Saying goodbye to spring: the jacarandas at Vaucluse House

For those who visit Vaucluse House, the annually blossoming jacarandas are a friendly and gentle reminder that spring is coming to a close for another year.

Every year, starting in October, the purple jacaranda flowers at Vaucluse House make a spectacular appearance, decorating the large sculptural trees and leaving a soft floral carpet beneath them. Native to Brazil, jacarandas are said to have been grown in Sydney’s private gardens since the 1850s and today hold a special place in the imagination of locals. Former curator Helen Curran captured some of the history of this beautiful species in a story written in 2015, The dream tree: Jacaranda, Sydney icon.

It’s not just our visitors who are captivated by the blooming trees. MHNSW front-of-house staff who work at the site are sometimes the first to notice the buds. Visitor Services team members Antonia Kartambis and Franziska Zuercher Mindrup have captured some beautiful images this November, documenting the purple flowers in all their glory.

With the jacaranda season coming to a close, the Horticulture team will do some maintenance on the grounds, ensuring that the leaves, twigs and dead flowers are tidied up. With the full floral display on just once a year, we’ll have to wait until October 2025 for their next show! In the meantime, Vaucluse House boasts a range of hardy plants that hold up well in the summer months. You can read more about the plants and the dedicated work of our Horticulture team across our MHNSW sites in the Plant Your History blog.