August is prime season for flamboyant trees on St. Croix. These fiery blooms take over the large green fern trees from which they bloom in beautiful shades of red, scarlet and orange. One variety blooms yellow in unique contrast.
Seeing flamboyants start to bloom reminds me that it’s time for Mango Melee (held annually at St. George Village Botanical Gardens in July). Flamboyant and mango trees simultaneously peak in the warmest time of the year, when the sun is intense and the temperatures stay higher.
According to Wikipedia, flamboyants thrive in tropical and sub-tropical climates like St. Croix. However, in the wild they are endangered. Flamboyants are part of a group of “flame trees.” While the blooming seasons around the world vary extremely, the Caribbean flowering season runs from May through September.
Caribbean Islands with Flamboyant Trees:
- Bahamas
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Haiti
- Nevis (national flower)
- Puerto Rico
- St. Kitts (national flower)
- U.S Virgin Islands
While flamboyant flowers are gorgeous, a word of caution when bringing them inside: they easily produce an intense orange dander. It naturally falls off the flowers as they wilt and it stains everything! Without knowing this, I once prepared a lovely flamboyant bouquet for a promotional wedding photo shoot. Lucky for me, the photos were postponed for rain and these brightly-colored blooms didn’t ruin a white wedding dress!
Ready to see beautiful, tropical flowers in-bloom all year long? Then the U.S. Virgin Islands may be the place for you. When you’re ready to call St. Croix or St. Thomas home, contact Chris and Kerri Hanley to engage the experts on Virgin Islands real estate. They boast more than 50 years of combined, Caribbean market-specific experience. Reach out to them today and get started now by downloading their St. Croix Event Guide, to find the ideal time for an extended stay: