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Schlumbergera cacti are native to Brazil where they grow in moist humid forests on moss covered tree branches (Epiphyte), or attached to rocks (Lithophyte).

When grown as an indoor container plant Schlumbergera will require warmth and bright light, damp but not overly wet soil and excellent air circulation. To increase humidity, sit the pot atop a tray of moist pebbles and always keep a small amount of water in the pebble tray but be sure that the pot is raised above the pebbles to keep water from entering the drainage holes of the pot.

To induce budding and blooms Schlumbergera requires at least 10-12 hours of total darkness for 30 to 60 days. This can be achieved by placing the plant in a dark closet overnight and bringing it back out and placing it in bright light during the day but I find that after buds begin to form, moving the plant back and forth can cause the plant to abort buds so I now leave my indoor Schlumbergera in their normal location and just place a cardboard box over top of the plant in late afternoon-early evening and remove it the next morning. The plant will still require bright light during the day so it's important to remember to remove the cardboard box or remove the plant from the dark closet each morning.

White Twinevine has very pretty little white, fragrant flowers and it blooms off and on throughout the year but it can be a very aggressive vine. I'm in Florida, zone 10a and we have it growing in both sun and shade on our property where it is climbing an old wooden fence, scrambling and twining over and through shrubs and also climbing a few trees. The flowers attract many butterflies and bees. The vine contains a white milky latex sap that is a skin irritant, causing contact dermatitis in many individuals.

Lantana x strigocamara is an erect to scrambling shrub and is tolerant of a wide range of conditions. It flowers and fruits from spring through fall and the blooms attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. This shrub produces thousands of seeds annually that are readily spread by birds. In Florida, this plant has invaded agricultural and natural areas, forming dense thickets and it is listed as a Category I non-native invasive in the state.

When I found a single leaf emerging in some leaf litter in a shady area of our property, I thought it was a Snake Plant (Dracaena sp.), but when I dug it up, I found that it was growing from a little pseudobulb and it was eventually identified as Oeceoclades maculata. After doing a bit of research and reading that it can be an aggressive invader of natural areas, I decided to pot it up and keep it containerized to control its spread.

The Monk Orchid, also known as the African Spotted Orchid, is an introduced species in Florida and has escaped cultivation and become naturalized throughout the central and southern parts of the state.

Sesbania punicea is an ornamental woody shrub to heights of 15 feet with clusters of attractive bright orange-red flowers. This shrub has escaped cultivation in some areas where it has displaced native vegetation and wildlife. It forms dense thickets in moist to wet environments, along rivers and streams, causing a decrease in water flow, erosion and flooding.

Here in Florida, Sesbania punicea is listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category II non-native invasive plant. It produces thousands of viable seeds each year and the seeds can remain dormant in the soil for several years. Young plants should be hand pulled or dug out before seeds are produced.

When grown as a houseplant in lower light situations, the Dragon Tree will usually have a weeping or drooping growth habit but when grown in higher light situations (like the one in the photo below showing a tree in my backyard) the leaves will attain a more upright growth habit.


Whether grown indoors in containers or outdoors in the ground, as the plant grows taller it's common for the lower leaves to turn yellow and fall off, leaving tall lanky stems with leaves only at the top. To force branching and for a fuller look, the stems can be pruned. The photo below shows the same plant in my backyard before I severely lopped it back.


This outdoor container plant in very bright light also shows the more upright leaf growth.


For container grown plants, it's extremely important to use pots with drainage holes in the bottom. Proper aeration at root level and adequate drainage are important requirements for the health and longevity of a plant, and when watering it's important to water the entire soil mass until the water is freely exiting the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot and then empty all excess water from the catch tray. Ideally, the potting medium should be kept just barely moist throughout, never allowed to stay excessively dry for extended periods and especially never allowed to remain soggy wet, which will deplete oxygen, causing root suffocation.

Watering intervals should be scheduled by how quickly the soil dries, and how quickly a soil dries can depend on things like light availability, humidity, temperature and the type of soil being used. An airy potting medium will drain and dry out fairly quickly, requiring more frequent watering, whereas a dense, slow draining soil will require a longer drying time, requiring much less frequent watering intervals.

Brown leaf tips on the Dragon Tree can be due to underwatering but a more likely cause is dry air. An easy way to increase the humidity is to set the pot atop a tray of moist pebbles, always keeping a small amount of water in the pebble tray.

Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides) is a Florida native shrub to small tree growing 6 to 20 feet in height. It occurs naturally in coastal strands and hammocks as well as pine thickets, in Central and South Florida. Marlberry is hurricane wind resistant and it makes a great small specimen tree, or hedge for the landscape. The clusters of small white flowers have a sweet fragrance and the attractive fruit is a favorite of birds and small animals.

The native Ardisia escallonioides is not to be confused with Coral Ardisia (Ardisia crenata) which has escaped cultivation in the Southeastern U.S. where it has displaced native plant communities. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FEPP) lists Ardisia crenata as a Category I non-native invasive plant. In Florida, it is illegal to import, propagate, transport or sell this plant without a permit.

Antigonon leptopus is native to Mexico but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including the southeastern U.S.A. Coral Vine is a rapid grower that tolerates poor soil and a wide range of light conditions and it is a prolific seed producer. Birds and other wildlife eat and disperse the seeds to different locations and the seeds also float on water, which is another means of dispersal to new locations. Panicles of beautiful pink or white flowers usually appear from spring to fall but many times are present year round. Coral Vine grows by underground tubers that form large rootstocks; if the plant is cut back or damaged by frost, it will resprout.

This vine is listed as a Category II exotic invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC).

The Earleaf Acacia is a fast growing tree that was introduced to Florida in the early 1930's as an ornamental, for landscape beautification. This tree can be found in coastal communities in central and south Florida. Earleaf Acacia invades hammocks, pineland and scrub habitats where it shades out and displaces native plants. It is listed as a Category I non-native invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. This Acacia should never be planted in Florida and any existing trees with their root systems, as well as any seedlings should be removed from the landscape.

I'd tried growing Pilea peperomioides as a houseplant a few times over the years but I never seemed to have much luck keeping one alive for very long. My current plant was purchased in February 2019 and it did okay for a few months but eventually began to decline, as had those I'd owned in the past. So I decided to try wick watering the Pilea, which is what I've done with all of my other indoor plants. For wicks, I cut nylon pantyhose into short strips and using a small wooden dowel I very gently push the nylon up into the soil through a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. I sit the plastic nursery pot down inside a more decorative container with pebbles in the bottom and I always keep a small amount of water in the cache pot that wicks water up into the soil as needed. I've now had this plant for seventeen months and it seems quite happy and healthy.

When grown as a container plant, Peace Lilies need a light, airy potting medium and a container that allows excellent drainage. In a pot without drainage the water has nowhere to go and the soil will become overly saturated, depleting oxygen at root level and causing the rhizomes and roots to rot. Peace Lilies like consistently damp soil and will only survive wet soil if it is adequately aerated.

One of my Peace Lilies has been sitting in the water of a fountain since 2016 and it is extremely happy. The pump runs 24/7 so the water is constantly in motion as it circulates from the fountain, spilling into a small pond below and then back up to the fountain.

Eulophia graminea is a terrestrial orchid native to tropical and subtropical Asia. It has small leaves and tall spikes of 1 inch flowers that are green with brownish-purple venation and a purple spot on the white lip. Chinese Crown Orchid grows from pseudobulbs that produce numerous, small root attachments, making it very difficult to dig and remove entirely. It grows in many types of soil, including sand, rock and mulch.

The Chinese Crown Orchid has become naturalized in many parts of the world and is considered invasive in some areas. Here in Florida, the plant is listed as a category I on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's 2017 list of invasive plant species.

Rhaphidophora tetrasperma (commonly called "Mini Monstera" due to its resemblance to the much larger Monstera deliciosa) is a trailing or climbing evergreen, reaching heights of 6 to12 feet or more. Leaves are a glossy, green but much smaller in size than those of Monstera deliciosa. As an indoor houseplant, Rhaphidorpha tetrasperma prefers bright, filtered light, well draining, moist soil and good air circulation; it does not respond well to low light situations and if continuously subjected to low light, it will be an extremely slow grower and the leaves will remain small.

Japanese Dodder is a parasitic vine that requires a host plant to survive, obtaining its food and water from the host plant. The invasive vine attaches its peg-like roots (called haustoria) to the host plant, climbing and twining until it eventually covers the host plant. The Japanese Dodder vine may appear leafless but actually has small, scale-like leaves. During the summer months, it produces very small, inconspicuous flowers that are pale yellow in color. The fruits are small 2-celled capsules, each containing four, tiny light brown to black seeds; each plant can produce up to 2,000 seeds. This non-native vine can kill its host plant within just a couple of years and is considered invasive in areas of the U.S. where it is found.

Phyllanthus urinaria is a low growing plant, reaching heights of about 14 inches. It grows in both sun and shade and has small, alternate leaves which are larger at the tip and smaller towards the bottom. Chamber Bitter leaves resemble those of Mimosa, opening during the day and closing at night. The tiny flowers are borne in the leaf axils and are greenish-yellow to white in color. The also tiny, round fruits are green to red in color and are borne along the reverse side of the stems. This plant is prolific in producing seed, which germinate from summer to fall and the seed can remain dormant for extended periods. Phyllanthus urinaria is adaptable to a wide range of ecological habitats; it is considered a noxious weed and is listed as invasive in some areas.

The Desert Rose is a wonderful ornamental plant with its unusual bulbous, caudex base and beautiful blooms that come in shades of red, pink, and white. In nature, Adenium obesum reaches heights of 8 to 10 feet, but smaller specimens are grown as patio container plants or indoor houseplants and they are also popular trained as bonsai. Desert Rose is drought tolerant and prefers high light, doing best in full sun situations. It is considered evergreen but will lose its leaves during severe dry periods. The sap of Adenium obesum contains toxic glycosides, and care should be taken when pruning or handling the cut stems.

The Giant Leather Fern is a Florida native, often found in brackish and fresh water marshes in the central and southern regions of the state. This fern is a long-lived perennial that grows to 12 feet in height with a spread to 10 feet and can be grown in sunny or shady conditions but requires consistent moisture to thrive; tolerates flooded conditions and has a high tolerance for salt spray.

Acca sellowiana is a multistemmed, evergreen shrub that can be grown as a hedge, pruned to a desired shape or form, or trained as a small tree with a single trunk. Although adaptable to most types of soil, it prefers a slightly acid, well drained soil. If grown in very dry climates, supplemental watering will be needed. Pineapple Guava is also tolerant of salt spray, which makes it suitable for coastal gardens. This is a relatively disease and pest free, low maintenance plant with very beautiful flowers that usually appear during April and May.

Acacia farnesiana is a shrub to small tree with clusters of sweetly scented golden-yellow flowers that resemble little puffballs. The blooms attract many bees and butterflies to the garden. Sweet Acacia is deciduous in some areas but remains evergreen in warmer climates. The plant is fairly drought tolerant once established but holds its leaves better when given adequate amounts of water. Acacia farnesiana can become naturalized and is considered a pest plant of concern in some parts of the world.

I've grown the Polka Dot Plant many times over the years, as indoor houseplants (including planted in terrariums), as well as annual bedding plants in shady spots in the garden.

Hypoestes prefer bright, indirect light, but no direct sun, which will scorch the foliage, and well-draining soil is extremely important. Plants should be pinched back to maintain an attractive, uniform and bushy shape. I've read that Polka Dot Plants can grow to 24 inches in height, but mine have only attained heights of about 8 to 10 inches at most. Some may prefer to remove the flowers, but even though the blooms are rather inconspicuous, I still think they are pretty, so I allow them to bloom.