Butterfly pea, Asian pigeonwings. Perfect vine! Blooms year-round, fast
growing, easy, not invasive, controllable, not messy, curious bright blue
flower - Clitoris-like flower shape, hence the name of the plant. Fast-growing
climber with fine foliage, pinnate leaves.
Besides being a great ornamental, this plant has some practical and
medicinal value. The seed pods are edible, as well as the flowers. The flowers are
used for blue food dye for rice and teas. It is also a nitrogen fixer and
helps prevent E-coli.
Q: My
tropical plant collection goes indoors for winter. I have over 100 plants now and
all windowsill space is taken. I am planning to build some shelves so I can
also start some rare seeds indoors. Can you advise me on the choice of the
grow lights so I can do it right?
A: Indoor
plants are very unlucky: they have to grow in "caves," and everybody knows
that plants don't grow in the caves. The luckiest plants win sunny windowsills,
but even there they dwell rather like in underbrush under tall trees, where
the sun illuminate them only early in the morning or in the evening, and its
light is diffused by foliage. Usually, domestic plants are in desperate lack
of illumination not only in winter but also in summer. No light - no growth,
no flowering. So, plants need extra light to compensate for the lack of
illumination in the "room-cave" conditions. And here is some science behind it...
This is an extremely rare variety of the Russian Holistic Medicinal
Plant - Golden Tendril. The plant has wide medicinal use in Europe and Russia,
literally every household, millions of Russians use this plant as a home
remedy...
Question: I'm hoping you can recommend a lush looking houseplant
which will be happy in an otherwise bright "sun room" which receives only a
little actual sunlight. Something that looks tropical and exotic, and maybe
even makes flowers which are fragrant?
Answer: Perfect timing because at this moment, my much beloved Amazon
Lily (Eucharis grandiflora) is currently flowering spectacularly! I've had
this particular plant for nearly twenty years, and it's one of my absolute
favorites.
The Silas Woods is an outstanding variety of Sapodilla.
The tree has dwarf growth habit (under 20 ft in the ground) and adapts
well to a container.
This variety is highly productive.
Trees are producing year round, the branches often require support as
they get very heavily loaded with fruits. Perfect fruit tree for small yards
and container culture!
This is interesting! According to Harvard Medical School research, gardening activities are compared with
some serious workout! Calories burned in 30 minutes by:
Climate change is wiping out the Baobab, Africa's tree of life...
According to The Guardian News and Media, Africa's "tree of life" may not have much
longer left... These highly important species are threatened with
extinction, due to climate change and human development. Some species may not survive
the next century. While plants have generally adapted to extended droughts,
climate change is different, and with the Anthropocene, we are already
witnessing the loss of these impressive trees. Africa's largest, oldest inhabitants,
that have played silent witness to numerous generations, are already paying a
heavy price for the environmental crimes of foreign lands.
Baobab forms an integral part in people's livelihoods. In West Africa,
it is also called the "palaver tree" because of its social functions: when
there is a problem in the community, meeting under the Baobab tree with the
chief or the tribesmen would be synonymous with trying to find a solution to
that problem; it reinforces trust and respect among members of the community.
Its extinction would not simply be an environmental tragedy...
Every tropical gardener should have a Baobab to help to save this amazing species for the planet!
Fascinating Spekboom (Portulacaria afra, or Baby Jade)
By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc ...I love this plant! I first grew it in the 1960s when I was just a
kid. I found it growing as a fantastic four-foot tall houseplant in a big sunny
window in a schoolmate's home and was happily given a cutting. When I
inquired about this most unusual plant, my friend's mother explained that she had
brought a piece of it with her when she came from South Africa many years
earlier. She told me that in Africa, it is a favorite food for both Elephants and
Rhinoceros and that it was grown all over her families farm for feeding both
animals and people. Being a little kid in Illinois, I found this especially
fascinating...
Continue reading...
Q: I
purchased a Plumeria from your company. It has done quite nicely and now has
produced a seed pod. Please forward me information on how to care for it and use
the seeds that may be inside to propagate another plant.
A: Wait
until seeds are ripe (seed pod turns brownish). Soak seeds overnight. Use only
well-drained soil. The ideal mix is Adenium mix that we use for desert roses and Plumerias. Insert the
heavy end of seed 1/4" into the soil, leaving feathered end exposed. Place the
pot in direct sunlight. Don't allow the soil to completely dry out, but don't
let it be soggy. Germination occurs usually within three to four weeks. Do not
overwater.
Mark you calendars: Groundhog Day Event 2/2 @ TopTropicals
Groundhog
Day: Spring will surely come!
Event: Top Container Plants @ Top Tropicals
When: Saturday, Feb 2, from 10 am - 5 pm
Where: Top Tropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft
Myers, FL
More info: Check our Facebook Event Page or call Anna Banana @ 239-771-8081
Agenda: - 25% OFF everything + freebies for local customers
- Best container fruit trees, Condo Mangos, and Avocados. No matter if
Groundhog promises early or late spring, you can keep them in pots!
- Snacks and drinks
Click on ticket link to save and print invitation flyer (for 2
people).
