I have returned to native Florida flowering plants as early May in Ontario, and especially this early in May, is a little colorless.
There is an abundance of color on the Sun Coast and this plant is just one of them. This is a bloom from an Oleander bush which is part of a row of Oleanders at the foot of our driveway. These beautiful shrubs, really almost trees, are planted on the outer perimeter of the entire golf course.
I remember coming down here during the shoulder seasons, often in April, and admiring these beautiful bushes as we drove by the golf course. In fact, I loved them so much that I bought a couple of Oleanders one summer as anchor plants for a couple of tall urns for our patio. I had visions of wintering them indoors.
This did not work, but they were beautiful for that first summer.
Now that we are here for the winter months, and this year into May, I still find the shrubs absolutely beautiful, but also a challenge as the falling pink and white petals make it almost impossible to find our errant golf balls.
I’ve taken to using hot pink golf balls recently, and my husband uses white. Exactly the color of the perimeter shrubs, which are interleaved pink, then white, so we are equally doomed and often abandon the search for our golf balls if we miss the fairway. Sorry to say, not an uncommon occurrence.
Spring is now over in Florida. There are still some late blooming trees, but most of the color now comes from shrubs, which bloom all summer, and of course the brilliantly colored annuals.
So it’s almost time to turn back to Ontario, but I think that June will be a better month for both perennials and annuals…more then.
