esrosedotblog

PERSPECTIVE

I have always admired the jacaranda tree.

From afar.

Close up, they are about the messiest tree you ever saw. In someone else's yard they are magnificent. Awesome.

Don't know what it is? Not surprising. They are a kind of subtropical to tropical tree indigenous to the Southern Hemisphere.

They thrive here. On the condo complex, built in the '80's, they line the drives and are of considerable size. We have one in front of our unit. Far enough in front that we get no mess from it at all.

The tree has big multileaf stems which shed in two stages. First, all the little tiny leaves on the stem and then the stem. The stems are about a foot long and blanket the lawn. The little leaves all go into our fountain. Every goddam one of them.

Then, the flowers. Gorgeous purple all up and down the big branches which tend to grow vertically in the desert. I think this may be a result of the heat. All trees develop quickly here and tend to grow up versus across.

These blossoms also drop. The grand finale. You do not want your auto under these. Particularly white vehicles. Purple spots anyone?

Almost all the trees on our evening walks are in bloom now. Beautiful. The tree out front has been a little late but that seems to be the story of fauna in the northeast corner of the estate.

We are happy we do not have to pay the price in raking stems or worrying about purple spots on the Volvo which is safely in the garage. And the fountain is only a little bit messy and easily remedied.

Jacarandas.

Labels: condo, desert, horticulture