I know some of you have been waiting since last season ended. The wait is finally over. The jackfruit is back, and we have a beautiful fruit this year. If you aren’t familiar with jackfruit, this is a tropical treasure. It has a unique flavor somewhere between banana and pineapple mixed with other tropical notes…
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Hedychium coronarium (White Butterfly Ginger) is a fragrant ginger whose flowers resemble the shape of a butterfly. The plant spreads by underground rhizomes forming large clumps over time. Filtered sun to partial shade in the garden is ideal for this ginger. Richard Lyons Nursery currently has this ginger in stock.
An easy bromeliad to grow is Billbergia pyramidalis, or The Flaming Torch Bromeliad. It is native to northern South America and the Caribbean. It can be grown along the ground as a border plant in the garden or attached to trees. It readily clumps in either growing condition. It grows best in partial shade and…
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Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Indian Night Jasmine), is native to India and is commonly planted around religious shrines and temples. It is a small multi-stemmed tree about 15′ in height with very fragrant flowers in clusters. The flowers are small white pinwheel shaped with orange centers that open at night and start falling in the morning, leaving…
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There is a native scarlet red morning glory (Ipomoea microdactyla), more commonly called Wild Potato Morning Glory or Man-in-the-Ground. It is endangered in Florida and only grows in the Pine Rockland habitat of Miami-Dade County. It has underground tubers to store energy when it goes dormant during the dry winter season. The flowers attract bees,…
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American Beautyberry (Calicarpa americana) is a Florida native that can grow in shady gardens as well as in full sun. It can attain a height of 6-8 feet in moist well drained soils. A shrub that definitely benefits from mulching. Its tiny pink flowers are produced up and down the branches, giving rise to clusters…
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