If you were asked where is your favourite tree, and what kind of tree is it, what would you answer? This hospitable crape myrtle, growing in the garden of a purple house on Dumaine Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, is one of my favourites. I am several thousand miles away, so can only think back fondly to the last time my sweetheart and I saw it.
Crape Myrtles are beautiful flowering trees widely grown in the Southern States of America, but are not hardy enough to withstand winter in the North of England. Their smooth, muscular bark, often has an attractive blotchy pattern, like the tree version of a giraffe’s neck.
The reason I love this tree so much is because its branches cradle epiphytes: big bromeliads, including Queen’s Tears (Billbergia nutans), also called friendships plants because they are so easy to share.
Epiphytes always seem to have a magical quality because they don’t need soil. Their small roots fasten on to trees although, in this case, wire mesh has been tacked to the tree to give them a helping hand.
So much of this scene offers a new perspective for me. I’m used to English ivy climbing a tree, but this is something else; I assume the plants are not as heavy as they look. I don’t see many pink and purple houses. Even the idea of having fans on the outside of a house makes me smile, thinking of the rain drizzling steadily outside here in Lancashire, a week or so past midsummer.
If you were wondering about the green exterior shutters you can see at the far end of the picture, here’s a better view:
Shared for Becky’s JulySquares: Perspectives.
Wishing a happy July 4th to my American readers. It’s a weird year – I hope you’ll find a way to celebrate safely.
Susan Rushton 
I love your post! The photos are beautiful, and I adore New Orleans! I know this spot very well. We were just there in January and walked by this house more than once in our travels around the Quarter. Thank you so much for sharing this and waking up my memories of this lovely place!
I’m glad to have brought back fond memories. It is one remarkable sight in a remarkable place!
Nice colors. Lots of plants that won’t grow out here.
It is a very colourful city with plenty to catch the eye. Have you had occasion to go?
Fabulous tree! Wonderful architecture too.
The tree is as architectural as the buildings and that’s saying a lot.
How splendid, both the tree and the shutters.
Both are very textural too.
I am reminded of that famous line I can’t remember — something about not being in Kansas any more. It’s how I feel about these photos: I’m sure not in Indiana! Not just the epiphytes, which seem to be having such a grand time, but the colors, the architecture. These are wonderful images to stretch my brain today — thank you!
You, in turn, have reminded me of ‘Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?’
I’m thinking you do know.
Well, not really, not every day. I have other things to miss!
I guess I was connecting them all.
And I was trying not to. 🙂
I suspect New Orleans would be far to hot and humid for my liking, but I love the architecture!
I’ve mainly been early or late in the year, when it has been quite nice.
Although Missouri is my home, I lived in Mississippi for several years and California for 8 months. The landscaping was AWESOME There were many HUGE Crape Myrtles that had beautiful bark. There were several growing at the mansion in Mississippi but the yard I used to cut bamboo in had the most beautiful trees. They were HUGE and the trunks were a deep mahogany and silver.. They were the biggest I had seen. Normally, I call Crape Myrtle Crap Myrtle because of their seed pods. I liked hanging pots in their branches, but the squirrels, who enjoy Crape Myrtle seeds, would sometimes jump in the pots. They are definitely a beautiful southern tree but grow here as shrubs that come up from the ground every year. I have two growing in the south flower bed I normally keep cut back but the one along the other foundation in “the other yard” is one of several my grandparents planted probably in the 1960’s. I love Epiphytes and I do have Billbergia nutans growing in pots. AWESOME FLOWERS! Thanks for sharing this great post!
I’m so pleased to have brought back memories and that you have found a way to grow Crape Myrtles where you are now. I’ve seen them grown that way. I like the multi-stemmed effect it creates.
Hmmm… I did not find a way to grow them. My grandparents planted them along the south side of their house then dad put two of those on the south side of of their new house. They have probably been here since the 1960’s or late 1950’s.
Sorry, I was not clear. I meant the way of cutting them back each year to the ground so they would sprout back.
Ahhh… Normally they only come back from the base unless we had a mild winter. Then some of the old branches may start leafing out. Buddleja and Chaste Tree do the same.
I too love crape myrtles, although I have never seen epiphytes growing in them here in Texas. Your use of “muscular” is exactly how I’ve always described the trunks. Smooth and strong. Some people call them “floozies” because they grow well under difficult conditions–especially drought and heat. And the flowers go everywhere–that’s kind of the “floozy” part. But I love it when the blossoms fall into the swimming pool. (And *thank you* for spelling “crape” correctly. Most people spell it “crepe,” like the fabric or paper. I learned this stuff working at the Texas Ag Dept. years ago.)
I can imagine the flowers would be very pretty floating in a pool. Their crinckled edges are lovely.
I love those shutters! Functional. And I like crape myrtles a lot, too. They vary greatly depending on the trim. I had no idea they provided shelter for other plants! The ones in Virginia don’t have the opportunity, I imagine, as it’s much less tropical. And you’d appreciate those porch fans if you lived there!
I would! And the screen rooms too, to keep out any of the biting insects who see me as a great delicacy.
I am currently covered with gnat bites…
The photo with the green shutters made me smile, it was as if you read my mind, I was looking at those shutters in the side of that photo and wondering what they were 😄
I would have been wondering too. 🙂
Cool! No wonder you love them so. They don’t grow in northern New England, either. But I bet you knew that. 😉
I would have guessed they would not be too happy in your snow.
I’m reading this post as I sit under the ceiling fan on my front porch watching the hummingbirds dart back and forth from the feeders hanging in the white Crepe Myrtles
flanking my entry way.
Thanks for reminding me of how lucky I am to be a southern girl in the USA!
That does sound idyllic. 🙂