The Poinciana or Flame Tree as it’s called locally, is a spectacular tree that produces the most phenomenal bright red flowers and I’m pleased to say that Tony and I have just saved one! Sadly it’s not the right time of year for the flowers so I don’t have any photos of what it looks like when it’s in full bloom but I shall endeavour to update the blog once our very own flame tree starts producing.
Two weeks ago, Tony called me to let me know that he had a lovely mature flame tree on his building site (approx 15-16 feet tall) and it was right in the middle of some underground electrical service work they had to do and so it was going to be chopped down and discarded unless I knew of anyone who would be prepared to pay for it’s removal in order to transplant it.
Both Tony and I were very keen to save this spectacular tree if at all possible and so after much discussion decided to see if our strata might be willing to pay for it so we could enjoy the tree in our own backyard. Initially it looked as though it wouldn’t be possible given the cost of digging it up and transporting it in addition to digging a hole at the other end and filling it with soil can cost anywhere up to around $1,200.
However, given that Tony is on a building site and has a few local contacts with one of the landscaping companies, he managed to negotiate a price of $400-$500 all in (with Tony arranging for the tree to be dug up at his end - easy enough to do on a building site with all the right equipment to hand!). Of course, no-one could guarantee that the tree would survive the journey or take at the other end but we thought that was a price worth paying if it meant there was a chance to save this lovely tree (photos below of the tree being removed from the job site).
So I’m pleased to report that 2 days after having been transplanted, the tree is looking healthy and we hope it continues to be healthy so that I might post photos of it flowering one day in the not too distant future. The photo below is the transplanted tree - with alot of it’s greenery chopped back - this was of course necessary in order to transport the tree.
And, in signing off, I’m pleased to announce the birth of our first aubergine - photo below! Hopefully more will follow.....
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