Once a years the city bowls becomes awash with lilac, the city Jacarandas. The first two Jacaranda trees were imported from Brazil by Mr. J Ciliers in 1888 ~ 125 years ago. To put this in perspective gold was discover on the Witwatersrand in 1887. Johannesburg was only a mining town then and got its city status later.
Mr. Cilliers paid 20 pounds for the two trees. They still stand in the grounds of the Sunnyside Primary School in Rissik Street. Later he and his assistant Mr. Clark imported seed from Australia and propagated these in Groenkloof.
In 1906 they donated two hundred trees to the City of Pretoria on its 55 birthday. These trees were planted in Bosman Street and Arcadia Street.
By 2012 Mr Clark embarked on planting of Jacarandas in all the inner city streets. Up to today the City Council has planted 34,000 trees and there are 70,000 growing in Pretoria.
Some great places to go are; Becket Street where you gaze through a canopy of lilac; Sir Herbert Baker Street, the only street with a row of white Jacarandas; and the big tree in the grounds of Melrose House, really impressive.
