Our gardens have over 30 palms and flowers from around the world.

The gardens are a special part of Playa Las Tortugas. Each season has it’s own character, but rest assured EVERY season has plenty of flowers in bloom. This past spring we took a look at what was blooming around our villa, La Villa Reyes.

Royal Palm

When you first pull up to La Villa Reyes the large palm on your right is a royal palm.

It’s a tall, massive palm with smooth bark and lush fronds native to Mexico, Cuba, and other parts of the Caribbean and Central America. In spring the bees go wild for the flowers.

Manila Palm

You will find several manila palms in our garden. It’s similar to the curly palm but with more lush fronds.

Native to the Philippines, the slender manila palm is on the smaller side. It’s often referred to as the Christmas palm because of the red berries it produces in winter.

Coconut palm

Playa Las Tortugas is loaded with coconut palms. Just don’t sunbathe under them!

Native to Southeast Asia, coconut palms have spread around the world as one of the most useful trees. Ask Maria to keep a fresh supply of coconuts in the refrigerator. There’s nothing more refreshing!

Pygmy Date Palm

Scattered among the gardens of Playa Las Tortugas you will find this small palm.

It’s a native of southeast Asia. While the larger date palm has edible fruit, the pygmy is not well suited to eating. The fruit around the pit is very thin.

Mexican Fan Palm

The Mexican fan palm is native to Sonora and Baja Sur. You will see this somewhat shaggy palm throughout Playa Las Tortugas.

It’s similar to the California fan palm, though a bit taller and faster growing.

Butterfly Palm

Similar to the Manila Palm but with thinner fronds. Several are planted against the house. It is sometimes called butterfly palm because its fronds may curve up like a butterfly’s wings. They are native to Madagascar.

Mexican Blue Palm

One of the most dramatic palms at Playa Las Tortugas. There are only a few here, planted near the houses by the entrance. Perhaps there should be more?!

Bottle Palm

The name of this palm derives from the shape of its trunk. It’s not very tall but its pretty distinctive and a good addition to the Playa Las Tortugas gardens.

Cohune Palm

This wild looking palm is much loved for nesting by the whistling ducks. You will see a few cultivated in the gardens and even more growing wild on the hillsides.

Queen Palm

A slender palm similar in size and shape to the Manila and Butterfly palms but with thinner fronds. There is one just to the left as you look towards the Playa Las Tortugas pool.

Elephant’s Foot

Also known as the ponytail palm, the elephant’s foot is native to Mexico, mostly in the state of Veracruz.

The one in the garden is still fairly small, but it may eventually grow to its full 15-foot height.

Bird of Paradise

Native to South Africa and often referred to as the crane flower, this is a lovely addition to the Villa Reyes garden.

Plumeria

A classic tropical flower with a wonderful smell. You will see a few variations of the plumeria in the gardens.

Chenille Plant

You can’t miss this distinctive flower.

The Chenille Plant is native to the tropical parts of Asia. It’s also has the fun name of red hot cat’s tail, which sounds even better in Portuguese as “rabo de gato”.

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea are common in Playa Las Tortugas, but there’s nothing common about this plant. You’ll see them in purple, pink, red and even yellow. There are two in the planter by the back steps.

Mexican Petunia

This is a potted plant on the Villa Reyes 2nd floor terrace and out in the garden. It’s also called the Mexican Ruellia. It’s native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.

Desert Rose

You will find this flower in the planter outside the front door of La Villa Reyes.

The desert rose is from Africa and is a succulent which does well in dry conditions.

Be-still Tree

You can find this small tree right next to the patio. This tough but beautiful tree is native to Mexico. It can handle drought or excessive rain yet still bloom for many months and keep its leaves all year.

Hibiscus

The garden has several hibiscus in four different colors. All are beautiful, and one of our favorite flowers in Playa Las Tortugas.

Prickly Poppy

This is a surprise visitor to the garden that must have blown in from somewhere else. This is the only example in the gardens of Playa Las Tortugas., and you can find it on the ocean side of the house.