Caesalpinia gilliesii ... Bird of Desert Paradise

I have failed several times with seed so ordered a small plant from Spain which should be here next week ...

 

Mine has had some flowers opening since June, lots of buds forming now, really dislikes rain.

 

No worry there for me. I plan on putting it near where I have the Hibiscus in the ground, shaded by Big Brug Charlie.

 

Even for you I doubt it will want shade once established.
It might go dormant mid summer and flower at a different time of the year to here,but I've seen it in California growing in full sun as a free standing tree.

 

Just as well I couldn't get the seed you sent me to grow on - it would have had no chance in wet Wales!

 

I have two small ones in pots which put little growth on last year and not much this year and I don't think they will reach flowering size even if I put them in the ground.
This is the only one I have seen growing outside, at Wisley last year.

 

I cant grow them in pots to any size either, they only really do well in a sunny wall in my experience.
I have a couple that are potted and they hardly move, keep trying to find a suitable hot spot for them.
I stupidly planted two, one under the kitchen window and one to the side of it about 4 yrs ago, the one under the window is going to have to go I think, I cant see out the window now.

Its the dryest poorest soil in the garden and right on top of the house footings.

 

Pictures please @pete!

 

It's had flowers up by the floodlight since mid June, but the side has budded up now and flowers just opening.
Winter pruning seems to delay summer flowering as the top part was left unpruned.

 

Wow! That's a big plant!

 

Its two, I've been out and pruned back every non flowering stem this afternoon.

I won't then have to winter prune and I'll see if that makes it flower earlier next year.

 

@pete Got the plant this morning after ten days lost in the post, It was well packaged and damp paper towels on the soil, then cling film.





There is the one skinny stem forked. It is in the pot it came in and I just gave it a drizzle of water. What should I do now please?

 

I think best to leave in the shade for a few days at least to settle down an let it get used to fresh air again.
They can be a bit skinny at first, although it does look slightly stretched, eliotated, so I'd only slowly acclimatise it to full sun.

For comparison one I have in a pot, the leaves are closer together on the stem.
But I think if you are careful its doing ok, the pot looks big enough for now, if you can plant it out somewhere maybe next spring it should get away well enough.

 

Thanks for the advice. It did have more fronds on i when I bought it ...



... but they were in a dried heap at the bottom.