VIRGINIA BEACH
They stand as shrink-wrapped sentinels of winter.
Palm trees, dozens of them, line Atlantic Avenue, wrapped in plastic to keep out winter frost. Then, come warmer weather, landscapers cut through the sheath, unlashing palm after palm.
It’s an Oceanfront rite of spring .
The palms are an odd sight, given the Beach isn’t quite tropical. They were ferried north years ago by hoteliers who needed bark that’s immune to salt sprays. The ocean may lure tourists, but it torments trees. Not palms, though.
They withstand corrosive air pretty well. Cold is their killer. So every year, around Thanksgiving, crews wrap them in plastic .
Over time, some palms learn to live with the cold. Others need help, which brings us to Friday.
Landscapers at the Ocean Key Resort unwrapped one, two, 10 trees in all. The last palms at the Oceanfront had been unpacked.
The sentinels of summer have returned.
Richard Quinn, (757) 222-5119, richard.quinn@pilotonline.com
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