African tulip

It crosses streams on toylike bridges, offers glimpses of tumbling waterfalls, occasionally bursts upon sweeping ocean vistas and skirts gulches where bright-orange African tulip blossoms rise to greet you.

Blooming trees such as jacaranda, cassia, royal poinciana, African tulip tree, gold tree, Cordia, orchid and golden shower trees grace the grounds.

Japanese-owned, it is built around a courtyard, where birds send up a lively morning chorus while congregating in palm, monkeypod and African tulip trees, and where waterfalls tumble into koi ponds amid gardens that are immaculately kept.

Let's begin with the African tulip tree, Spathodea campanulata.

They hop into their rental cars at midmorning and begin bending around the 10-mph curves and over the quaint, one-lane bridges, marveling at each waterfall, each neon-orange burst of African tulip blossom, each sweeping vista of the cobalt-blue Pacific.

And then there was that African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) on Missouri Avenue in West Los Angeles, with its orange-red chalices for blooms; I had never seen such a gorgeous street tree and wondered why it was not more widely planted.

Dalmacio said he personally chose the different varieties of San Francisco, Royal Palm, and African Tulips to provide a forest like feel to his yard.

After what feels like hours, our driver announces "we've made it to Hana" and windswept bright African tulips lead the way to the Wai'anapanapa State Park like a welcoming red carpet.

These are just the kind of drinks to be enjoyed in the Caribbean, on one of the Virgin Islands, say, where the hills are decorated with riotously colored flowers and almost every house has its own garden; where the sunshine is highlighted by the sight of white and pink oleander, brilliant hibiscus, African tulips, every shade of bougainvillaea.