Jacaranda time

There is so much happening in my own garden and a little further afield that it is hard to know quite where to start. One of the most iconic sights in Brisbane at this time of year is the jacaranda. When Richard, my friend at work, asked me if I knew what that meant, my unhesitating reply was 'Yes -- exams!', but he quoted a Christmas carol I didn't know:
When the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here,
Christmas time is near.

I prefer Douglas Stewart's take:
Where, dancing with pale blue fire, the branches rear
And the dark twigs hold the sky up to the sky.

At the University of Queensland

The University's Great Court

The colour of the jacaranda is often debated. Are the flowers blue or purple? There is a lot of purple prejudice out there, but I am one of its staunchest defenders and feature it in the garden whenever I can.

Cordyline - I think this one is a native variety.

This is one of my favorite daylilies 'Acacia Bella' in my front garden. I'm sure I saw it described somewhere as having a jacaranda eye zone.

Hardenbergia violacea  This has sprung up mysteriously in my garden. I'm not sure if it is from the nearby bushland, or a remnant from previous owners. The most widely grown variety is called 'Happy Wanderer'.

A postscript to my previous post on star jasmine - here Morning Glory has infiltrated a garden bed. It might be the most terrible weed but the colour is divine, and, like the jacaranda, it hovers on the purple-blue cusp.

Purple foliage courtesy of one of the bromeliads Neoregelia concentrica

Well, if you were purple phobic before, I hope I have convinced you of its beauty.