Tabebuia impetiginosa ‘Santa Barbara’

Tabebuia impetiginosa has dense clusters of dark pink flowers, one of the most impressive flowerings in ornamental trees. As a young tree, its growth rate is medium, and it needs regular auxiliary watering. A mature tree grows at a much faster rate and doesn’t necessarily need auxiliary watering. However, it is more comfortable in a humid environment. As befits a deciduous tree, Tabebuia impetiginosa has no difficulty dealing with low temperatures or even frosts. However, it will also thrive in hot areas and will not suffer in heatwaves. It is a resilient tree with strong, rigid wood. Its roots do not spread far, but rather tend to go deep into the soil. From this perspective, it is suitable for gardens, even nearby sewage and plumbing pipes, and it is absolutely recommended for streets and boulevards. Due to its propagation from seeds, how degree of its leaf shedding varies from individual to individual. The color, intensity and size of the flowers also varies. Some will flower when the tree is completely bare of leaves, others while the tree still has its foliage from the previous year, and still others will flower at the same time that new foliage comes in. To to avoid this difference and allow a clearer view of the tree’s properties, it is recommended to use grafted trees, especially when they are planted as a group or as street trees. One such sub-cultivar of Tabebuia impetiginosa is the ‘Santa Barbara.’ It has an increased capacity for growth, especially compared to the old Tabebuia impetiginosa. Another difference is that the Santa Barbara is semi-deciduous in hot locales.

Note that there is also a yellow species of Tabebuia, but it is not common in Israel. It is a tropical tree that grows well in a fairly limited range of living conditions and is also less desirable due to its very slow growth rate.

Grafted ‘Santa Barbara’ Tabebuia impetiginosa »