Jacarandas in full bloom

Melville, Johannesburg

05.11.2011

Street lined with jacaranda trees

 

This suburb of Jo’burg had streets lined with jacaranda trees Jacaranda mimosifolia; stunning views. I managed to take the above photo with David’s help, not just for warning me about incoming cars but for safety as well. It was not advisable to use cameras or look like a tourist.

Afterwords we went for a walk in the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve; it was rather barren but the view to the city was sprinkled with the deep blue jacaranda blossom.

View from a barren hill top

 It just shows how important it is to plant trees in urban areas, one can hardly see the houses!

I’ve already mentioned these trees in the Graaf-Reinet entry; they come from Latin America but seem to do rather well all over the world.  For instance, nearby Pretoria is even better; it is called the jacaranda capital of the world. 

Also, there are lots in Lisbon and my friend Fernando Catarino tells me that their peak blossom is timed for the 10^th of June, perhaps getting earlier.   

And, right now, in Perth there were some very fine trees in bloom; the ground below was a carpet of flowers. Amazing how they can cope with its harsh climate and poor soil.