The Beach Sunflowers are overtaking my front yard. The mailman, raised in the Florida Keys, stopped to inform me no one left the Beach Sunflowers in their garden when he was growing up – they were considered weeds, though clearly he was wondering if maybe it was a good idea. Floridians, the rare native ones, tend not to appreciate things that are common (and wonderful). I think the tide of appreciation is turning to plants more suited to their native environment – who couldn’t appreciate a box of sunshine from Florida on a fine February morning?
The blue watercolor box is filled with Helianthus debilis, Beach Sunflower. Beach Sunflower is a native reseeding biennial – the reasons I love these, they bloom nearly year round, thrive in pure sand, outcompete most weeds and can be pruned to low masses. What’s not to love?
The fruit tree update. Mangoes are flowering here, we will have fruit in June or July, the panicles produce numerous fruits – most fall off and maybe one to three fruits per flower is left. By late spring, the branches will be bending from the weight of the fruit.
This is a big Haden Mango located on my daily dog walk route. My little Mangoes are flowering a little, but nothing like this.
I bought another fruit tree, a Red Jaboticaba:
This is a South American fruit tree that bears a grape like fruit on the trunk. In a few years. Patience, gardeners.
The Shrub Queen 
I find your sunflowers very charming and I think natives are a smart choice. That said, I think your non-native fruit tree sounds promising – may it bear well!
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Thanks, Eliza. It amazes me what just pops up here from birds, etc. Citrus is so compromised here I decided to try some different fruit. Time will tell.
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I just picked up this season’s first champagne mangos. If I could grow them, I’d be in heaven. Do you have them down there?
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There is a mango grower that sells more than 50 varieties, I will have to look. I think those are considered Asian? Not sure. Mangos have been a revelation to me, just avoid Tommy Atkins, terrible and easy to ship.
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Those I have seen around, the trees, that is. Hmmm.
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Check this outhttp://www.tropicalacresfarmsinc.mealpoint.us/
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Drooling!
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I think I want to go tour during Mango season.
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Please do and report back. 😉 If I only lived closer…
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They usually say the coconut green or some obscure variety is the best tasting.I guess like apples there are a few tried and true varieties. The Hadens are like the Red Delicous of Mangoes.
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Not a fan of Red Delicious, but I wonder what are the equivalent of the Fuji and Honeycrisp?? 😉
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I looked up your sunflower on my seed suppliers list and it appears that ‘Italian White’ and several other varieties are all called that!! So maybe my sunflowers don’t need as much water as I give them. Your box full cheered my morning. Here we have thick snow! I’m very envious of the mangoes, but given the currant low temperatures I realise there’s no way I could consider growing them.
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I have tried the Italian White sunflowers a couple of times, dismal here, I would keep watering.The latest Mango I bought, Pickering, can be grown in a pot and will bear fruit. We had temps in the 30s, not freezing and it did not bother the Mangoes.
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That’s interesting. I wonder if I could find one to try.
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See the link below to Eliza, tropical acres farms grows them and may ship or know someone who does. I went to hear a talk by the owner, he is active in Mango circles.
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Thank you, I’ll check it out
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Wow! who knew there were so many varieties of mango. I don’t think it would be worth shipping all the way to Italy but I might try harder to find a more local supplier. As I said before lucky you!
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Those colours are a shot of Summer. Winter here is dragging on and is about to get colder.
Amazing they can thrive in sand. Isn’t nature marvellous
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It is marvelous. It amazes me anything will grow in the sand.
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Plants are cool
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Lovely to see your sunny flowers, its bitterly cold here with snow, so the complete opposite!!
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Thank you, I saw the weather in Europe. Brrrrr, stay warm.
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The natives in your beautiful blue box make a perfect presentation.
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Thank you,thinking inside the box today.
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Thank you for this delicious box of sunshine, the perfect remedy for the winter blues!
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Indeed!
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Yes, what’s not to like – all the year round too! Perhaps we in the UK should appreciate dandelions more than we do… but I think not! 😉 And your sunflowers look perfect against the blue. Good luck with the mango and the jaboticaba
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Dandelions are a different story. Thanks,hoping for fruit in 2020.
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🙂
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I would be happy to something grow that easily. Do they bloom all year?
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Easy, yes and they bloom most of the year.
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If something is indigenous and it looks as beautiful as this, it is perfectly correct that they should star in your vase. I was thinking dandelions like Cathy…but they run to seed in a matter of a couple of days.
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Thanks, it’s my favorite, we have a dandelion like weed here, Florida Tassels, purple and red tassels followed by dandelion like flowers, I cut a few but mostly pull them. Hopefully in time.
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I would love that box of sunshine….beautiful!
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Thank you, I have been hacking away at them today!
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A weed is just a plant in the wrong place – and I think these sunflowers are in the right place. Thank you – it is great to learn about native plants from different parts of the world. They are offset perfectly by your sea blue box.
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I love the sunflowers and I think people are starting to embrace native plants.
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I can feel the warmth from here!
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Good, it looks cold there. Stay warm.
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How can anyone pull up and throw away those wonderful sunflowers?! Actually, people here feel much the same way about plants like Agapanthus so I shouldn’t be surprised.
Thanks for your messages last week, and the heads-up on Brian Mast’s editorial.
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They would rather watch tropical looking plants die.Strange,but true.I love Agapanthus -it suffers in my garden. Check out Casey Cagle in Georgia, as a native Atlantan I think he has poked the wrong bear.
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I groaned when I heard Cagle’s threat. I think you’re right about poking the bear, though.
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Those sunflowers look great in your blue box. I hope they will encourage others in your neighbourhood to grow them again! The mango flowers are magnificent. I rarely eat mangoes as they are so expensive here and often not ripe enough, but had never thought about the plant they come from before! 🙂
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Who wouldn’t, indeed. And that is a gorgeous blue box of sunshine, much appreciated by this Canadian.
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