Choices to Enjoy Flowering Beauty of Subtropical Trees

How about those jacarandas that are just finishing up? Do you ever remember them flowering with such exuberance? Across the Southland, they spread their “soft haze over the horizon,” which is how one expert describes that unique color from a distance.

Growing subtropical trees could be said to be a privilege enjoyed by the milder areas of Southern California. Only in parts of Florida and in Hawaii can one do the same. A worthy weekend project would be to plant one of these subtropical flowering trees, of which there are quite a few, including one that is so small as to fit in any garden. Or, even in a large container.

Finding these exotic trees at nurseries may be more difficult than the job of planting them. The jacarandas won’t be hard to find but most others are not common fare. Many have been introduced only recently to California gardens, mostly through the efforts of the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia (where some are available for sale, (818) 446-8251).

That jacarandas are planted as often as they are attests to their beauty because there is a price to pay for the privilege of growing them. The flowers are very slippery and can stain cars parked underneath and the pavement. They drop a fair amount of litter before going leafless in winter.

Something for Each Season

There are subtropical flowering trees for almost every season. In spring, you can count on the two Tabebuias , perhaps better known as the yellow and lavender trumpet trees. The lavender-flowering tabebuia is an extremely handsome shade tree that barely filters the light and is a joy to sit under on a warm day. It is also on the small and very manageable side, growing to about 25 feet.

The yellow trumpet tree is even smaller and may be one of the smallest trees period. It grows very slowly, and a 10-footer is pretty big, though they can grow taller. It will even flower in a container so there is no excuse for not planting one of these, except that it is still a little hard to find. Its botanical name is Tabebuia chrysotricha and it, like the lavender-flowering tabebuia, is from Brazil.

Orchid trees ( Bauhinia ) also bloom in the spring, and this was one of their best years ever. As trees, they always appear a little ragged around the edges, but make amends when they flower.

Brilliant Flowers

For summer, it is hard to beat another Brazilian tree, Cassia leptophylla , with its brilliant and large yellow flowers. It is a handsome tree that casts just the right amount of shade and stays under 30 feet. The tipu tree ( Tipuana tipu ) is also from Brazil; pretty, fast growing, but brittle in winds. Thevetia theveioides is another small tree (from Mexico) with bright-yellow flowers.

In the fall, come the spectacular floss silk trees ( Chorisia speciosa ) with their bright-pink flowers and thorny trunks. These lose their leaves and then flower. They grow very large but because they are relatively narrow they are being used more in Southland gardens.

All of these will grow in just about any soil, but dig a large hole (twice as wide as the root ball and as deep) and add some soil amendment to the soil you put back in the hole. Be sure to tamp the soil back into the hole firmly and keep it thoroughly watered into summer. Also be sure to take off any stakes the tree came with and put in your own. Trees need to flex in the wind to gain strength, just like muscles, and should never be tied directly to a stake. Use two stakes, on either side of the tree, each about a foot away from the trunk, and tie the tree between.

So how about it? Take the trouble to find one of these, plant it this weekend and do your part toward beautifying Southern California on this Memorial Day weekend. And, do consider planting it in the front yard so we can all enjoy it.