Bonjour Phil

Comment allez vous?

Brachychiton acerifolius likes to grow in deep, well drained loam, in a sunny position. Likes to be well watered. In spring it will drop all or some of its leaves and flower on the bare branches. Is your tree growing with all these conditions ?

What is the temperature where you live, maybe it is too cold for this plant to flower ?

Also, if the tree has too much nitrogen, in the fertilizer, this may make green leaves but no flowers.

Are there trees near you that have flowered ?

Is your garden full of Australian plants ?

Just a few questions for you to ponder!

Here we have the Brachychiton flowering at the same time as the Jacaranda and the look lovely together.

Au revoir
Popi

My impression is that B. acerifolius does not usually flower until it is quite a good size and the foliage has changed to the adult type, i.e. not deeply lobed like a maple, but with only 1 or 2 short lateral lobes, or unlobed altogether. What is the foliage of yours like?

Also, it is a adapted to climates with at least some degree of summer (or summer-autumn) rainfall dominance, becoming leafless in spring or the tropical dry season and flowering just before the new leaves appear in early summer -- right now in New South Wales. Sometimes only part of a tree is leafless and that same part produces flowers while the leafy part does not.

Do you know of other trees in the Riviera that flower well?

Salut Toni,merci de m'avoir repondu !(first lesson in French!!)
That Brachychiton has about 10 years,seed issued,situaded south west,(we are in nothern hemisphere),in winter,it receiced the sun from 10am to 12,but only the canopy,because of the house,and from noon to 5 pm,the entire tree!
In spring and summer,of course, it get more sun!
When i write those lines,i guess,that the lack of sunshine time,is the reason of its non flowering!! May i wright?
Other thing,it never loose its leaves,in spring!
In answering to the Tony's questions,i would say ,that,at my opinion,this tree is adult,it has one main trunck of 2.50,without lateral branches,and two strong branches of 10cm like a U ,on which starts a lot of stems of about 1.50,with well formed leaves,like a maple, the tree is very erect.
I remenber to have seen smallest B.acerifolium in flower on the border line NSW and Queensland!
I am very fond of Australian trees and schrubs,and have a lot in my garden but many are small ,because it takes time from seeds!
There is a specialist of Australian plants in France,but one can find only very common plants ,like Grevillea,Acacia,Eucalyptus...but they intend to enlarge their products!
On the French riviera(depending where you are)a lot of Australian,South African,South American,plants are flowering!
We are in Zone 9 to 10
Cheers
phil

Hello Phil,

To add to what Tony has already said, in south-east Queensland around Toowoomba,the age of the Flame tree when it flowers can vary a good deal. One near where I work flowered for the first time a few years ago, and I was assured that the tree was something like 20 years old. I believe that, because it is quite a big tree.

I have one in my garden about four or five years old, maybe 6m high now (a fast grower). It had a couple of flowers last year. It is just starting to flower again now - I expect maybe a dozen flowers. Next year I hope for a big show.

Also, in my district, whether it loses its leaves or not can vary greatly. Some trees lose all their leaves before flowering, others flower with most leaves still on them. I notice mine lost some leaves a few weeks ago, but still has a full canopy through which I can see the flower buds. There is a uniform canopy - there are not patches of no leaves.

Best wishes,
Frank

Interesting what you said Frank,how the flowers buds looks like?
Of course i do agree with you,about the age of a tree,it depends of the soil,its exposition,watered or not,and even,some trees are flowering when they suffer (lake of space for the roots,or other harsh condition)!
I have a good souvenir of Toowomba!
Cheers
phil

Phil, the buds are grouped together in what looks like a very sparse bunch of small red grapes. The buds open up into red bell-shaped flowers.

Cheers,
Frank

Thanks Frank!

Dear friends,
I introduce myself, I live at the border between Italian and French Riviera, I also have a Brachychiton acerifolium.
I carefully read your posts since I have the same problem. My tree is approx. 10 year old and never flowered. Consider that the area where I live has a very mild climate, actually it was chosen to establish the Villa Hanbury acclimatization garden for tropical plpoants. This year for the first time most of the big, maplelike leaves fell down, leaving the branches with a tiny rosette of what I think are leave buds. Yet, reading what you said, I assume they might be flower buds.
I fertilize with either cured manure or chemical fertilizer, from time to time add a very diluted solution of hydrochloric acid to the soil, and water the tree seldom but with plenty water.
I am located in Ventimiglia, maybe our France-based friend might like to come and see personally.
Let me know your kind feedbacks please
Pier