Viewing comments posted by plantladylin

I see this plant often used as borders and edging in landscapes here in Florida. I keep it in a container because I've heard it can spread and get out of control.

Pentas come as both upright plants reaching 3 to 4 feet in height, as well as dwarf varieties that attain a low, mounding form. In warm climates Pentas are fast growing, constantly blooming perennials. They are grown as annuals in northern areas. Pentas prefer full sun and are more prolific bloomers when in a sunny location, but they will also do fine in a partially shaded area of the garden, just with fewer blooms. Pentas attract both butterflies and hummingbirds.

Although I haven't noticed hummingbirds visiting the Pentas in my garden, they are absolute butterfly magnets! I've grown the white, light pink, dark pink and red varieties and the red is definitely my favorite!

The Japanese Morning Glory is a beautiful ornamental plant that has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in subtropical and tropical regions. This annual vine produces beautiful flowers in various shades of blue, pink and rose with blended white stripes or edges. I received seeds for this plant from an online gardening friend and I grow it as a container plant. It blooms off and on all spring and summer.

Hoya australis has been one of the easiest to grow Hoyas for me, blooming during the fall/winter months with very pretty, extremely fragrant white flowers. Like other Hoyas, the australis prefers a well draining potting medium and doesn't seem to mind being pot/root bound. It does well in a container with a trellis, or in a hanging basket. If grown in a hanging basket it tends to twine itself upwards and around the hanger.

I grew this plant from a cutting received in a trade a few years ago. Cuttings of this particular Hoya root easily for me and I love the pretty blooms ... very fragrant!

This Hoya has little leaves and tiny, very fragrant blooms!

This is one of the sweetest little Hoyas! I received a cutting of the pink blooming variety a few years ago and although it's been a slow grower, it rooted quickly and bloomed the next year. I love the cute little blooms which are very fragrant!

My growing conditions: Zone 10a, East Central Florida with hot summers, mild winters and a fair amount of humidity almost year round. I use a fast draining potting medium consisting of potting soil and mix in extra perlite and orchid bark mix. My plants receive bright
light but no direct sun.

This particular Hoya struggles under my care for some reason. I just haven't been able to figure out what it wants, but I love the fragrant blooms!

One of my favorite Hoyas for fragrance. The little white blooms smell really wonderful!

I had not grown Passiflora until a couple of years ago and love the red bloom of 'Lady Margaret'.

I found this little Sedum at one of my local big box stores a couple of years ago. I don't know much about Sedums but I fell in love with the "coral" look of the foliage. Unfortunately, I lost most of the plant to over-watering but there are still a few little pieces that I stuck beneath another plant and they seem to be surviving!

I lost this Hoya to winter freezes but loved the pretty, fragrant blooms!

I find this Hoya an easy care plant. When grown in sun the foliage takes on a reddish tinge but if grown in bright shade the leaves remain green. I grow this plant in a chunky, fast draining potting medium consisting of orchid bark mix and potting soil, and I grow it on the dry side watering every other week. The blooms are small and very fragrant. This Hoya blooms for me throughout spring, summer and fall.

I love variegated foliage so when I first saw this plant back in 2007 I fell in love with it because of the leaves and had to buy it!

The Nun's Orchid gets its name from its "hooded" blooms. This is a terrestrial orchid with a bulb-like root system. The leaves grow to 3 feet in length and the Reddish/Rusty flowers appear on tall 4' stalks in mid to late spring. The flower color darkens a bit as the flowers age. The plant requires bright light, no direct sun. It makes a wonderful house plant that needs repotting every three to four years.

The "Banana Shrub" is a wonderful evergreen, woody shrub with multiple branching stems that produce fuzzy little brown bracts/buds, and exceptionally fragrant flowers! It grows well in partial sun to shade and blooms for me from late spring through summer.

Native to the Eastern and Southeastern United States, this plant grows in full sun and shade, has a strong root system and spreads by runners. The seeds are very sticky and if you happen to brush against a plant full of seeds your clothes will be covered with them. This plant is spreading throughout my lawn and although I consider it a weed I do like the pretty little pink flowers!

This Micro-miniature Sinningia is a member of the Gesneriaceae family of plants like its relative, the African Violet. It requires high humidity but lower light levels than other Gesneriads and will do well at the edge of a fluorescent light stand or in a bright window with no direct sun. Being a micro miniature plant, it does best in a small, shallow container with well-draining potting medium. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. The plant sometimes goes dormant but will re-emerge after a short rest period and it also readily reseeds itself.

A delightful little plant to grow, it's one I've found very easy and I miss mine. When my plant went dormant the last time, I apparently didn't remember what was in the container and dumped it. :(

Chlorophytum comosum ("Spider Plant") is native to South Africa but it is a very common house plant for many. Spider Plants prefer bright light but no direct sun. The plant has long narrow leaves that grow from a central rosette. It produces stolons with tiny white flowers and baby plants that will take root when they touch the soil. It makes a nice hanging basket plant with the pendant stems and baby plants dangling beneath the pot.

Here in Florida some people grow Chlorophytum as landscape plants where they spread and make a nice ground cover. I had a flower bed in my backyard with many of these plants a few years ago. There are still two plants in the ground beneath a tree, compliments of baby "plantlets" from a hanging basket plant whose stolons reached the ground and took root.

"Strawberry Begonia" is an ornamental flowering plant native to Asia that has been introduced to many other areas of the world. It's a popular house plant for many, but it's actually not a begonia or geranium. It possibly gets the common names Strawberry Begonia and Strawberry Geranium from the appearance of the foliage.

Saxifraga grows in a mounded form and spreads by stolons (runners) that take root when they touch the soil. It prefers bright light and cooler temperatures.The leaves have silvery veining on the top side and a pretty burgundy color on the reverse. The plant produces tiny white flowers in the summer months. Strawberry Begonia is a popular house plant and looks great when potted in a hanging basket, allowing the stolons to dangle beneath the basket.