Admiring Plants In St. Croix, VI

Greetings from St. Croix, VI.  I left my garden and decided to spend a week soaking up the sun in St. Croix, VI.  My brother is tending to my garden.  I pray that everything is living when I return.  St. Croix has not disappointed!  I'm staying on an old sugarcane plantation outside of Christensted.  Some of the chimneys and fireplaces of the sugar mill still remain on the property, but history has been replaced with 50 adorable Indian style cottages and a spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea. 

The grounds have been beautifully maintained.  I love walking around admiring and learning about the native plants on the island.  I remembered all of you, and decided to share a few of the plants throughout the grounds. 

Aloe - Perfect for my sunburned back, ouch!  This plant is huge as you can see.  It's about 4 feet tall and growing. 

                                                



Pink Bougainvillea - Absolutely beautiful and my favorite.  This gorgeous plant can be found throughout the grounds of the resort.  It's more of a fuschia color, and the picture doesn't do it justice. 

Orange Bougainvillea.  The plant is actually a combination of peach and orange blooms.  Nice soothing color. 

Fan Palm.  This palm is at the entry of the resort.  It gives you a taste of what's in store as you roam the grounds. 

 Coconut Palm. The coconuts are cut down for guests to eat.  Workers leisurely walk the grounds eating the coconuts and offering this treasure to guests.  I'll be trying one before the week ends. 

Guava Berries - Used to make St. Croix Rum.  The berries turn red when ripe, and can be found on trees/bushes throughout the ground. 

                                                                 
 The Hibicus can be found everywhere on the island.  The petals are boiled, sweetened and made into tea.  Did you know that you can take a cutting and root it in water to start another plant?  They spray the plants with green tea to get rid of pests. 

                                                                  
 Fence Post or Turpentine Tree.  Check out the trunk of the tree.  The entire tree is used in some areas as fence posts. 

                                                         My cottage surrounded by Royal Palms.  

                             
 A view of the pool and Carribean Sea from the front porch of the cottage.  The color of both are beautiful.

They have a beautiful tree here called the Flamboyant, which has bright orange flowers on it.  I haven't been able to get a picture, because they have all been along the road.  The roads here do not have shoulders, so it's impossible to pull over to snap a picture.  I still have a few more days to enjoy here in St. Croix.  Tomorrow I spend the day tasting the coconuts, sipping the best iced tea that I've had and lounging on the beach.  Thursday I will go into Christensted to enjoy the boardwalk and take pictues of the town for my scrapbook.  Hopefully, I'll find a few Flamboyant trees along the way.  We'll see what the remaining days bring.  Hope you enjoyed the beautiful plants and view on the island of St. Croix, and I hope your gardens are thriving.