Jacaranda tree in zone 9a high desert Lancaster california

[888.ho3s]

 can I grow a jacaranda tree in zone 9a Lancaster California in the high desert the lowest we got this winter was 24 degrees I heard someone growing it in Victorville California 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, 888.ho3s said:

 can I grow a jacaranda tree in zone 9a Lancaster California in the high desert the lowest we got this winter was 24 degrees I heard someone growing it in Victorville California 

Can be grown up there, but you may experience damage during extended cold spells..

Only a night or two of lows spending an hour or two in the mid-20s?, all winter?  ..If it is dry ...and warms up nicely as soon as the sun rises?, =  only damage you might see is to younger, green growth. Older wood will handle more cold exposure.

Take a look over this write up from San Marcos Growers, particularly the mentions regarding cold hardiness they have observed..
https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=881


One thing i'll add:  Have noticed that these don't handle extreme heat all that well either.. By extreme, i mean daily highs above 108F / nights rarely dropping below 80F ..The kind of heat we see here each summer. 

While i'm sure it gets hot there, i think your nights don't stay as hot as ours do. 

[888.ho3s]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Can be grown up there, but you may experience damage during extended cold spells..

Only a night or two of lows spending an hour or two in the mid-20s?, all winter?  ..If it is dry ...and warms up nicely as soon as the sun rises?, =  only damage you might see is to younger, green growth. Older wood will handle more cold exposure.

Take a look over this write up from San Marcos Growers, particularly the mentions regarding cold hardiness they have observed..
https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=881


One thing i'll add:  Have noticed that these don't handle extreme heat all that well either.. By extreme, i mean daily highs above 108F / nights rarely dropping below 80F ..The kind of heat we see here each summer. 

While i'm sure it gets hot there, i think your nights don't stay as hot as ours do. 

Ive seen them in San Bernanido which there gets up to 120 hotter than here over here max is 115 also this year was very mild the highest was 106 for a week our winters are wet and cold but when the sun comes up it quickly heats up 

[888.ho3s]

Where do u live @Silas_Sancona

[happypalms]

I would say yes they take quite cold temperatures minus 2. You might be in luck if you protect a young tree, and plant the biggest tree you can find. In my area the town of Grafton Australia has a jacaranda festival with hundreds of trees planted throughout the town and the valley and it sees some very cold temperatures. Give it a go for sure.

[Slifer00]

6 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

 can I grow a jacaranda tree in zone 9a Lancaster California in the high desert the lowest we got this winter was 24 degrees I heard someone growing it in Victorville California 

Young trees can be killed at just 27 fahrenheit. Also, jacarandas need a LOT of water in Spring if you want them to have lush blooms!!

[Slifer00]

7 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I would say yes they take quite cold temperatures minus 2. You might be in luck if you protect a young tree, and plant the biggest tree you can find. In my area the town of Grafton Australia has a jacaranda festival with hundreds of trees planted throughout the town and the valley and it sees some very cold temperatures. Give it a go for sure.

The average annual minimum temperature from 1991 to 2020 in Lancaster CA is -9.6 celsius, so I don't believe it would be possible.

[888.ho3s]

1 minute ago, Slifer00 said:

Young trees can be killed at just 27 fahrenheit. Also, jacarandas need a LOT of water in Spring if you want them to have lush blooms!!

Oh I have water that’s not a issue I guess I’ll do some protection on the sapling I just ordered it I heard this winter was gonna be extremely mild in California and dry so I’m looking forward for that 

[888.ho3s]

2 minutes ago, Slifer00 said:

The average annual minimum temperature from 1991 to 2020 in Lancaster CA is -9.6 celsius, so I don't believe it would be possible.

I don’t believe that’s correct maybe the outer desert but in right in the middle if that was correct we wouldn’t have queen palms and Mexican fan palms I say the lowest is 20 degrees 

[888.ho3s]

12 minutes ago, happypalms said:

I would say yes they take quite cold temperatures minus 2. You might be in luck if you protect a young tree, and plant the biggest tree you can find. In my area the town of Grafton Australia has a jacaranda festival with hundreds of trees planted throughout the town and the valley and it sees some very cold temperatures. Give it a go for sure.

Okay I’ll protect it right now as a sapling if I could grow citrus I should be able to grow this too 

[Slifer00]

2 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

I don’t believe that’s correct maybe the outer desert but in right in the middle if that was correct we wouldn’t have queen palms and Mexican fan palms I say the lowest is 20 degrees 

Its likely to be somewhat outdated because it only reflects past averages, naturally winters are getting warmer now 

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, Slifer00 said:

The average annual minimum temperature from 1991 to 2020 in Lancaster CA is -9.6 celsius, so I don't believe it would be possible.

So,  you live here?  /  ..are an expert on our climate,  ...Because you've lived here ...in the U.S. Southwest... and have  personally  experienced how the weather works here,  in this  part of the world?. 

If not? ....  your " assumption "  is just a casual thought ....from thousands of miles away.  

[Silas_Sancona]

7 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Where do u live @Silas_Sancona

Chandler, AZ ..As noted in the " location " below my Avatar..  

Grew up in San Jose ( CA ) 

Jacaranda = commonly planted tree up in San Jo'  ..Have observed their responses to freezes up there from the late -80s to present, inc. after the great 1990 freeze where my part of town hit 17-19F on the coldest morning of that event. 

Only neighborhood specimens that didn't survive it were smaller, recently planted - sized trees. 



Forgot to mention: 21 specimens are planted around the U of A Campus Arboretum in Tucson.  

https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=141

Tucson rarely escapes -at least-  a handful of sub 30F lows each winter ..Sometimes experiencing a night ..or 3..  down into the mid /lower 20s, ...and /or a dusting to 2" of snowfall ( that usually melts by mid day the next day ). 

Of note: those " colder " mornings  ..are becoming rarer as the area warms. 

You might look over the Arboretum's  species listing to see additional, more unique trees that could work in your location as well. 

 

[888.ho3s]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Chandler, AZ ..As noted in the " location " below my Avatar..  

Grew up in San Jose ( CA ) 

Jacaranda = commonly planted tree up in San Jo'  ..Have observed their responses to freezes up there from the late -80s to present, inc. after the great 1990 freeze where my part of town hit 17-19F on the coldest morning of that event. 

Only neighborhood specimens that didn't survive it were smaller, recently planted - sized trees. 



Forgot to mention: 21 specimens are planted around the U of A Campus Arboretum in Tucson.  

https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=141

Tucson rarely escapes -at least-  a handful of sub 30F lows each winter ..Sometimes experiencing a night ..or 3..  down into the mid /lower 20s, ...and /or a dusting to 2" of snowfall ( that usually melts by mid day the next day ). 

Of note: those " colder " mornings  ..are becoming rarer as the area warms. 

You might look over the Arboretum's  species listing to see additional, more unique trees that could work in your location as well. 

 

Wow okay do u think royal poinciana would be able to grow too or no

[888.ho3s]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Chandler, AZ ..As noted in the " location " below my Avatar..  

Grew up in San Jose ( CA ) 

Jacaranda = commonly planted tree up in San Jo'  ..Have observed their responses to freezes up there from the late -80s to present, inc. after the great 1990 freeze where my part of town hit 17-19F on the coldest morning of that event. 

Only neighborhood specimens that didn't survive it were smaller, recently planted - sized trees. 



Forgot to mention: 21 specimens are planted around the U of A Campus Arboretum in Tucson.  

https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=141

Tucson rarely escapes -at least-  a handful of sub 30F lows each winter ..Sometimes experiencing a night ..or 3..  down into the mid /lower 20s, ...and /or a dusting to 2" of snowfall ( that usually melts by mid day the next day ). 

Of note: those " colder " mornings  ..are becoming rarer as the area warms. 

You might look over the Arboretum's  species listing to see additional, more unique trees that could work in your location as well. 

 

Yeah it just keeps getting warmer and warmer here bad part is that since it’s getting warmer the summers would likely be more harsher but atleast the winters are getting mild now I noticed that people are starting to grow citrus here and planting a lot of baby queen palms some queen palms are 20+ years old here. I also just planted a king palm I’ll see how it does here. And I have a 8 year old lime tree unprotected and there’s only slight defoliation then grows in spring and gives me 100s of limes sadly every few years we get a bit of snow fall

[Silas_Sancona]

5 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Wow okay do u think royal poinciana would be able to grow too or no

Unfortunately, you're just a few degs. too chilly during your winters for Royal Poinciana.. Really wet winters ( combined w/ chilly winter nights ) can kill them too. 

If you like the idea of Red flowering trees  ..That are something more exciting than Bottlebrush ( Kind of boring, IMO ) Tougher Coral Trees ( Erythrina sps ) like X bidwilii,  crista - galli, coralloides ( ** Now lumped in with E. americana )  and flabelliformis  ( Native here ..Well, from Tucson south. Has NO issues w/ the high teens, though freezing back frequently will keep it short )  might do ok.  

..Trouble isn't so much your winter lows but,  Here at least,  they hate our long stretches of dry 110's / nights that don't drop below 85F during the summer. 

If it stays as hot where  you're at as it does here, they might not like it..  Cool down more than we do? ..you might do better than i have, lol. 

Had all of those sps, and several others when i first moved here.. All bit the dust within 2 years ...because of our heat,  even tucked under high,  all day shifting shade. 

Bummer since they're one of my favorite groups of flowering trees. 


Trumpet Trees ( particularly species in the genus Handroanthus  ) would be well worth trialing there..  Have at least two sps that aren't really bothered by our heat and have no issues w/ any cold they see where planted down in Tucson.  Pink, and Yellow flowered sps are planted extensively out there in S. Cal,  so, you shouldn't have too much trouble tracking one down if it might be of interest. 


Tara cacalaco,  AKA: Cascalote, would be another interesting, small- ish tree you could try.  Thorny ( Unless you can track down the " thorn-less " variety ) but, ..Is one of the few trees that will flower during the cooler months ( Fall - Mid Feb. ) here. 

Lows below 26F might torch some of the growth but ..as with most trees, older it gets, tougher it will be.  Laughs at heat.. 

[888.ho3s]

3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Unfortunately, you're just a few degs. too chilly during your winters for Royal Poinciana.. Really wet winters ( combined w/ chilly winter nights ) can kill them too. 

If you like the idea of Red flowering trees  ..That are something more exciting than Bottlebrush ( Kind of boring, IMO ) Tougher Coral Trees ( Erythrina sps ) like X bidwilii,  crista - galli, coralloides ( ** Now lumped in with E. americana )  and flabelliformis  ( Native here ..Well, from Tucson south. Has NO issues w/ the high teens, though freezing back frequently will keep it short )  might do ok.  

..Trouble isn't so much your winter lows but,  Here at least,  they hate our long stretches of dry 110's / nights that don't drop below 85F during the summer. 

If it stays as hot where  you're at as it does here, they might not like it..  Cool down more than we do? ..you might do better than i have, lol. 

Had all of those sps, and several others when i first moved here.. All bit the dust within 2 years ...because of our heat,  even tucked under high,  all day shifting shade. 

Bummer since they're one of my favorite groups of flowering trees. 


Trumpet Trees ( particularly species in the genus Handroanthus  ) would be well worth trialing there..  Have at least two sps that aren't really bothered by our heat and have no issues w/ any cold they see where planted down in Tucson.  Pink, and Yellow flowered sps are planted extensively out there in S. Cal,  so, you shouldn't have too much trouble tracking one down if it might be of interest. 


Tara cacalaco,  AKA: Cascalote, would be another interesting, small- ish tree you could try.  Thorny ( Unless you can track down the " thorn-less " variety ) but, ..Is one of the few trees that will flower during the cooler months ( Fall - Mid Feb. ) here. 

Lows below 26F might torch some of the growth but ..as with most trees, older it gets, tougher it will be.  Laughs at heat.. 

Okay thank you because I was looking for a evergreen flowering canopy tree that can create a microclimate 

[Slifer00]

20 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

So,  you live here?  /  ..are an expert on our climate,  ...Because you've lived here ...in the U.S. Southwest... and have  personally  experienced how the weather works here,  in this  part of the world?. 

If not? ....  your " assumption "  is just a casual thought ....from thousands of miles away.  

Climatology is my biggest passion, moreso than palms. I don't make assumptions, I use facts. No need to get so defensive over such a small thing 😛

[Silas_Sancona]

21 hours ago, 888.ho3s said:

Yeah it just keeps getting warmer and warmer here bad part is that since it’s getting warmer the summers would likely be more harsher but atleast the winters are getting mild now I noticed that people are starting to grow citrus here and planting a lot of baby queen palms some queen palms are 20+ years old here.I also just planted a king palm I’ll see how it does here. And I have a 8 year old lime tree unprotected and there’s only slight defoliation then grows in spring and gives me 100s of limes sadly every few years we get a bit of snow fall

That's the rub about warming up  ..On one hand, winters are growing milder ( Most anyway. Overall trend of warming winters doesn't completely erase the possibility of a really cold one, even if those are much rarer  ..compared to the warm / warmer ones )  

Summer can definitely  be the " pay the price " end of the spectrum..  Some years?  it might be warm, but overall, not too bad..  Others?  ..Yeah, lol.. Tough on plants ...and people. 

Here at least,  the added " punch in the gut " of very little rainfall, when we'd usually expect rain this time of the year, adds a lot of stress.  ...Not to just plants we might include in our gardens,  but out in " wild " areas too..  Most folks would never expect tough desert plants like Agave or Cacti to turn to mush when it is hot..  It's an eye opener when you see witness that w/ your own eyes., both in people's yards,  and wayy out in open desert, far from any " heat island " - effect  related issues.  


King palm in a desert climate = Definitely have your work cut out for you but, if you're lucky, you might get a few years out of it..  I actually did ok with both Chambeyronia oliviformis and macrocarpa in pots placed under high canopy that provided all day shifting shade  ..until i didn't water them enough during a heatwave one summer. 

For the time being at least, your nights during the summer might be cool enough that Queens don't suffer the same fate 95+% of them do here..  Rare you see one that actually looks good.  Mule palms seem to handle the heat better  < ..What i've observed since living here at least. >

Some folks assume a bad looking Queen comes down to simply not watering them enough but,  have seen plenty of awful looking specimens planted in local parks / near neighborhood ponds where the roots can easily access a consistent source of moisture.. 

If access to water isn't the issue, let alone access to nutrients ..Cuz' the parks would fertilize the turf growing next to the palms.. Then the problem is likely weather related. 


Citrus is another commonly planted thing here that i've noticed has started having more issues w/ the heat in recent years.. Neighborhood - planted specimens at least. 

Trees exposed to all day full sun look great ..until we reach that point in the spring / early summer when we start seeing daily highs above 108F / over night lows above 82F.  ...Then, it's a burn fest..  ...Until the rains arrive  ..if they do at all. 

Obviously, Citrus respond well to infrequent, but deep watering  ..so if someone only provides water once or twice all summer, that is only going to cause more damage ( ..and a faster death ) 

That said, 

Tucked under higher trees that provide some shade?, they look a lot better, even if they don't get quite as much water as you should provide.. 

Being able to grow a Lime for 8 years,  in an area that is  " supposedly " below 9A = Others might roll their eyes, but i'd consider that a pretty good accomplishment..  I honestly can't recall  seeing a Lime growing anywhere here, except on a shelf at a nursery..  Lemons and Oranges seem to be the commonest Citrus i see in neighborhood back yards. 

Ironically, i have a neighbor who put together a food forest in his yard several years ago.. Of all the things he's done pretty good with, even w/ our crazy summer heat,  Jaboticaba is probably the most unexpected thing he has that i've been impressed with.. 

Jaboticaba = can be a very picky fruit -producing tree ( Like lots of Organics in the soil, but the soil also has to drain well / Soil can't stay too dry or too wet for long periods.  Not a fan of hard water either. )  but, he has 3, and they all produce fruit ..and have survived our summer Nuke fests, under high canopy shade since he planted them 7 or 8 years ago.   


 

[888.ho3s]

12 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That's the rub about warming up  ..On one hand, winters are growing milder ( Most anyway. Overall trend of warming winters doesn't completely erase the possibility of a really cold one, even if those are much rarer  ..compared to the warm / warmer ones )  

Summer can definitely  be the " pay the price " end of the spectrum..  Some years?  it might be warm, but overall, not too bad..  Others?  ..Yeah, lol.. Tough on plants ...and people. 

Here at least,  the added " punch in the gut " of very little rainfall, when we'd usually expect rain this time of the year, adds a lot of stress.  ...Not to just plants we might include in our gardens,  but out in " wild " areas too..  Most folks would never expect tough desert plants like Agave or Cacti to turn to mush when it is hot..  It's an eye opener when you see witness that w/ your own eyes., both in people's yards,  and wayy out in open desert, far from any " heat island " - effect  related issues.  


King palm in a desert climate = Definitely have your work cut out for you but, if you're lucky, you might get a few years out of it..  I actually did ok with both Chambeyronia oliviformis and macrocarpa in pots placed under high canopy that provided all day shifting shade  ..until i didn't water them enough during a heatwave one summer. 

For the time being at least, your nights during the summer might be cool enough that Queens don't suffer the same fate 95+% of them do here..  Rare you see one that actually looks good.  Mule palms seem to handle the heat better  < ..What i've observed since living here at least. >

Some folks assume a bad looking Queen comes down to simply not watering them enough but,  have seen plenty of awful looking specimens planted in local parks / near neighborhood ponds where the roots can easily access a consistent source of moisture.. 

If access to water isn't the issue, let alone access to nutrients ..Cuz' the parks would fertilize the turf growing next to the palms.. Then the problem is likely weather related. 


Citrus is another commonly planted thing here that i've noticed has started having more issues w/ the heat in recent years.. Neighborhood - planted specimens at least. 

Trees exposed to all day full sun look great ..until we reach that point in the spring / early summer when we start seeing daily highs above 108F / over night lows above 82F.  ...Then, it's a burn fest..  ...Until the rains arrive  ..if they do at all. 

Obviously, Citrus respond well to infrequent, but deep watering  ..so if someone only provides water once or twice all summer, that is only going to cause more damage ( ..and a faster death ) 

That said, 

Tucked under higher trees that provide some shade?, they look a lot better, even if they don't get quite as much water as you should provide.. 

Being able to grow a Lime for 8 years,  in an area that is  " supposedly " below 9A = Others might roll their eyes, but i'd consider that a pretty good accomplishment..  I honestly can't recall  seeing a Lime growing anywhere here, except on a shelf at a nursery..  Lemons and Oranges seem to be the commonest Citrus i see in neighborhood back yards. 

Ironically, i have a neighbor who put together a food forest in his yard several years ago.. Of all the things he's done pretty good with, even w/ our crazy summer heat,  Jaboticaba is probably the most unexpected thing he has that i've been impressed with.. 

Jaboticaba = can be a very picky fruit -producing tree ( Like lots of Organics in the soil, but the soil also has to drain well / Soil can't stay too dry or too wet for long periods.  Not a fan of hard water either. )  but, he has 3, and they all produce fruit ..and have survived our summer Nuke fests, under high canopy shade since he planted them 7 or 8 years ago.   


 

Wow okay thank you I actually have some mule palm seeds and I’m trying to germinate them I also was thinking about purchasing jaboticaba but I didint cause I heard it can take years to produce fruit also grape fruit and oranges have survived here I’m experimenting with mangos cherimoya star fruit lychee long and Barbados cherry nance avocado guavas white sapote black sapote passion fruit vine surgarcane mandarin  dwarf namwah banana those are all my tropical fruit trees then I have the ornamentals that are orchid tree white Hong Kong orchid tree angel trumpet devils trumpet cordylines bougainvillea spineless yucca cannas tree philodendron tetra  papyrifer Rex giant  umbrella tree musa basjoo ponytail palm dombeya tree high plateau coconut palm jubaea chilensis Guadalupe palm and more Brahma species just got dyspis onilahensis upright form dypsis Prestonia chamedorea radicallis flame thrower palm and some sabal palms and a somewhat kentia palms and I have a lot more  

[888.ho3s]

@Silas_Sanconaand i suprisinly had a bougainvillea survive this winter without protection it just had some die back I’m gonna try covering all my plants so they can slowly adapt over the years like how my lime tree did 

[888.ho3s]

@Silas_Sancona do u think the top is protecting it cause its just shade cloth i have a orange tree and a grapefruit tree outside of one and didint get damaged  

[Silas_Sancona]

10 minutes ago, 888.ho3s said:

I also was thinking about purchasing jaboticaba but I didint cause I heard it can take years to produce fruit

 That's a nice, diverse collection..

It is true that some of the " Black " Fruited jaboticaba, like Sabra, can take their time. Red fruited types, can fruit much faster ..Like 3-5 years from a well grown 1gal.  

I had Both types, plus Blue, White, and Yellow Jaboticaba..  Yellow was the touchy-est of them all.. Blue actually did better under our conditions then i'd thought it might. 

In the end though, getting blasted by afternoon sun ( Back yard faced west / had no trees up yet to block the sun in that direction at that time ) took it's toll. 

Would probably try another red though. Fruit is amazing, even compared to the standard types. 

Out of all the tropical edibles ( Besides Bananas ) you listed, while it might get zapped a bit during the coldest winters, Barbados Cherry are tough. My neighbor w/ the fruit forest has one that is huge... Never had an issue w/ the heat either. 

Cherry of the Rio Grande is another " Eugenia " genus member you might research.. Supposedly can handle temps down to the lower 20s. Kind of slow, but not a snail. Fruit is pretty good.

Neighbor also has Starfruit ..Pretty sure, might have to check again.. Guavas, Mango, Sugar Cane ( Planted everywhere here ) ...and one of the Sapotes ( ..Not the common White one though ) Lychee and Longan.

Have yet to see any around but have no doubt Passion Fruit will do fine here ..In the ground and shaded.. Grandparents and a few other family members grew them back in San Jose. Can't remember if the 1990 freeze knocked them out, or if someone eventually pulled them out. Regardless, they handled the often chilly and wet winters up there pretty well w/out any serious problems. 


I've seen Bougainvilea down in Tucson that get knocked back every so often but bounce back as soon as it warms up..  Prefer the bushy,  easier to train " Torch Glow " types over the older vine-y types ( Pretty when flowering, but too messy / Hate the thorns, lol ) myself.

[Silas_Sancona]

38 minutes ago, 888.ho3s said:

do u think the top is protecting it cause its just shade cloth

Sure looks like it is happy to me..  While a covered structure like that won't completely shut out the cold, any overhead protection will help ..both w/ cold and heat stress. 

Heat built up in the Block walls on sunny days that will radiate from them after the sun sets has a tougher time radiating away w/ the cover overhead too. 

[888.ho3s]

Got the jacaranda today it’s a foot tall it was root bound so I repotted it to some citrus palm soil I shouldnt plant it this time of the year 

right @Silas_Sancona

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, 888.ho3s said:

Got the jacaranda today it’s a foot tall it was root bound so I repotted it to some citrus palm soil I shouldnt plant it this time of the year 

right @Silas_Sancona

Agree  ..Because it won't do much between now and when it really starts cooling off in a month or so,  Best to wait until Late Feb / start of March  ...Whenever the threat of day to day,  sub 40F lows has passed out there...  to plant out.