Jacarandas and the bloom of gloom

Come October/November each year Brisbane emerges from the subdued dry tones of winter to the brilliant violet of Jacaranda blooms. Everyone loves Brisbane’s Jacarandas.

R Godfrey Rivers. Under the Jacaranda 1903.

Brissos however have mixed feelings about them. They love jacarandas and  their pride in them sometimes leads them to forget that Jacarandas are not just found in Brisbane.

At the same time, most Brissos associate Jacaranda blooms with that profound sense of dread experienced with end of year exams. No matter how many years it is since a Brisso has had end of year exams, this particular association remains strong. In fact so strong, that some Brissos may forever more associate the beauty of spring with that heady combination of anxiety and guilt typical of an exam period that comes at the very best time of year. The Qld Art Gallery shows evidence that even as early as 1903, genteel folk in Brisbane avoided their studies at this time of year and instead took tea in the garden.

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Brissos will also have unhappy memories of gardening chores associated with the incessant droppings of Jacarandas at various times of year – onto the lawn, patio and pool. When Jacarandas are not in bloom they are not so fun; they can appear scrappy, and their roots can threaten the concrete of a pool or garden path. As such Brissos prefer other people to have Jacarandas, rather than host them in their own backyard. While many Brissos will have removed Jacarandas from their own gardens, they will be fiercely protective of Jacarandas that grace Brisbane’s public parks or roadsides.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/historic-new-farm-jacarandas-face-the-chop/2008/01/30/1201369188929.html

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Scientific Name: Jacaranda Mimosifolia

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