and watercourses in the Douglas-Daly regions south west of Darwin. 
This next lot of pics along the road into East Point Reserve is used by the Environazis as an example of feral Poinciannas in the remnant moonsoon vine forest.  I'm thinking....hmmm, not bad for over 140 years of settlement and disturbance, including a huge military presence during the War years.....







Another fantastic tree in Darwin is the  Albizia saman (South-American Rain Tree).  We have huge ancient specimens planted out in the City and Botanical Gardens.  The ones planted out around Gardens Oval ( a fooball and cricket ground ) are famous Australia wide.
A nice shady street at Orchard St,  Coconut Grove ( where there is no orchard, nor coconuts.....probably was before Cyclone Tracy )
The Rain Trees are flowering atm.





This is one of the prettiest flowering tree species in Darwin.  Weeping Rosewood ( Pterocarpus indicus  ) A magnificent shady and colourful tree.
Sadly, it has a fatal flaw in the Darwin region... yep, the dreaded Ganoderma Wilt has decimated most of the big trees around the City, so to find these healthy specimens over in Nightcliff was a real bonus !









And another couple of nice examples of 'Pride of India'



A great Territory native, and an excellent example of a roundabout street planting.
Mimusops elengi
  

[greysrigging]

Been keeping an eye on this specimen near the Karama shops....it's a pale orange variety, not uncommon around town, but this one is especially nice !
The slightly redder looking flowers on the extreme right of the pics are from a different tree in the park.

 

[greysrigging]

The Darwin suburb of Jingili is blessed with some of the best soil in the region, being located in the Rapid Creek floodplain... nice deep soils.
The suburb dates pre Cyclone Tracy and was largely destroyed in Dec 1974, then rebuilt during Reconstruction.
I used to think my own yard was lookin' OK until I took a drive through Jingili this afternoon. There is a particular street called Gaden Circuit that has the best street plantings, verges and private gardens that I've seen in Darwin...... stunning !
I'll put up some new pics and stuff in a separate thread.... it is the Palmiest  suburb in an already fairly Palmy city.....
Despite the rigours of the climate,  there are jungles to be had on a suburban block. There's some flowering trees too.....
A nice example of a yellow flame tree ( Peltophorum pterocarpum ) in Jingili

And the Red Flame Tree ( Delonix regia ).

A small section of the most magnificent street plantings in the Darwin suburb of Jingili.

[greysrigging]

A real beauty out at Berry Springs ( photo by Tim West, one of our local gardening gurus )
Weeping Rosewood.

 

[greysrigging]

Some street views in the Palmerston suburb of Gunn







And some more pics of the lush greenery in the older Darwin suburb of Jingili

















A Jacaranda.... they don't flower in Darwin, but that doesn't stop us trying ( I have one about the same size in back yard )





An Acacia in a street just around the corner from my house. Gaden Cct, Jingili.

Edited November 6, 2020 by greysrigging

[greysrigging]

A very pretty street...Bul Bul Crt, Ludmilla..... an older ( pre Cyclone Tracey ) suburb that was completely destroyed by the Xmas Day storm in 1974. The signs here show the rebuilding and re greening efforts after the Cyclone.

And a Boab tree on someone's nature strip. They've not had the rain here that the Northern Suburbs ( my place ) have had.


I've been in Darwin for 40 years and can't recall ever seeing this street !





The Gandoderma wilt has decimated Golden Canes throughout Darwin.....except these ones !









These other pics from Martin Crs, Coconut Grove.... former monsoonal vine forest that was cleared 40 years ago for a housing sub division. In fact Coconut Grove has the highest mean rainfall in the Darwin region....about 1900mm ( 75" )

[chinandega81]

I love the Royal Palms in the pic. Such full crowns at such a height make them look amazing. They don't seem to be too common there...is that because they attract lightning strikes?

 

 

[greysrigging]

8 hours ago, chinandega81 said:

I love the Royal Palms in the pic. Such full crowns at such a height make them look amazing. They don't seem to be too common there...is that because they attract lightning strikes?

 

 

Actually very common....before the availability of Foxtails and Triangles on the market, the Royals were the most widely grown exotic palm throughout Darwin. But, as with many exotics in our climate, if they are stressed out by lack of water during the dry season, they become susceptible to all sorts of bugs and diseases, including Gandoderma wilt, palm leaf beetle and termites. Tree loppers in town do quite a bit of business around town removing 40 year old giants.

[greysrigging]

Revisiting this thread for the 2021 'build up' and the colours the change of seasons brings forth.
Spied this magnificent  Tabebuia yesterday. Deep as we are into the 'dry season' ( August ), this tree is putting on a showy display.
 

[greysrigging]

And we know its the 'build up' ( to the wet season ) when the yellow flame trees start to bloom. 
Peltophorum pterocarpum

[BigFrond]

Wow, really cool thread.  More trees pic please.