Question
Hi I have 5 Jacaranda trees grown from seed, they are now between 5 and 8 feet in height so still young (2nd year in the ground, third year from seed). I planted them under the eaves of the house on the sunny sheltered side of the house so the frosts would not get to them hoping they would handle frosts after well established (is this right or will I need to use frost cover even when they are this old?).  We are in a central region of NZ which has very hot summers and cold windy winters (temp averages 42F) with frosts for a few weeks of the year in Spring with lowest temperature around 28F for the overnight frosts.    
How do I go about shifting them and when is the best time? Do I cut the roots on one side and pack with hay for three weeks or so and then start on the next side until four sides are done or is there another method?
I will put up wind break cloth etc for where they are shifted to.
Is there any tips that will help with successful transplant and survival? Thanks for your help, Louise

Answer
Hi, Louise-I'm honored you think I might have something useful to pass on to you.  According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacaranda) there are 49 different varieties, yet I noticed they didn't include the one most planted here in the US: Blue Jacaranda/ J. mimosifolia.

Jacaranda is a sub-tropical tree, and can withstand short dips into about 10癋 (-12 C) for short several-hour periods and can tolerate longer spells of temperatures down to around 20癋 (−7癈) ?This, from plantings in Southern California, where it is used extensively.  These temps are for MATURE trees.  Since you are dealing with juveniles, however, you are correct that they are more sensitive, and they抣l become heartier when established.  This is perhaps ignoring any species variations of the other 49 varieties匢 really don抰 know any other species than the J. mimosifolia, so you may have a more robust group of seedlings.

Best time to transplant is Spring, even though it is a 搒emi-deciduous?plant, it goes through a growth spurt along with everything else匒nd, as you know, your NZ抯 spring is in Sept-Oct-Nov.  I抳e never used the hay method.  Seems like a bit much for trees of such juvenile stature. Jacaranda roots are not particularly sensitive, but they are shallow and invasive.  Some adventurous souls bare-root these trees in the fall with burlap!  Since yours are small, I抎 just shovel-cut them right out of the ground with a spade, allowing for about 18 inches to 24 inches all around the root ball.  This is pretty generous-sized, for these 5 ft. to 8 ft. plants.  Remember to team-lift, because a ball of dirt & juvenile tree can still be quite heavy.    

Now, I am a big fellow, so perhaps if you are still unsure it may be worth your peace-of-mind to hire a landscape contractor with a small tree spade.  They make small ones for Skidsteer/Bobcat type graders and for the hobby-farm tractor market.  Perhaps you can rent one, too.  I抳e never been charged more than $300US (480 NZD) for this service.

Jacaranda like composted soil over their roots each spring. They don抰 perform well in constantly moist soils.  They prefer regular watering then a period of drying out, as they are considered 揹rought-tolerant?  Leaflets, leaf twigs, and seed drop is messy, so don抰 plant in in areas that you don抰 want to receive litter, or you don抰 mind raking.  They have soft wood that breaks easily in windy conditions. Allow for the tree's mature canopy, when planting it near your home.  And finally, a shot of fertilizer is always a good thing when transplanting.

Hope it helps!