Fernandoa magnifica

[Peter]

Flowering now after taking a few  years off

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

Flowering now after taking a few  years off

Beautiful Peter.   Any insights on why it elected to bloom again after taking years off?  I assume you had a very mild winter just like we did this year. 

[Peter]

Not sure Tracy, but everyone I know who's growing it had a good flowering year this year.  We've been consistently warm in our winters for years now, so perhaps it has something to do with the amount of rainfall?

[Silas_Sancona]

4 hours ago, Peter said:

perhaps it has something to do with the amount of rainfall?

Or lack of it,  ...during the Dec/ Jan/ Feb period within N/H winter at least    ..combined with just how warm things were / lack of any prolonged, really cool or cold spells locally at the same time. 
 

Be interesting to see how this winters' pattern effects Royal Poinciana both locally and across S.Cal.  Suspect it will be a big year in both areas. 

Quick look over  " general " - climate-related conditions during the winter season where it grows in East Africa = the greatest clues regarding what factors would encourage and enhance or inhibit flowering during a given year.  

..That is after removing any natural variability between individual specimens that might exist.  

[Peter]

I've been growing it for we'll over 10 years and it's never had any problems with the cold so I don't think it's particularly hard to grow here.  Same with F Madagascariensis, which I"ve had for maybe 15 years with zero cold issues.  Mada has been a more consistent, albeit not as impressive, bloomer.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Peter said:

I've been growing it for we'll over 10 years and it's never had any problems with the cold so I don't think it's particularly hard to grow here.  Same with F Madagascariensis, which I"ve had for maybe 15 years with zero cold issues.  Mada has been a more consistent, albeit not as impressive, bloomer.

Very true...  

While the deg. of cold you've seen in the amount of time you have been growing it ( and madagasgariensis ) hasn't been enough to harm the trees themselves,  i do remember Len mentioning in his blog that his magnifica did experience bud drop during some cooler spells he'd seen around the time the tree was forming flower down in Vista..  Thought you'd mentioned something similar happening a couple times in the past as well.. 

Woodland Hills is a tad different than Vista of course, so,  ...perhaps it all comes down to magnifica  being one of those flowering trees that can experience more defined boom / bust years, compared to Mada.  regardless of any cooler spells during the winter months, or at least until it reaches a certain size / age.. 

Regardless, the fact that they have done well ..maybe better than originally thought years ago..  for you and others out there who have been growing them is an accomplishment.