Okra blossoms are surprisingly pretty for such a mundane plant. This photo was taken in a neighbor's yard in Florida. Our community there had a lot of restrictions, including acceptable landscaping plants. They were serious, too. One morning over coffee we observed the plant police checking our back yard for offending species; they were looking not for marijuana but things like azaleas (what Southern yard doesn't have azaleas?) In a silent protest, my horticulturist neighbor planted okra plants, definitely not on the OK list. They looked enough like hibiscus that the plant censors never noticed, even when the okra pods formed.
My neighbor died yesterday after a long battle with opioid addiction that began after a painful surgery. Rest in peace, my friend.
