Poinciana Trees in Bloom

This month Norfolk Island has been looking very bright with the beautiful poinciana trees in full bloom. Queen Elizabeth Avenue has dozens of trees in flower, and they look stunning. I have taken many photos of these stunning trees in flower, and I have noticed that during recent weeks, the bright red flowers keep getting more brilliant as more bloom have open smothering the trees to the delight of the passing public.

These lovely trees were planted by Marie Bailey in 1997 from the seeds off her big old poinciana tree. When I posted photographs on my Facebook page a couple of years ago, one of my friends said she had a tree that Marie Bailey grew from a seed and gave to her daughter, and in 2020 it flowered for the first time. I am sure Marie Bailey enjoyed watching her trees grow in her beautiful Queen Victoria Gardens, and she would love to see all the stunning flowers.

Norfolk Island is experiencing a very dry summer, the lack of rain-showers has all of us longing for rain to fill our water tanks and water the gardens, the drought conditions may be the reason the trees are blooming so well. In 2019 the pōhutukawa trees at Kingston did the same with the dry conditions. I read that in marked dry seasons the poinciana tree sheds its leaves during the drought, but in other areas, it is virtually an evergreen.

Another fantastic old poinciana tree on Norfolk Island is at Poinciana Cottages. This tree is so large, the trunk and branches are thick, and I can imagine children climbing and playing in this massive tree. The tree is in the homestead garden of the owners of Poinciana Cottages. Their guest staying at the cottages must enjoy the lovely garden and this beautiful tree.

This week, when driving Queen Elizabeth Avenue, I stopped at Queen Victoria Gardens and walked the gardens with my camera, capturing more images of the poinciana trees. The trees line the roadway, and the green leaves are layered with so many red flowers and the bees are enjoying their feast of nectar from the blooms. The largest tree is by the little gateway at the end of the garden, but there are many trees planted up to the carpark next to Hilli Restaurant and Guava Gallery and the famous Cyclorama.

I checked out a few details about poinciana trees, they are native to Madagascar, and because of their beauty they have spread around the world, including Norfolk Island. They can grow anywhere from 5 metres to 12 metres in height and have dense green foliage which provides shade on hot sunny days. I read that the trees flower in our summer, (Australia November to February).

Summer is a time to relax and enjoy the beauty of Norfolk Island. If you would like a relaxing stroll through the Queen Victoria Garden, you can enjoy these lovely poinciana flowering trees.

Here are a few of the photos I have taken of the lovely Poinciana flowers blooming.

Betty Matthews

10 January 2025