Our flowers are not the soft pinks of peonies and roses or the cool blues and lavenders of iris, hyacinth and lilac. Once out of the downtown area you no longer have the diversion of the harbor or the general hubbub of tourist and inter-island activity so to be entertained while imprisoned in your almost stationary car calls for a little more imagination and insight. T his is where our profusion of vibrantly hued flora comes into play. If you focus on the masses of hot pink bougainvillea against a wall, the fact that that wall surrounds boxlike, institutional structures becomes secondary. The prol ific hibiscus hides the not nearly as attractive galvanized sheeting or wire fence that sits behind it.
Flowers are great at drawing the eye away from the unsightly to their freshness and beauty.
Orchids, poinsettias, ficus benjamina and philodendrons - all are as common as daisies or buttercups. One would think that all that plant life would have St Thomas smelling something like a perfume factory. Amazingly, that's not the case. Most of the plants seem to have invested all their energy in their dazzling show of color and didn't save any for ol factory purposes. Hibiscus and Bougainvillea are sterile in the scent department.