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The Wild Gardens of the Caribbean
Beautiful flowers abound in the Caribbean but you have to look closely
At first glance, the United States Virgin Islands are all sand, palm trees, and green-covered mountains. But if you pay attention and look closely, there are some beautiful flowers too.
Our resort on Sapphire Beach has some lovely plantings outside of the two-story condos. The buildings have recently been resided and are a lovely shade of light blue with white trim. They blend seamlessly into the clear blue sky.
New staircases have also been added and are sharp — a matte silver aluminum. This is a great improvement.
Each condo section has two garden plots between them, and all of the buildings have gardens in front as well. Some of the plants are familiar, but many are not. They are tropical plants, not the same, that grow in more variable four-season zones.
Therefore, as a resident of Wisconsin, I am unfamiliar with many of the flowers. They catch my eye and I wonder about what they are — so I decided to put Google Lens to work and help me discover the names of these lovely tropical plants.
One flower, in particular, that is outside our building has purple blooms. It’s intrigued me because the blooms close in the late afternoon but open again in the morning.
Its botanical name is Ruellia simplex and commonly known as the Mexican petunia. The flower is native to the Caribbean and Mexico and can withstand high heat and humidity.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Map does not specifically list the zone the USVI falls…
