Brigantine, New Jersey Flowers in the Garden State

I confess admit when I first learned New Jersey’s “official” nickname is the Garden State, I might have probably snickered — guffawed even. But, that was before we discovered the Brigantine, New Jersey flowers and sunsets. We were bewitched impressed enough to buy a summer house “down the shore” (what Philadelphians call any beach town in southern New Jersey).

This post is about Brigantine flowers, but as you can see, the sunsets were enough to convince us to pay real estate taxes in a place where we can’t vote. Actually, the “after the sunsets” are even better than the sunsets.

My two sisters and I were born and raised in Philadelphia, 100 miles down the New Jersey Turnpike from New York City. Several times a year, all five of us would pile into whatever unreliable used Chevy my father was driving at the time, and head 100 miles up the New Jersey Turnpike to visit our grandparents and cousins.

There was not a lot of beautiful scenery along the New Jersey Turnpike. Indeed, as we approached the tunnel or bridge that would take us from New Jersey into New York, the landscape would become close to apocalyptic. We drove by gritty oil refineries that belched throat and eye burning smoke. Dad’s cars didn’t have air conditioning, but even if it was 100 degrees outside, we would roll up the windows to try to at least diminish the stench. It’s no wonder I never thought to use “New Jersey” and “Garden State” in the same sentence.

Speaking of gardens, fast forward a whole bunch of years. In 1982, I married Mr. Excitement. It turned out that one less than exciting thing Mr. and Mrs. Excitement have in common is our inability to keep plant life alive. Fortunately, we did better with fauna. Our sons (Ben and Jeremy) survived our parenting to become productive, self-sustaining adults, and as of this writing, the dog has made it to the ripe old age of 13. Alas, the same can not be said for any flora that had the misfortune to find itself in our home or yard.

I would like to tell you we grew these tulips on our dining room table, but I still have a law license and lawyers almost never lie. I bought these wooden tulips at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

This is not to say we don’t like plants and flowers. In fact, we seek out botanical gardens during our travels. I attend the Philadelphia Flower Show every year. We trespass on other people’s lawns to get a better look at their flowers. My Instagram feed has a high percentage of horticultural photos. In the spring and summer, we roam Brigantine, admiring the gardens others have cultivated.

So, this is my photo essay ode to Brigantine, New Jersey flowers and all those with the green thumbs who put the “garden” in the Garden State.

In early July, we participated in the self-guided Brigantine Garden Club house garden tour. This house backed onto the bay and stoked my hydrangea envy.

The Brigantine Garden Club also makes sure the town’s streets are beautified, by doing plantings on the median strips.

I admire these flowers planted by the Brigantine Garden Club at the end of a median strip near our house every day when I walk our dog.

I’m especially impressed by the folks who always manage to have something blooming in their garden as the summer progresses. For example, gorgeous irises have their moment first, and then lilies and black eyed Susans are at their prime.

The people who tend this garden appear to have mastered the “sequence of bloom” technique. Something(s) is always flowering in their garden. Here there are coneflowers, lilies and black eyed Susans.

When we spent 3 months in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2014, I was quite taken with the bountiful hibiscus flowers. However, now that I’m tuned into this flower, I see that they flourish in Brigantine as well. Maybe not in February, but all spring and summer.

These large plate hibiscus are the late bloomers among the Brigantine hibiscus plants. I’ve seen at least 3 varieties. I have to be careful when walking our dog because, for some reason, he likes to eat this particular hibiscus.

You don’t have to go to the American southwest to find flowering cacti. Just come to Brigantine, New Jersey.

In addition to bright yellow flowering cacti, I’ve also seen pink ones. (Yes, that’s a bee also enjoying them.)

I’ll end with this one. I found a garden with this Purple Russian sage flattened the previous night by heavy rain, but still beautiful laying over the black eyed Susans.

And just because—one last Brigantine after the sunset.

After the sunset” reflected in Saint Georges Thoroughfare Bay in Brigantine, New Jersey.

Are you good with plants? What grows well where you live? 

Tagged as: Brigantine, flowers, New Jersey, sunsets