Although jacaranda will outgrow their space relatively quickly, they make great foliage plants until then. Sometimes flowers form on potted specimens when they reach the 1.8m (6ft) mark, but in the UK, this is rare.

Grow outside in summer or in a greenhouse or conservatory. Not being hardy, the winter minimum night temperature needs to be at least 5°C (40°F). They will lose their leaves at this temperatures, but it is best to let them become dormant. Warm conditions with low light levels would encourage legginess. They are not good houseplants.

• In winter, only water when the plant has become bone dry
• Even in summer, allow pots to dry between waterings
• Grow jacarandas in a greenhouse border or in containers of John Innes No. 2 potting compost with a little added sharp grit
• Repot every year into fresh
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost and a slightly larger container
• Feed every two to three weeks in the
  The period of time when an individual plant is in active growth. This will depend on the local climate and light levels, and can vary between different plants, although it is broadly from spring to autumn.

  growing season with a general purpose liquid fertiliser

• Pinch out the shoot tips when seedlings are 20-30cm (8in-1ft) high to encourage bushiness. Alternatively, let the shoot grow up to develop a short trunk and then pinch out at around 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft)
• More established jacarandas are tolerant of being pruned, making it easier to keep them for longer before they outgrow their allocated space
• Prune in late winter

Jacaranda can be propagated by either by cuttings or seeds.

Cuttings

Take semi-ripe cuttings of young growths in early summer and insert the cuttings into pots of cuttings compost and into a propagator with bottom heat of 20–24°C (68–75°F).

Seeds

Jacarandas can be raised easily from seed each year for use as foliage plants.

• Sow seeds in January/February in a temperature of 20–24°C (68–75°F)
• In warmth and good light, seedlings grow fast and can reach 60-90cm (2–3ft) by the end of summer

It is unusual to get cultivated forms of jacaranda but the species Jacaranda mimosifolia - widely grown in warmer regions and familiar to many from holidays to such parts - is available in the UK.

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