Plant Spotlight
Growing Succulents Indoors
Growing Succulents Indoors Succulents are hot right now. Look through any gardening website, decorating magazine or go crazy on Pinterest to see the designs and uses for this group of plants. From containers to wreaths to temporary installations, succulents have compelling shapes and colors that make them ideal for a wide range of displays. This article will provide concepts for basic care and design uses that can easily be incorporated into your home and will flourish in low light levels. Care Not surprisingly, succulents will require less frequent watering than most interior plants. Plants that are continually overwatered will be prone to rot, disease and a general decrease in plant vigor. I like to maintain succulents by monitoring the turgidity, or the stiffness of the leaves. … Read Full Post
Pruning Crape Myrtle
The controversy of pruning crape myrtle is heating up. Do you need to prune? Can you just let it grow? Read on my friends. It’s the time of year when I find myself cringing when I drive around town. It’s begun. “Crape Murder” is running rampant through our neighborhoods. Where did it start? Who decided this was a good idea? If you get anything from this article: Do NOT cut your crape myrtles to nubs! The process of turning the naturally beautiful vase-shaped growth of a crapemyrtle tree into a deformed stump with little nubs is a practice that has no scientific basis. In fact, the University of Florida writes, “Properly placed, crapemyrtle is a low-maintenance plant needing little or no pruning.”… Read Full Post
Lipstick Tree, Bixa orellana
Bixa orellana, or Lipstick Tree, isn’t supposed to grow in Central Florida. It is extremely tropical in nature and shouldn’t tolerate temperatures near freezing as we occasionally experience in Orlando. Don’t tell that to these lovely Lipstick Trees! With the right care and a slightly warmer microclimate, Bixa orellana is a very interesting small tree for the home garden. Lipstick Tree, also called Anatto in some cultures, can be grown as a large shrub or as a small tree. Grown from seed it naturally has a strong stem to support the tree form, but can be pruned to a multi-branch shrub easily. The large heart-shaped leaves are almost 10″ from top to bottom and form a dense canopy up to 20′ tall.… Read Full Post
Clerodendrum for Florida
Browsing through the photos on my iphone, there seems to be a recurring theme: plants, pugs and Mike. And probably in that order. I couldn’t help but notice that lately I have quite a few photos of clerodendrum in the mix, both in flower and in seed and it seemed I need to pull all of my favorites into one place. You guessed it, this piece. There are so many great clerodendrum for Florida that I will probably miss a few here but I will include a few favorites Clerodendrum paniculatum, Pagoda Flower With large 12″ flowers in bright orange colors, this clerodendrum always noticed when in flower. Pagoda flower can get very tall after several years of warm winters and has reached upward of 8′ tall in central Florida.… Read Full Post
Save Money by Planting Bromeliad Pups
Bromeliads are one of the plants that I find to be perfectly Florida. I love the variety of colors and textures, sizes and heights, and different growth habits for every nook and cranny in the garden. Whether full sun or deep shade, there is a bromeliad for that part of the landscape. Why Plant Bromeliad Pups? One thing about bromeliads is they can be fairly pricey to purchase. But, if you can find someone with an old garden then there are often more bromeliads to share than they may have friends. But until you find that treasured neighbor with a plethora of plants to share, buying bromeliads can be expensive. One way to cut down on that cost is to purchase bare root plants or “pups.” … Read Full Post
Winter Flowers for Florida
As the weather begins to cool, fall is the perfect time to add color to your yard and landscape. While some of our more tropical plants will require extra care to get through cool night time temperatures, there are many annual flowers that will flourish in the cooler, drier weather. You will find great success during our Florida winter months by simply selecting the correct plants for this time of year. It can be difficult, however, to pick out the correct cool season flowers from the out of season plants that may still be offered at garden centers and this post will be a great tool in finding the best plants! Before purchasing plants, decide on the best location for your flowers.… Read Full Post
Vanda Orchids
Have you ever walked by something so pretty you just couldn’t resist? Or maybe a piece of food that just smelled so good that you had to have a bite? Well, that is me and my love for Vanda orchids. I neeeed them. Vanda orchids come in the most amazing colors and have huge flowers that will stop you in your tracks. A single flower can be nearly 3″ across. Nowadays, florists use that species of orchids for making luxurious bouquets. Vanda orchids are distinctively different from other types of orchids in that they do not need to be in any type of orchid bark or moss, and prefer to grow simply hanging in the air. The name ‘epiphyte’ comes from the Greek word ‘epi’ meaning ‘upon’ and ‘phyton’ meaning ‘plant’.… Read Full Post
Is Bamboo Bad?
I am often asked, “Is bamboo bad?” I know that the fear is that the bamboo will go crazy, swallowing house, home and pool, but no, bamboo is not bad. The key is to make sure you buy your bamboo from a reputable source to ensure that it is a clumping, not running, bamboo. Bamboo is one of my favorite plants for screening in narrow areas. The very upright habit makes it ideal for creating privacy without taking up a huge amount of square footage. At our house we use Slender Weavers bamboo, Bambusa textilis gracilis, to hide the two story house behind us that looks right into our yard. As if reading my mind, Thompson’s Bamboo (my go-to source for all things bamboo related) writes, “This clumping bamboo is possibly the ideal bamboo for the residential landscape.… Read Full Post
Rex Begonia Vine, Cissus discolor
Rex Begonia Vine, Cissus discolor, is a vine that you will see once and remember forever. I first saw this plant at my friend Sonya’s house in Virginia when we visited one weekend during graduate school. Avid plant collectors, out of all of the pots on their porch, this is the one that I remember. A tender tropical, Rex Begonia Vine is worth the effort. The leaves look like they should feel like velvet and have a metallic silver color. The bottom side of the leaves, vines and tendrils are all a deep purple color. When the sun shines through the leaves the green and silver disappear and just a burgundy purple colors glows through. Cissus discolor is not an extremely aggressive vine.… Read Full Post
Tibouchina heteromalla, Silver leafed Princess Flower
Tibouchina heteromalla, or Silver Leafed Princess Flower, is becoming increasingly popular and more widely available. Similar to other tibouchinas, this species has the same deep purple-colored flowers that are so distinctive, but it also has beautiful foliage to match. Tibouchina heteromalla has large, velvety leaves that are covered with many soft, fine hairs. These hairs are actually the cause of the silver color of the leaves, and also make them so nice to touch! In central Florida it is rare to see a Tibouchina heteromalla more than six feet tall. I have one in a container that is about this height, but the container is adding a couple of feet to the size. The branching is strongest in full sun and can get rather leggy and weak in the shade, causing the plant to lean over.… Read Full PostFollow Me
About Me
My name is Keri and I am as comfortable speaking to a group about color in the garden as I am covered in dirt.
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