Dwarf Jacaranda

[WaianaeCrider]

Picked up 100 Dwarf jacaranda seeds on Amazon for like 5 bucks.  Figure what the hell, why not?

Will plant them in a large number of pots w/different media.  Hope I get at least two.  One for me and one for a friend that exchanges rare plants for some of my palm seedlings.

Anyone growing this?

[MikeB]

I'm growing Monrovia's dwarf Jacaranda mimosifolia "Bonsai Blue."  It has a very erratic, untidy and very fast growth habit.  I finally cut it way back and now it's a big bush.  I like it better this way.  This is a grafted tree.  The root stock may be J. mimosifolia but the top is not.  Whatever has been grafted to the rootstock is a much nicer Jacaranda species than mimosifolia in my opinion.  The leaves are a darker green and are thicker with a glossy look.  It looks more tropical but seems to be as cold hardy.  This tree was blooming as a three gallon when I bought it and I get flowers every year.  My  J. cuspidifolia and J. mimosifolia have not bloomed in the 8 years I've had them.  This Monrovia dwarf has been a great one for me in north Florida.

[Josue Diaz]

Monrovia grows and sells Bonsai Blue but as mentioned above, it tends to want to sprawl. Even still, it'll grow to tree size if you let it. 

[iko.]

I'm also growing the Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' as a grafted plant. I'm not sure if they come true from seed. 

Mine is growing in London (UK) and has gone through two winters. First winter was ok, but last one was a bit rough and got covered in snow a few times. It has just started to sprout from the base, the rootstock, but I'm really hoping the graft part has survived too. As @Mike B said, the leaves of J. 'Bonsai Blue' seem thicker than the J. mimosifolia. 

I'm posting a pic of the Jacaranda Bonsai Blue all burnt after the first snow in December. A bit unrelated but also posting here some other Jacarandas I'm growing and not often seen: white and a very light lilac.

 

Edited June 9, 2023 by iko.

[Foxpalms]

On 6/9/2023 at 11:59 PM, iko. said:

I'm also growing the Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' as a grafted plant. I'm not sure if they come true from seed. 

Mine is growing in London (UK) and has gone through two winters. First winter was ok, but last one was a bit rough and got covered in snow a few times. It has just started to sprout from the base, the rootstock, but I'm really hoping the graft part has survived too. As @Mike B said, the leaves of J. 'Bonsai Blue' seem thicker than the J. mimosifolia. 

I'm posting a pic of the Jacaranda Bonsai Blue all burnt after the first snow in December. A bit unrelated but also posting here some other Jacarandas I'm growing and not often seen: white and a very light lilac.

 

What temperature did that part of London get to this winter and last winter? I'm interested to see what temperature damages them.

[iko.]

On 6/11/2023 at 10:34 PM, Foxpalms said:

What temperature did that part of London get to this winter and last winter? I'm interested to see what temperature damages them.

I probably should start another topic if we start with temperatures   

In December, the Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' was covered in snow for a few days. In the second cold spell, in January, I was faster and covered a bit with a garden fleece. I say a bit because it didn't really cover all the pot and the wind moved it a few times.

Briefly, I can say the 2022/23 winter was colder than 2021/22. See images for temperatures in December'22 and January'23. During the cold spell I was checking the map of Weather Underground all the time and my temperatures were pretty accurate. I'm also growing some Cymbidium orchids, proteas,... and a Strelitzia reginae that right now has several flowers.

  

Edited June 12, 2023 by iko.

[Foxpalms]

2 hours ago, iko. said:

I probably should start another topic if we start with temperatures   

In December, the Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' was covered in snow for a few days. In the second cold spell, in January, I was faster and covered a bit with a garden fleece. I say a bit because it didn't really cover all the pot and the wind moved it a few times.

Briefly, I can say the 2022/23 winter was colder than 2021/22. See images for temperatures in December'22 and January'23. During the cold spell I was checking the map of Weather Underground all the time and my temperatures were pretty accurate. I'm also growing some Cymbidium orchids, proteas,... and a Strelitzia reginae that right now has several flowers.

  

If you don't mind me asking, roughly what part of London are you in, you don't have to answer if you don't want to? It seems like a fairly mild area. Have you tried monstera deliciosa and bougainvillea, I would imagine they would be fine.  As you are another person growing Strelitzia reginae in London, does yours close it's leaves during the day when the temperatures are high, then reopen them at night?

Edited June 13, 2023 by Foxpalms

[iko.]

14 hours ago, Foxpalms said:

If you don't mind me asking, roughly what part of London are you in, you don't have to answer if you don't want to? It seems like a fairly mild area. Have you tried monstera deliciosa and bougainvillea, I would imagine they would be fine.  As you are another person growing Strelitzia reginae in London, does yours close it's leaves during the day when the temperatures are high, then reopen them at night?

Angel. I have started another thread to don't hijack this about dwarf Jacaranda. 

[Randall SD]

This is my dwarf Bonsai Blue Jacaranda. I intend to keep It pruned to a small size, no room for a large tree here. 

[Hillizard]

16 hours ago, Randall SD said:

This is my dwarf Bonsai Blue Jacaranda. I intend to keep It pruned to a small size, no room for a large tree here. 

I let my 'Bonsai Blue' Jacaranda find its own height, so to speak which is around 9-10 ft so far. Winter frosts knock it back a few inches each year, as can be seen in the photo. It helps shade from the sun/heat some more tender palms below. Jacarandas don't seem to complain about high temps, low humidity or searing sun.

[iko.]

Great examples, @Randall SD and @Hillizard, on how the Jacaranda Bonsai Blue looks if contained or let wild. 
 

I’m curious if the rootstock where this variety is grafted it’s the common mimosifolia or another type. In citrus and other fruiting trees the rootstock is key to maintain the vigour of the tree. I don’t know if that applies to the Jacaranda ‘Bonsai Blue’. So far, the grafted part of my plant looks dead after the snow and frosts, but it’s sprouting profusely from below which may help to clear my doubt.

Edited June 22, 2023 by iko.

[Hillizard]

8 hours ago, iko. said:

Great examples, @Randall SD and @Hillizard, on how the Jacaranda Bonsai Blue looks if contained or let wild. 
 

I’m curious if the rootstock where this variety is grafted it’s the common mimosifolia or another type. In citrus and other fruiting trees the rootstock is key to maintain the vigour of the tree. I don’t know if that applies to the Jacaranda ‘Bonsai Blue’. So far, the grafted part of my plant looks dead after the snow and frosts, but it’s sprouting profusely from below which may help to clear my doubt.

Some background I found online: "Jacaranda '‘Bonsai Blue' marketed by Monrovia is a true dwarf [i.e. the commercially available retail type is not grafted, though some varieties of Jacaranda are] developed by Kiyoshi Sakai in Japan. It tops out at 6 ft. in height by 5 ft. in width, as compared to a height of 40+ ft. for a regular Jacaranda mimosifolia. Cold tolerance is the same at 25°F (zone 9b). The first 800 specimens sold by Monrovia were contract-grown in Israel by Hochberg Export Ornamental Plants. Availability is still limited, but hopefully it will be sold in more nurseries (and at a lower price) in the years to come."

https://www.succulentsandmore.com/2017/06/update-on-jacaranda-bonsai-blue.html

[mnorell]

30 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Some background I found online: "Jacaranda '‘Bonsai Blue' marketed by Monrovia is a true dwarf [i.e. the commercially available retail type is not grafted, though some varieties of Jacaranda are] developed by Kiyoshi Sakai in Japan. It tops out at 6 ft. in height by 5 ft. in width, as compared to a height of 40+ ft. for a regular Jacaranda mimosifolia. Cold tolerance is the same at 25°F (zone 9b). The first 800 specimens sold by Monrovia were contract-grown in Israel by Hochberg Export Ornamental Plants. Availability is still limited, but hopefully it will be sold in more nurseries (and at a lower price) in the years to come."

https://www.succulentsandmore.com/2017/06/update-on-jacaranda-bonsai-blue.html

I would be wary of such marketing claims...we will have to see with time what this plant, whatever it is, does in the ground in a warm climate. Where was this trialed, tested...and in what climates? Just from the comments above it is obvious that this novelty is a fast grower and attains at least 10' very quickly. That would indicate that it could get much larger than that height over a period of years, and, if it is indeed dwarf, that it may just be "somewhat smaller" than typical Jacaranda mimosifolia, which can easily hit 50'. In fact, Jacaranda mimosifolia is planted all over the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley region, and virtually every tree has been hacked to death, hat-racked, and are supremely ugly. I have never understood why homeowners/gardeners or landscape architects and designers would plant or spec a 50-plus-foot, very fast-growing tree when something of no greater than 20' is desired. This 'Bonsai Blue' plant is being sold currently in the Coachella Valley so I suppose the truth will wash out eventually as it gets planted around in this very hot, fast-growth climate. I personally am not completely convinced that this is J. mimosifolia. Just on casual observation of nursery plants, there are some appearance issues that lead me to believe it is a bit unusual...and begs the question that it might be one of the dozens of other Jacaranda species, some of which are smaller than the common Jacaranda mimosifolia.