Viewing comments posted by plantladylin

The Easter Lilies in my garden came as a single plant from a dear friend about 15 years ago. I enjoyed the potted plant until the flowers faded, then planted them in a shady area of the garden where they thrived and multiplied over the years. I've read that the flowers should be dead-headed as they fade and the yellowing foliage should be cut back, but I've never done either ... I just let nature take it's course and they seem to do fine. I love to see the new sprouts and blooms each spring and although I've read that the flowers are fragrant, I've only noticed a very slight fragrance.

Cyathea cooperi, native to Australia and New Zealand is one of the most popular tree ferns in cultivation. Scaly Tree fern is a very large, fast growing fern that prefers bright shade and moist conditions. The trunk should be kept moist with daily watering but do not allow water to reach the crown, a wet crown will promote disease and eventual demise of the plant. Cyathea cooperi grows to a huge size in both height and width and the fronds can grow to 20' in length. Fallen fronds leave the trunk with interesting patterns of large oval scars.

Aeschynanthus radicans is in the Gesneriad family of plants (African Violets, Streptocarpus, Chirita etc.) and requires much the same care as it's cousins, bright light and a well draining potting medium. A. radicans has small succulent like leaves with a trailing habit so it makes a wonderful plant for hanging baskets. The plant gets it's common name of "Lipstick Plant" due to the appearance of the bright red buds that emerge from dark maroon calyxes, resembling tubes of lipstick.

Podocarpus macrophyllus is native to Japan and southern China. It is an upright shrub or small tree with flat dark green needle-like leaves and is used in foundation plantings, as single specimens and as informal hedges.This plant is a fast grower if fertilized in the first few years and can attain heights to 40' if not kept pruned to smaller sizes. It does well in full sun to shade and is salt and heat tolerant. The stems of Yew Pine are popular and attractive additions to flower arrangements. Podocarpus macrophyllus is disease and pest resistant.

Boxwood are evergreen shrubs widely used for small hedges and foundation plantings in the landscape, as well as for topiaries and bonsai. The Littleleaf Boxwood grows to approximately 48" in height and has tiny 3/4 " leaves and inconspicuous but fragrant blooms during the spring.

I found these plants growing in my backyard, compliments of the squirrels who buried the peanuts that I put in the bird feeders.

Sweet Viburnum can be grown and pruned as a shrub or left to grow as a small tree that can reach 20' in height. It has green stems with opposite bright green leaves and white wonderfully fragrant flowers that appear in spring. It is popular as a single specimen plant, as well as mass planted to form a dense hedge. In some areas it is commonly used as a hedge to form a buffer to deter highway noise in neighborhoods that border on busy roadways. Many years ago we planted a hedge of Sweet Viburnum on one side of our property that borders the roadway. It hasn't been pruned in years and is currently about 18' tall. Sweet Viburnum is drought tolerant once established.

Osteospermum ecklonis is a great ornamental plant. I love all of the colors but I think the purple is my all-time favorite. Cape Daisies are wonderful planted in a bed as a single color massed together, or in groups of mixed colors. I've grown them in my garden for the past ten years as well as in containers on the patio.

Native to South Africa, Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' is a fast growing ornamental with dark green leaves that have a purple reverse, and lavender flowers with dark purple markings. The plant does well in dappled shade and should be pinched back to attain a compact shape.

Quercus geminata is a fast growing, broad leaf oak similar to the "Live Oak" (Quercus virginiana) but the leaves are different and it doesn't grow anywhere near as large as the Live Oak. The Sand Live Oak tree occurs from Southern coastal Virginia through the south central Florida region and west along the Gulf Coast to Mississippi. It can attain heights of 20 feet, is salt and drought tolerant and grows in both sandy coastal areas as well as pastures and fields. Leaves of the Sand Live Oak are revolute with edges that roll downward and inward toward the midvein. The leaf veins are deeply impressed and young leaves resemble little upside down boats. The older leaves drop as new leaves and flowers emerge in spring. The acorns of the Sand Live Oak appear in clusters of three or more on a single peduncle and are an important food for wildlife.

I have only one Eastern Redbud in my garden and I highly recommend this lovely ornamental tree. I like the interesting shape of the pretty heart shaped light green leaves during the summer, but the tree really is beautiful when the bright pink pea like flowers appear in late February to early March. I don't see this tree often in my area and I don't know why unless it's because it's considered a short lived tree with approximately 40 to 50 year life span.

Gerbera Daisy is a perennial, native to South Africa. It grows in a mounding/clumping form and has deeply lobed leaves. The inflorescence is borne on a 12" to 18" stalk arising from the basal rosette of leaves.

The Gerbera Daisy is one of my favorite summer perennials. They come in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, pink, and cream. I've grown the red and yellow varieties in my garden for many years.

Osmanthus fragrans is a popular landscape shrub in many southern gardens. It can attain heights to 20' but is usually seen in the 6' range. Fragrant Tea Olive has opposite, shiny, dark green toothed or smooth leaves, and both types can be present on the plant at the same time. The blooms are rather inconspicuous but they are extremely fragrant! Prune to encourage branching, maintain size and keep a neat appearance.

Dahoon Holly is a small tree native to the eastern part of the United States from Virginia to Florida and west to Louisiana. It attains heights of @ 30 feet and is often found in wet locations and swampy areas. The leaves of the Dahoon Holly have smooth edges with just a few small sharp teeth. This particular Holly will grow in full sun as well as dense shade and prefers wet areas but will adapt to dry situations if watered well during dry periods.

In Florida, the Dahoon holly is a protected species. It's listed by the Florida Department of Agriculture as a commercially exploited species. Wild populations should not be disturbed.

Phoenix roebelenii is a slow-growing palm that has become one of the most widely used landscape palms in Florida. It is also a very popular houseplant because of its smaller size and easy care. I've grown this palm as a landscape plant as well as a containerized plant and I must say that it's an easy-care tree ... just beware of the sharp thorns!

The Queen Palm is a fast growing tree native to South America and has become a popular ornamental landscape tree in most tropical and sub tropical regions. Although this is a popular tree here in Florida it has a shallow root system which can be detrimental during hurricane season when they tend to be uprooted and blown over during high winds. To keep a neat appearance, the dead fronds should be pruned on a regular basis. The flowers of Queen Palm are creamy white in color and the fruit is a hard nut. When ripe, the nut has a thin outer layer of sticky orange fibrous flesh that is said to have a sweet banana like flavor.

Many years ago I had flower beds full of Impatiens walleriana but I haven't grown them in a long time. Here in my central Florida garden they did best in almost full shade and seemed to require a lot of water.

Tradescantia zebrina is native to the gulf cost region of Mexico but has become naturalized in moist, disturbed hardwood forests in southern and central Florida. It has a trailing habit and forms dense mats with branches climbing over each other. The leaves are dark purple on the reverse side while the top has a zebra pattern striped with silver and burgundy. The color is intense on new growth and fades somewhat with age. When grown as a house plant Tradescantia zebrina usually ends up becoming leggy and unattractive but new plants can be made by rooting cuttings in either water or an organic potting medium.

This plant prefers a rich, organic evenly moist soil and a bright shady location. Unlike other Tradescantia, T. zebrina has a clear, watery sap that can cause skin irritation in some individuals so care should be taken when pruning or coming into contact with broken stems.

Plumeria obtusa, also known as Singapore White has large glossy green leaves and large white flowers with a yellow center. Leaves and flowers of P. obtusa differ from those of P. rubra. While Plumeria rubra has more pointed flowers and leaves, Plumeria obtusa flowers and leaves have rounded edges.

Plumeria rubra is a spreading shrub or small tree that can reach 20' to 25' in height and width. It has a thick trunk, large green leaves, and fragrant flowers. Plumeria rubra is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas around the world. The broken branches of Plumeria ooze a white milky sap that can cause contact dermatitis as well as eye irritation in some individuals, so care should be taken when pruning or coming into contact with broken branches.