Does anyone in Tampa have a Royal Poinciana tree? (Miami: home, neighborhood)

[Sunnydee]

My favorite tree in the world is the Royal Poinciana and yesterday I bought and planted one in my yard. I'm hoping it will thrive here and bloom, but am open to any advice, pictures, experiences, and words of wisdom you might have about trying to grow this magnificent tree here. Thanks.

[Tampa Homes]

I wonder if we are too far north far that tree? I don't know much about them unfortunately, but I thought they did better in South Florida.

I have an Uncle in Miami who has some of the most amazing tropical plants you could imagine down there. He was nice enough to provide me with many volunteers which did poorly once I got them home, they were just in the wrong zone. If anybody is keeping scores my favorite plant is the White Bird Of Paradise. I have them planted all around my home (amongst many others.)

[gypsychic]

Yes, they are definitely a tropical tree, and are usually seen only in south Florida. We do have them here in Sarasota, but even here they only seem to flourish on the coast. They are beautiful, though.

Good luck Sunny, you will have to keep it in the hottest part of your yard, and protect it well in the cold. Keep in mind if we have a cold winter, it probably will not survive.

[Annie of Oldsmar]

I do!!! I have 5 of them. I planted them from seeds a friend sent me from my beautiful island of Puerto Rico.Planted them and have had them for 5 years now.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Annie of Oldsmar

I do!!! I have 5 of them. I planted them from seeds a friend sent me from my beautiful island of Puerto Rico.Planted them and have had them for 5 years now.

Wow, Annie - you've got a green thumb! It's hard for them to thrive if not in south Florida or on the coast. Maybe I'll go down and get me one, too! I do see several in my neighborhood so it should do OK. Another tree I love (and have) is the Hong Kong orchid - I love that one and the beautiful flowers smell sooooo good!

[Sunnydee]

Originally Posted by Annie of Oldsmar

I do!!! I have 5 of them. I planted them from seeds a friend sent me from my beautiful island of Puerto Rico.Planted them and have had them for 5 years now.

OMG, I'm so excited! I had researched the royal poinciana, and found it's usually recommended for zones 10 and 11, but several sites indicated that they were growing well in zone 9B. I saw pictures of royal poincianas in Apollo Beach, St. Pete, and Orlando, which gave me hope. Since it's my favorite tree, I decided to take a chance and see if I could grow one in my yard. Now that I know you have five of them I am so hopeful and excited. Do you have any tips for me about growing and caring for the royal?

[kingofsorrow]

i would like to give a few tips i've used for growing plants in florida, but i'm afraid my post might be removed.

[Sunnydee]

Originally Posted by kingofsorrow

i would like to give a few tips i've used for growing plants in florida, but i'm afraid my post might be removed.

You could always send me a direct message if you don't feel comfortable posting a reply to my thread. I'm definitely going up the learning curve on Florida gardening and I'd appreciate any tips you could share with me. Thank you in advance.

[InsaneTraveler]

Poincianas are beautiful! I never see them around Tampa but my hometown of Naples, FL has them everywhere. It is a shame we are just outside of their zone.

If you wanted to invest in a tree that is equally beautiful and thrives in Tampa, I would recommend one of these.

Jacaranda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Very similar tree, but the flowers are purple-blue rather than orange-red.