Thursday – A Little Personal

~ John W. Howell

One thing I miss living on the coast is the profusion of flowers that are able to be grown away from the salty sea air. We have very few species that can withstand the salt and wind that is part of living by the water. We have tried to cultivate some standard flowering plants with little luck. This time of year, the flowers are few and far between. Later in the summer and through the winter we can look forward to the Birds of Paradise and others. I thought I would give you an idea of what we have right now and I think you’ll agree it is pretty slim pickings.

The hibiscus always does well and this year seems to be doing better than ever. I think several feet of rain has done wonders for them.

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The lowly Oleander  (we call them highway trees) takes on an unusual importance when it becomes one of the few flowering trees able to make it in the harsh environment.

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Tha Natal Plums have little white star-like blooms.

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And, of course, we can try to keep a plant sheltered from the elements and hope for the best.

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This is the second year for the Portulaca and since it sits on the west side of the house (away from the water) it does well. Other plants in the same location have met an untimely end.

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Here is another plant on the West side. It is an Ice plant and usually has a chance.

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On the Eastern side we are going to try a Moss Rose. I can almost hear the eulogy now.

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This little Jatropha has been with us for three years and lives on the east side. She faces the Gulf but has a lot of friends around her to keep the salt spray from causing harm. She is just beginning to bloom so I thought I would give her an honorable mention.

 

44 thoughts on “Thursday – A Little Personal”

      1. Our rhododendrons just bloomed this past week. They are beautiful. Our dogwood and lilacs are in full bloom. It almost makes you forget what winter looked like John!

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  4. I love your garden! We live up in the mountains near Athens and the weather can be quite tough in winter (snow, cold etc) and relatively hot in summer.

    My wife misses planting geraniums, jasmines, hibiscus and other plants which simply do not withstand a winter in our place. So, we have settled for less flowery plants but ones that survive. We do have oleanders (they are awesome!) and the ice plant which, however, does not survive winter and needs to get replanted every spring.

    Enjoy your garden!

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  6. I admire you for trying, John. My wife and I have whatever the opposite of green thumbs is, so we read our eulogies as we plant and get them over with. Gonna be tough this year with water cutbacks…

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  7. I love all your plants, John. I can grow the flowers, it’s the vegetables that do not do well here. Between the bugs and birds, I am at a loss! Thanks for sharing. ❤

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      1. I have switched over to flowers this year. I have a few things in pots, but they are not doing well. It got really hot here early and it looks like it is going to stay.

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  8. You still have a decent and varied selection, John. All is not lost. You have color and some loyal plants. 😀

    Spring and summer are all about flowering shrubs, trees and plants. Flowers always brighten my day.

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  9. Sometimes I think of the folk living in places like Middle East deserts and I wonder how they live without green and flowers. You have a very well planned selection here. Good luck with them all. 🙂

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  11. John, these are gorgeous, and they really take me back to living in Texas. We, too, had good luck with Portulaca and Moss Roses, as well as Crepe Myrtle. Of course, North Texas didn’t get the salty air or rainfall that y’all do (at least, not when I was there!!), so maybe that’s the secret. I don’t recall seeing Natal Plums, but I might have and was clueless! Thanks for sharing your scenery — just goes to show we all have our challenges, huh?!

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  12. Nice flowers, John. We recently planted some around the backyard along with some succulents. I don’t think we’ll get anything to bloom this year, but hopefully next. Enjoy your weekend!

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