Loblolly Pines and Palmettos: when you cross the St Marys River, you enter Florida

The St Marys River flows from the Okefenokee Swamp to the Atlantic Ocean; it's one of the many tidal rivers that Route 95 crosses between Maryland and Florida. Yesterday was a beautiful warm (~80F) sunny day; it contrasted beautifully with the dead plants I discovered upon arrival at the Wildwood garden.

Clearly some plants are better suited to hot dry sandy conditions than other. Some were good, some actually dead. This was the driest winter since we have had the garden. Still, I was amazed to see established Agaves totally dessicated. I was less surprised that Hibiscus tiliaceous, Petrea volubilis, the native Lantana had been toasted. Many plants thrived!!! including my favorites the Conradinas, Salvia greggii, Dyschoriste oblongifolia, et alia. The Meyer Lemon, who had suffered from drought before, is flowering and looks great.

Aloe polyphylla, is finally spiralling; I do think it is related to the plant being stationary (because it's planted in the ground). When it sat in a pot and was regularly moved the leaves did not form a sprial. I suspect their subtle placement is related to either a constant electromagnetic orientation, or a fixed relation to the suns path. Someone else can do the research! Both carloads arrived within half an hour yesterday evening with a few hours for me to survey the carnage. Its dark now but in a couple of hours I can go out and continue the post-mortem and begin the cleanup.