Cretan-homes, Crete property estate agents

During the hot summer months it is necessary to look further afield to find flowers to photograph!  With determination than can, however, be found!

In August the wonderful Pancratium maritimum is in bloom on our beaches, but this fabulous flower, known to the Minoans, is under threat from tourist activity and development.  Fortunately, many on the island are devoting time and effort to its protection.  We can all do our part by not using shampoos and soaps when showering on beaches where the Sea Daffodil still grows and, tempting though it is, by not picking the blooms allowing them to set seeds for the following years.

A number of flowers to be found from July into August appear fairly uninteresting – lots of purple thistles and the spiky flower heads of the Echinops.  But take a closer look, each flower head is made up of many small florets and these can be extremely beautiful.

Another spectacular plant blooming in summer is Eryngium maritimum – the Sea Holly.  Listed as endangered in the United Kingdom, it blooms freely around Crete’s coastline in sand dunes and on beaches.  I love the way the stems turn a wonderful metallic silvery mauve when the plant comes into blossom. Sea Holly attracts large yellow and brown hornets which act as pollinators and when I took this picture the air was full of the sound of buzzing.

There are several varieties of St John’s wort, some of them endemic to the island.  The one photographed here is Hypericum  amblycalx which is native to eastern Crete.

Galactites tormentosa is a summer flowering thistle with really attractive flowers, which are sadly quite short-lived. The leaves are a combination of green and light cream/green and are also very attractive, making a good choice for gardens as an architectural or ornamental subject.

Following the success of the Flowers of Crete Flower Finding Trip in Spring, we are organising an Autumn Bulb Finding Trip in October 2008 and a Spring Flowers and Orchids Trip in March 2009.  Further details can be found on the website www.flowersofcrete.info or by contacting Julia directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it