Lagerstroemia speciosa (Crepe Myrtle)

I have been very surprised to see the Lagerstroemia speciosa in bloom at this time of the year as it is normally in the Spring ...





The above are not the ones I saw this past week but are in the locale ... I saw a row of them but did not have my camera with me (:DOH.

My Jacarandas only bloom in June/July but many here (in Albufeira and Silves, where I saw the Lagerstromias) also bloom October/November .. but have never figured out why.

 

I'm surprised they are in flower now, I've only seen them flowering in mid summer (Madeira) and just the occassional Jac flower throughout the year,
may be it's a reaction to climate change although that should happen over a decade or more, I don't really know why either Vicky.

 

Hi strongy .. have to agree the climate change perhaps. We have had very little rain in now our 'rain season' ... we run 16-18c days and 8-10c nights with no rain so we are watering every couple of days, some cloud cover but predominantly blue skies. We are still dining outdoors ... only yesterday with our friends for a snack lunch and were actually sitting in a shaded cobbled street outside with only jeans/sweaters on ...

I shall try to go by the place of the row of Crepe Myrtles in the next week and get a photo ... I really was quite shocked!

However, we still cannot figure out why some of the Jacarandas bloom twice a year (still some now) and ours only once ... it is a true mystery ...

 

Nice trees Victoria, I only manage to grow indica and not gauranteed flowers unless we get a good summer.

Could it be a response to rainfall?
I'm guessing its mild enough for them to flower at any time during the winter/spring period.
Perhaps flowering is triggered by rainfall?

 

I might agree with you there, Pete, but ... we have had no rainfall so the flowering cannot be triggered by it.

We have noticed for a couple of years that the Jacarandas in Albufeira and Silves bloom twice a year and ours only once .. is it location, location, location?

These Crepe Myrtles are just stunning though as they are the giants.

 

Victoria you said a few weeks ago you were getting lots of rain?

 

Pete, sadly it only lasted for a couple of days when I had posted and since then nada ... We now have to water every 2/3 days and the irrigation up top has had to be turned back on ...