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Every year in late spring, the skies of suburbs all over the country are flooded with flowering jacaranda trees. It’s a beautiful burst of mauve to brighten our outlook and signify the beginning of warmer days ahead. Generally speaking, mature jacaranda trees create a brilliant spectacle in public plantings – along city streets, decades-old parks and older, more established residential suburbs. We take a stroll through the best of them to discover where you can see the best jacaranda trees in bloom.
When do jacaranda trees flower?
Native to Brazil in South America, the jacaranda mimosifolia tree is deciduous and drops its feather-fine leaves in late winter to be replaced with a beautiful profusion of mauve trumpet-shaped flowers from late spring into early summer. The jacaranda flowers eventually drop to produce a blanket of blooms beneath wide-spreading branches that make spectacular arches when lined along opposite sides of streets and pathways.
Where do jacaranda trees grow best?
Jacaranda mimosifolia thrives on neglect! It prefers a sunny position in well-drained soil and a dry environment, growing faster in warmer climates than cool. Before planting, however, make sure there’s enough room for it to grow. A large tree for your garden, Jacaranda grows to a height of up to 15 metres and spreads almost as wide, making it an excellent specimen to plant in either your front garden for great kerb appeal or back garden as they can be seen over your house and from a distance for your entire neighbourhood to enjoy!
Can you grow a jacaranda tree from seed?
Yes! It is possible to grow a jacaranda tree from a seed – the trees are prolific in producing flat seed pods that open to emit feather-light seeds encased in tissue-like wings. These seeds quickly grow into seedlings when planted and can also be transplanted as small trees.
One urban tale tells of a nurse who used to gift a jacaranda tree seedling to mothers who visited her clinic with newborn babies. The families would go on to plant the tiny trees in their lawns and gardens, cultivating entire suburbs of the purple blooms as the trees matured along with the growing children.
Here’s where you can see the best showing of jacaranda trees in full bloom across Australia.
Jacarandas in Kirribilli
Many suburbs across Sydney burst into jacaranda bloom each spring, however, Kirribilli on the northern shores of Sydney harbour is renowned for its jacaranda-lined streets and draws countless tourists yearly. An easy train ride from the city, McDougall Street in particular has a spectacular show and this makes a pretty addition to a day out to the big smoke. Try to align your visit with the buzz of the fortnightly Kirribilli Markets underneath the Harbour Bridge.
Jacarandas in Brisbane
Brisbane is awash with purple in spring and there are many suburbs to visit for a brilliant display. The Dockside walk at Kangaroo point has a wonderful display, along with Princess Street, Goodna and New Farm.
Jacarandas in Grafton
The NSW city of Grafton has jacarandas in such abundance they have built an entire town festival around it! Visit their website to find out what’s one and where to see these stunning trees at their best.
Jacaranda trees in Adelaide
Many of the suburban streets of Adelaide are lined with jacaranda trees – Blair Athol and Clarence Gardens have beautiful displays and there are also plenty to see in the main CBD itself, along with inside the University of Adelaide campus grounds.
Jacaranda trees in Perth
Perth is a beautiful place to be in spring and jacaranda trees herald the start of the festive season. Applecross also hosts a local festival to celebrate the bounty of purple jacaranda blooms with family-friendly fun. Other suburbs to hunt down these amazing trees are Highgate, Marlborough Street in East Perth and, of course, Old Jacaranda Way in Subiaco.
Jacaranda trees in Melbourne
You’ll find fewer mass plantings of roadside jacaranda trees in suburbia, so the historic public buildings in and around the city are a wonderful place to start in the hunt for jacaranda trees flowering in Melbourne. Start with the Royal Botanical Gardens, then move to the historic sandstone buildings, Parliament House and The University of Melbourne, which form a classic backdrop for the purple blooms. Further out, Edinborough Gardens in Fitzroy North also has an impressive display.
