More red

 

It's a good year for the Illawarra flame tree. They traditionally dazzle with their bright red flowers at the same time as the jacarandas do their purple thing. Often they've been planted side by side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Castle Hill's historic Heritage Park they've planted a whole lot of them. I was half hoping for a dazzling show today, but it looks like they'll need a few more years yet. Watch this space.

Jacaranda time

It's Jacaranda time in Sydney again. Perhaps the most scenic time of the year. Mind you, it seems to be coming a little earlier each year. I used to associate jacarandas with November, maybe starting in late October. But this year the season was underway right from the beginning of October. Winter was unusually hot, and dry too. We've had very little rain for over three months.

You used to see a lot of Illawarra flame trees planted alongside jacarandas. They made quite a spectacular colour combination. The flame trees have a bit of a bad name these days, what with invasive roots and irritating seeds, and I'm not seeing so many. There again, maybe the jacarandas have got ahead of themselves, and the flame trees will flower after they've gone.