Winter Flowers in Florida

The Four Seasons:

Winter in South Florida

Sometimes people say that they prefer experiencing the four seasons of the North,

implying that South Florida has only one long glorious summer all year and the same

vegetation all the time.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  So for the fun of it,

I have assembled the flowering trees and plants which are specific to each of the seasons

down here and do not last all year.  This is the Orchid Tree / Bauhinia, which blooms

prolifically but only from mid-December to the end of January.

Each morning I walk three miles for exercise, and I take my camera with me and

take pictures of flowers.  These are pictures I have taken over the past several years.

The first sign we have that winter has arrived is the blooming of the Orchid Trees / Bauhinia.

They start in mid-December and bloom profusely to the end of January.  They are completely

covered in orchid-like flowers.  The trees grow quite large and reach 35 feet in height,

so we are talking about a lot of orchids for six weeks.

There are several Orchid Trees on my street, and they can be found all over town.  The color

varies from deep purple to lavender and pink and white, but all beautiful orchids.

The white Orchid Tree is particularly beautiful, I think.  The trees came originally from Asia,

and the White Orchid was grown only in the private gardens of the Japanese emperor.

Somehow they have now reached South Florida, and we have one in front of my building.

A second winter flower is the Florida Flame Vine, also blooming during December and

January.  It usually grows all along the fence on a property line.  It is especially attractive to

butterflies.

Close-up of the Florida Flame Vine.

The Thunbergia or Sky Vine makes its appearance in January.  People use them on trellises

and gazebos, along garage overhangs and on porches.  This pale blue is my favorite color,

but it also comes in dark blue and white.

Thunbergia  / Sky Vine blooms profusely.

Thunbergia  / Sky Vine

One of my favorite late winter flowers is the Bolivian Sunflower.  It is not a single stem, like

the common sunflower, but it grows as a tall bush ten feet high and covered with flowers.

Many people use them as property markers, and they will run from the sidewalk all the way

to the back of the property.

This Bolivian Sunflower is 6-8 inches across.  Some people call these Mexican Sunflowers,

but the Mexican varieties I have seen are a much deeper orange color.

The Dombeya Bush is one of the most beautiful winter flowers.  I first saw these growing

all along a concrete wall for a yard near my home.  I met the owners, an elderly couple

from Greece, who were very proud of the flowers.  They had started them many years earlier 

and tended them and pruned them carefully.

Clusters of Dombeya flowers.  The most common color is pink, but varieties in peach and rose

and hot pink and lavender can also be seen.

Peachy Pink Dombeya

Winter Senna   /  Butterfly Cassia Trees

There are many kinds of Cassia Trees, and different varieties bloom in different seasons.

This is a wonderful winter variety which often lines a property or street.  They are a

bright yellow color and up-close, the individual flowers look like butterflies.

Winter Senna   /   Butterfly Cassia

Winter Senna   /   Butterfly Cassia

African Irises bloom during the winter time.  They are small, delicate little flowers, very

different from the large Bearded Iris you enjoy up North.  The come in several delightful colors

 and color combinations.

It's only about 3 inches across, but a cluster of them is spectacular.

This is a creamy yellow variety of African Iris and also small.  They hold the blossoms

so that they are flat and facing up, so you can enjoy them easily.

Crinum Lilies bloom most prolifically during the winter, although they continue afterwards.

They are a large plant, standing five feet high with a number of blossoms.  There are a

number of varieties, but this is the most common around here.

White Crinum Lily.  They are spectacular as they open.

Queen Emma Crinum Lily in pink and wine.  I don't know if this is named after the Dutch

Queen or the wife of William the Conqueror.

Camellias bloom here primarily during the winter time.  The bushes are 6-8 feet tall

and covered with flowers.

White Camellia.  They are perhaps the purest white of any flower.

Pink Camellias

Red Camellia

Purple and Red Clerodendron
This is a robust vine which usually is grown on a trellis, as here.  It started blooming in
mid-February and continues for six weeks.  It has several names: "Purple Bleeding Heart"
and  "Glory Bower."  It is same family as "White Bleeding Heart" and "Starburst
Clerodendron," which will bloom later in spring.

Mango Tree in Bloom
Mango trees all over town burst into flower in late February.  It takes a long time for
the fruit to develop - until late May or early June, but the wait is worth it.

This is an Aloe Vera plant.  Everyone in Florida tries to have some growing around the house,

because everyone knows how effective they are in soothing burns, whether from the stove 

or sunburn.  Just cut off a leaf and squeeze out the gel and apply.

Aloes as house plants will almost never flower indoors.  But outdoors in Florida they

bloom in many colors.  This is an Aloe Vera in bloom in December.

The Mussaenda Bushes are at their best in late winter.  Here is a white  Mussaenda not far

from my door.  It will grow up to 10-12 feet.  The flowers are huge clusters and quite

heavy.  Unless the bushes are trimmed regularly, the flowers become so heavy,

especially in a rain  storm, that branches will break off.

White Mussaenda

Pink Mussaenda Bush

Pink Mussaenda Flowers

Another late winter bloomer, usually in early March, is the Acacia tree.  There are many
varieties of Acacia, actually more in the Southwest than in the Southeast.  But this variety is
popular here and very attractive with the golden balls all along the branches.

Acacia Branches

Acacia Branches

These are called "Million Bells" or "Callibrachoa."  They are popular for winter
when the sun is not too intense.  They are related to the petunia and
they also come from South America.

Million Bells  /  Callibrachoa
They grow as perennials down here; in the North they are strictly annuals.
Million Bells are great in pots, but also in partially shaded areas of the yard.

White Phalaenopsis Orchids

This is also the time of the year when orchids begin to bloom out of doors.
The plants are tied to the trunk of a palm tree with a piece of fishing line, and then
someone makes sure they get water at once a week, and they will bloom for several
months.  One building nearby has seven of them on trees, and they have started to bloom.
More come out every day, and they will last for a couple of months.  They started
on March 1.

Purple Phalaenopsis Orchids.

These are particularly prolific, and eventually there may be as many
as eleven blossoms on a stem.

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If you have enjoyed these flowers and flowering trees, you would probably
enjoy Winter in South Florida.  But then, who wouldn't? 

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