How to Plant a Purple Jacaranda Flower

Jacaranda flowers grow on large 40-foot trees that line the streets of tropical cities. Their trumpet-shaped, purple flowers bloom in spring before the leaves open. Although they make stunning additions to the urban streetscape, their flowers are sticky and make quite a mess when they die and drop off in late spring. Jacaranda like a hot, sunny location and will not grow in areas where temperatures dip below 25 degrees. They do well in dry areas and will even live in partial shade, although they won't bloom as profusely.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Garden compost
• Pitch fork or garden fork
• Peat moss
• All-purpose granular fertilizer

Instructions

1. Prepare planting hole. Dig a hole a little deeper than the root ball of the tree and at least twice as wide. Add two or three shovels of garden compost to the bottom of the hole, and use a pitch fork or garden fork to loosen up the soil. Use a shovel to turn the compost under, and mix it in with the loosened soil at the bottom of the hole.

2. Mix a five-gallon bucket of peat moss with the soil removed from the planting hole.

3. Set the root ball of the tree in the center of the hole. The tree should be placed so that its trunk is at the same ground level as it was growing in the nursery. Add or subtract soil from beneath the root ball to adjust its vertical position. The bark on the part of the trunk that was growing under the surface of the soil will be a slightly darker color than the part that was growing above the soil line. Use this as a guide when positioning the tree for planting.

4. Backfill the planting hole with the mixture of soil and peat moss. Firm the soil with your foot as you fill, but don't firm it so much that you compress it.

5. Create a ridge of soil around the outside perimeter of the planting hole, forming a saucer-shaped depression. This ridge keeps water from running off so it gets to the roots of the tree where it is needed.

6. Add granulated all-purpose fertilizer to the saucer-shaped area around the tree, keeping the fertilizer from touching the tree trunk. Apply the fertilizer at half the recommended strength for the first year after planting, thereafter apply full strength. Work the fertilizer into the soil with a garden claw, being careful not to cultivate deep enough to damage the just-planted roots.

7. Fill the saucer-shaped depression with water and allow it to drain into the soil. Repeat this twice more.

Tips & Warnings

• Water the tree weekly until it is well established, at least for the first year after planting.

• Jacaranda do not grow or thrive in windy areas; if wind is prevalent in your locale, plant in a protected location.