Re: Trees for Medit. area

Gayle and Tim,
 
A couple of trees I have admired recently, that might be worth a try, are Bauhinia blakeana and Jacaranda mimosifolia - both have spectacular blooms.
 
The Bauhinia or Hong Kong orchid tree has pink to magenta orchid type flowers.  There is one growing at a campground near me and when I saw it in bloom earlier this year, I just had to stop and see if I could identify it - and I was unfamiliar with it.  The owners of the campground didn't know what type of tree it was either - they just knew their father planted it many years ago.  Later I saw on Monrovia's web site they were introducing the tree - and when I saw it I recognized it from its flowers and unusual shaped leaves.  I have driven by this tree recently and it still has not lost it's leaves - apparently it is almost evergreen but not quite.
 
The Jacaranda has blue flowers in spring and is quite striking - some consider it messy but it provides a good deal of shade with a broad canopy.  We had one growing in our yard when I was a teenager in Camarillo and I still remember how beautiful it was in bloom.  The Jacaranda can be frost sensitive in youth but once it is established it does fine.
 
Both of these trees are growing well in maturity in Zone 9 - so they can take temperature extremes and fog.
 
Linda Starr
Springville Gardens Lavender Farm 
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