Really lovely photos of the gulmohar trees and their flowers S-H, we have them here too on the east coast of Australia, we know them as poncianas/flame trees, they truly are spectacular when in bloom.It is recommended here not to plant them too close to other plants, they really suck up all the good in the ground.The parrots like the flowers too.Here is a picture of one in full flower which I took at Christmas time while we were on hoildays, I thought it looked really nice with the white house behind it.They bloom here in November/ December as that is our summertime.I believe they are native to Madagascar.Here we also have a smaller shrub type one called peacock flower...same flower but smaller tree.Do you have any growing in your garden? Here they are widely used as street landscaping trees because of their size.They are spectacular with the blue skies behind them as in your photos. Summer splendour ( photo / image / picture from chocolate's Garden )
Your picture is really a very artistically taken shot! And yes, it really is amazing how the red color of it's flowers, the lush green of it's leafs, and the blue of the sky - All come together to make such a wonderful picture! And yes, here too they (these Gulmohar trees) are very well suited for street landscaping. However we don't have the peacock flower over here. I really wish our forum member Oubee (from the wonderful island nation of Mauritius) was here - As she too I am 100% sure would have contributed a lot of information regarding these trees. Because as I understand it, Mauritius is home to some of the world's most amazing plant varieties!
Thank you both for sharing those beautiful pic's of such a spectacular tree. It is truly eye dazzling to see. I was wondering if the blossoms were fragrant? All I could say when viewing the pic's was WOW!
Delonix Here is a seedling about one year old I grew from seed smuggled in from the Bahamas by my boss. Of four seeds, only one sprouted.
Just beautiful! And it's a very fast grower too! So I say by this same time next year (provided that it's planted in the ground and not kept in a pot) - You are bound to see it in bloom!!!
pot-bound for life Can't put it in the ground. We sometimes get freezes here down to 28 degrees. But I was surprised at how fast I was able to get it to grow. Of course, the fertilizer did all the work. Just add water!
Hi S-H. Love the pictures. That tree sure is beautiful. How well do they do in pots. I would love to try growing one. That is if it would survive indoors for the winter. Do you know the coldest temps it would take?
Well, it is a heat lover for sure. It blooms very well at the peak of our Summer season, when the temperatures can easily shoot to +45ºC (+113ºF) if it doesn't rain. In Winter time which is in the middle of December, when +15ºC (+59ºF) is the coolest it will get at nights - These trees very quickly shed all their laves and give the impression as if they are dead. We see signs of life return to them in Early February of late January. And by March they are lush green once more. From June to Late August (which is the rainy Monsoon season) they stay in constant bloom. Their Ruby red color can easily be seem from the air too (if the trees are planted in large clusters). From mid July is where we start to see their fruit (containing seeds). The fruit can sometimes hang for 2 or 3 months before it fully ripens. October is usually the worst month over here, when the temperature can sometimes even go above +52ºC (+126ºF). But these trees don't show any signs of stress. However from late November to mid January (wich is our winter) is the time where this tree simply refuses to play... So it is a very hardy tree, but not very tolerant of cool temperatures. However I personally feel that it will not die so easily even if the temperature goes down to the freezing point of water. I say this because I've seen these trees bounce back every single time after winter. Of course, our Winters are usually like the warm Summer months in Northern Europe. But I know a rugged tree when I see one! Keeping it in pots however can become a problem, as it is a very fast grower. So in a matter of just a year and a half, you'll see it outgrow even the biggest pot you'll have. Even the largest metal container shown on the lower left corner of this page (see link below) will in about 3 to 4 years become too small for this tree... http://www.largeplantcontainers.com/lar ... iners.html These Gulmohar trees are also very hungry by nature. What I mean is that they can easily deplete the soil's nutrient levels - So even if you are able to find a pot which will be large enough for this tree, you'll always be needing to give very generous amounts of fertilizer all year round. However if you are able to manage it somehow, then the prize (when it blooms for you in Summer) sure will be worth all your efforts!
Thanks S-H for the info. I think I would like to try and see what happens. Could you send me some seeds? I would me thrilled if I could get it to grow and to bloom. I'ts the only way I'll ever see one for real.
Sure, you bet! I'll head out to the plant nurseries tomorrow (or the day after) and see if you have any seeds. I am sure they will let me have some. Seedlings I can have already, but shipping them internationally will not work... But I will still get a kick out of knowing that something from my part of the world will end up growing on the other side of the planet - These are the reasons why I joined this Forum!
The fruit of the tree still isn't ripe. From these pictures one can see that it is still green and soft - It has to turn dark brown, and become as hard as the wood of this tree. So still a few weeks to go before I am able to collect freshly ripened seeds. Fruit of the Gulmohar tree ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Another fruit of the Gulmohar tree ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
OK people, here it is! Bloom of the Gulmohar trees is now finally over, and the seeds too are now ready for collection! So this is how I collect the seeds, enclose in an airtight plastic wrap with the help of a plastic sealer. Then put them in an envelope, ready to be posted! Gulmohar tree, with it's bloom ending. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Fruit of the Gulmohar tree, now dry. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Extracting the seeds with a plyer. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Using a plastic sealer to package the seeds. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Putting the seeds inside an envelop. ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Letter being posted!!! ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
