Cordyline fruticosa is a small flowering plant 4-5′ tall, grown mainly for its various leaf colors. In the ideal growing conditions of filtered light, the leaf colors can be quite spectacular. There are several cultivars of this plant, with perhaps the most popular being ‘Red Sister’. A little less known cultivar, but equally impressive, is…
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Acalypha hispida is a shrub in the Euphorbiaceae Family, 4-6′ tall and 5-8′ wide native to the South Pacific. The flowers are the interesting part of this plant and the reason for its common name, Chenille. They are bright red up to 18″ long and pendulous. The individual flowers are very small, but tightly packed…
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Euphorbia leucocephala has many common names, but Snowflake is probably the most appropriate, so I will stick with that one. This shrub can reach 8-12′ tall and 3-4′ wide. It is recommended that it be pruned back after flowering is complete to prevent it from getting too leggy. Like its relative, the Christmas Poinsettia, Snowflake…
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Bixa orellana is quite spectacular this time of year with its bright red seed pods against dark green heart shaped leaves. Prior to the seed pods ripening this tree has beautiful pinkish lavender-colored blossoms, although short-lived. The tree is native to northern S. America, Central America, and Mexico attaining a height of 15-20′ maintaining branches…
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Dombeya wallichii and Dombeya burgessiae ‘Seminole’ are commonly called Tropical Hydrangea due to their flowers looking very similar to the temperate Hydrangea. However, botanically they are in the Malvaceae family which is the Hibiscus or Mallow Family. So, in fact they are more closely related to Hibiscus than Hydrangea. Dombeya wallichii is more tree-like than…
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