Don't the Royal Poinciana, Delix regia add to the Valley's tropical flair! Driving down the expressway, these orange beauties can be spotted throughout each town. This particular one has both this year's blooms and last year's large, dark seed pods. At least I think those seed pods are from last year. Royal Poinciana will take 5 or 6 years to bloom. Mine bloomed on ONE branch this year - I think it's taunting me!They are beginning to lose their blossoms and I, for one, will sorely miss their beauty - but we can begin to look forward to the the next showy tree to bloom. That's the Kapok or Silk tree. Look for its pale pink flowers sometime in August.
7 comments:
What a lovely tree. I have never seen one before. I like having trees that bloom some time other than spring.
Jan
Always Growing
the Royal Poinciana looks exotic and is very showy for that tropical look. Mine is nearly 20 years old it is huge but it only flowers on one branch. Every summer I think this will be its breakthrough. I see them every where and they are covered in flowers. It grew from a seed. It didn'd grow well in the beginning and for a few years I threatened it to be out and away if it doesn't pull its socks up and grows. Then suddenly it did a mighty jump, but no flowers. Is this the revenge of the Poinciana?
JAN - It is wonderful to have a tree that blooms a bit later (and longer). What is your zone in Louisiana? When it snowed here in 2004, my Royal Poinciana died back but it regrew pretty quickly. It is sensative to freezing temps.
Titania - I don't feel so bad about my 7 year old Royal Poinciana not blooming yet. Actually, one branch bloomed this year - ironic! Maybe next year is our year for lots of flowers! But I still love its feathery leaves.
Great looking tree. Does it grow with the top flat, or has it been pruned that way?
Aiyana
That IS a gorgeous, showy tree ~ I can see why you'll miss it!
AIYANA - This is the Royal Poinciana's natural form - its related to Mimosas - do they grow in Phoenix? Hope you are surviving those brutal temps you all have been having. My mom, who lives there, has escaped to northern Wisconsin, then Canada for the summer.
KATHLEEN - I will miss those orange blooms - but next we get to look forward to the Kapoks blooming. There aren't as many but they become completely covered with pale pink flowers in August (when everything else is fizzling out)
Hello!
Three years ago my wife came home with what she called a Flamboyant
Puerto Rican / Royal Poinciana. She is great about buying not planting, so I watered it for a couple of months in the pot in the driveway in Port Saint Lucie Fl. She then knocked it over with the car and broke off the top, at that point it was two and a half feet tall. I planted it in the back yard, that was two years ago, it's over 20' but no flowers yet. 6-4-14
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